Word 2002 - data source file name

[jan]

In prior versions of Word, the data source file when saved
would have a .doc extension. Why did Word 2002 change
this to an .mdb extension?

TIA
Jan

 

[Peter Jamieson]

To get the old method back, revert to the Mail Merge Helper - Word
Tools|Customize|Commands, select category All Commands then locate the
MailMergeHelper and drag it to a toolbar.

As for your "why" question, you would really have to ask Microsoft
themselves (most of the people in this group are volunteers who do not work
for Microsoft).

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Jan,

In prior versions of Word, the data source file when saved
would have a .doc extension. Why did Word 2002 change
this to an .mdb extension?

Filling in a point Peter left out In earlier versions of
Word, when you created a data source you were making a TABLE
in a Word document. This has certain advantages, as well as
disadvantages.

For Word 2002, Microsoft changed to creating an ACCESS
database (thus the *.mdb). As Peter said, you'd need to ask
Microsoft exactly why they made this decision. Certainly one
possible advantage would be being able to easily transfer the
information into another database at any time. Doing this
with a Word table is always rather convoluted, slow, and
fraught with problems (the document needs to be opened in
Word, for one thing).

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

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