Sorting and filtering (advanced) data from the *.mdb source

[caneau]

I am using Word 2002 (french).
in Word 2000, sorting or filtering (advanced) data that were numbers or
dates were OK when I used a Word table as data source.
In Word 2002 there is no way to specify the data type when I create my *.mdb
data source. Having Access installed on my machine I could find out that all
the fields are defined as "texte", 255 characters long. If I try to change
some fields to numeric or date, the fields are no more acessible from Word
for editing.
Sorting numbers like 7, 12, 56, ... ascending gives 12, 56, 7. Poor result.
Same trouble when I use advanced filtering like ">50", I get 56, 7 since
Word considers my values as string and uses the first character to begin.
The only remedy so far for me : to put extra zeros in front of the numeric
values so that all these values have the same number of figures before the
decimal separator. Then in Word I correct the Mergefield to { MERGEFIELD
TheNumber \# "0" }.
It does not seem too difficult but if you begin with numeric data between 0
and 999 you have extra typing. It is getting worse when suddenly you must
enter a value like 123456 , you have to correct all the records to get
000012, 000056, 000007...
If I have dates in a field, I enter my data like 20040420 for 20/04/2004,
and in the Word main document { MERGEFIELD LaDate \@ "dd/MMM/yyyy" }.
I am sure that somebody will give me a better solution, without using Access
to enter data, since many people do not have Access.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Caneau,

I am using Word 2002 (french).
in Word 2000, sorting or filtering (advanced) data that were numbers or
dates were OK when I used a Word table as data source.
In Word 2002 there is no way to specify the data type when I create my *.mdb
data source.

You can continue to use a Word table as the data source. The old interfaces
are still available in the menu you get if you right-click any toolbar, then
select the last entry (Customize, in english), go to the "Commands" tab in the
dialog box, and the category "All Commands". In English, most of the ones you
need begin with "MailMerge"; there's a list in the Word 2002 section of my
website (all English).

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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