I have an Access application that connects to a Sybase database via
ODBC. Within that application, I have created a complicated query that
asks the user to specify a "project name" (i.e. this is a parameterized
query). I need to use that query as the Source for a mail merge Word
document (really it's a report on the "project" but I'm using Word's
Mail Merge capabilities to populate the different pieces of
information).

The parameter looks like this: Like "*" & [Enter the Project Name or
part of it] & "*"

Although I'm using Access 2002 and Word 2002, I read in LOTS of places
that since this is a parameter query, I need to set up the data source
with a DDE connection. I've done that successfully so that when I open
the mail merge document, I'm prompted for the application's password
and then prompted for the "project name" that the query calls for.
After a while, I can click "Merge to new document" or "show merged
data" and there's the information about the "project" or "projects",
depending on how I entered the parameter. (I set up the DDE connection
by choosing the actual application .MDB file as the Data Source and
then choosing MS Access via DDE as the Data Source Type.)

HERE's THE PROBLEM: I get DIFFERENT RESULTS when I run the query
within the application and when I run the query from the mail merge.
This happens with different parameters and doesn't have any rhyme or
reason to it that I can see.

For example, I specified "zumwalt" as the parameter when running the
mail merge. I got projects that had zumwalt in the middle and zumwalt
at the beginning. But I didn't get the zumwalt project that I was
looking for (which began with zumwalt) which did appear when running
the query within the application. When I type in "san diego county" as
the parameter for the mail merge, I get 2 results that start with "san
diego county". But I don't get the other 4 that also start with "san
diego county" and that appear when I run the query directly in the
application.


I tried setting the mail merge data source as OLEDB and ODBC but
neither of those worked. I tried using the "%" wildcard but that
didn't work. I've been trying to figure this out ALL DAY so I really
hope that someone can help me.

Thanks in advance. Carol.