Open existing mail merge document without data source

[Angie]

I have an often used document that is saved and linked to
an existing excel spreadsheet. My teammates adjust the
data in the spreadsheet in order to get new letters.

The problem I am having is that when the spreadsheet
contains a large amount of data it takes forever to open.
Is there a way to open the Word Document without the
linked spreadsheet? I want it to give me the choice of
removing the link, in case I need to temporarily use this
letter with other spreadsheets..thanks!

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I don't think you can do much to speed things up. So you may be better off
disconnecting the data source before saving the document, then reconnecting
the source when you need it. You shouldn't lose any of the merge fields in
your document, but you will lose any sort/filter options.

Alternatively, if you always know before you open the document whether or
not you want to use the usual spreadsheet, it might be simpler to keep two
versions of the dcocument, one for use with the "regular" sheet and the
other for when you want to choose another data source.