[Yourcareercoach]

Thanks for much for your ideas. I know it's true that if the user saves the
mail merge document with the data source reattached, the attach DOES fail
when they reopen the document. They must reattach the data file each and
every time. The data file stays attached as long as the mail merge document
remains open.

I have not tried having the user open the mail merge document, attach the
data file, detach the data file, then save the document. That seems like a
very clumbsy work around.

When I save the mail merge document and the data file (using Word 2002),
both of them go to C:\My Documents. The path would read C:\My
Docments\mainmailmergedocument.doc and C:\My Documents\worddatafile.doc. I
then open the mail merge main document in C:\My Documents and attach the
datafile document from the same folder, then save the mail merge main
document.

I do that because I know every client will have a C:\My Documents folder on
his or her machine

Does that help?
"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

I don't know the full solution to this (other than delivering your document
with the data source attached and using an AutoOpen macro to attach it), but
if you are in a position to experiment, can you check that
a. even if the user saves the mail merge main document after re-attaching,
the attach fails the next time they open the document
b. if the user explicitly detaches the data source, then re-attaches it,
then saves the mail merge main document, the attach succeeds the next time
they open the document?

Peter Jamieson
"Yourcareercoach" wrote in
message ...
I use Word 2002, but I often send mail merge mail documents, and their
supporting Word data file, to my clients. If they are using Word 2002,
when
they open the mail merge main document, Word 2002 or earlier,
automatically
finds the correct data file every time.

However, when I send my mail merge mail document and its associated word
data file to clients using Word 2003, they run into the following
difficulty.
When they open the mail merge mail document, Word 2003 claims it cannot
find
the associated Word data file. Of course, they can navigate to the Word
data
file and then the mail merge process runs smoothly...until they close the
mail merge main document. Each time they reopen the mail merge main
document,
Word 2003 forces them to rematch the appropriate word data file.

How to I help my clients using Word 2003 keep the Word data file
permanently
associated with the mail merge main document?