[Victor Lazlo]

Upgraded recently to MS Access 2003 (and Word 2003). What would be best
approach to merge documents to Access queries? From word document to the
query opting for DDE, or ODC, or MDB, or ODBC DSN....very confusing.... or
from query to the word document using word's wizard?

[Peter Jamieson]

What I would do is:
a. enable the MailMerge toolbar (e.g. View|Toolbars)
b. create new merges by starting with the lefthand button, then use button
2 to select the data source etc.
c. if you are seeing the list of connection methods when you select your
data source,
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and never chose the connection
method, choose DDE in the first instance. That's what Word 97/2000 used.
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and used ODBC, I'd probably
choose OLE DB, which is the default in Word 2003

The Word 2003 MailMerge toolbar behaves differently from the WOrd 97/2000
one - it doesn't disappear/reappear depending on whether the document is a
Mail merge Main document or not.

The advantage of using OLE DB is that it's the (relatively) up-to-date
method and does not have to start up a copy of Access each time it gets
data. If you have non-ANSI Unicode character data in your data source, it's
the only option that works. However,
a. it does not work with all types of query, particularly "Parameter
queries". With DDE, Access opens and asks for the parameters as necessary.
b. it's more difficult to set it up to work with databases secured by
passwords or using workgroup info. files (with DDE, Access just asks the
appropriate questions when it opens, and you answer them)
c. you are more likely to need "formatting switches" in your MERGEFIELD
fields in Word where the data is a date or amount.

The main advantage of using the Mail Merge Wizard, other than the fact that
it leads you through the process, is that it lets you connect to Outlook
Contacts data sources (you can't do that from the toolbar), andlets you set
up new data sources in "Office Address List" format, which you also can't do
from the toolbar. However, if you want to merge from Outlook COntacts, you
will probably be better off selecting your contacts in Outlook and using
Outlook Tools|Mail Merge... to do it.

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Upgraded recently to MS Access 2003 (and Word 2003). What would be best
approach to merge documents to Access queries? From word document to the
query opting for DDE, or ODC, or MDB, or ODBC DSN....very confusing.... or
from query to the word document using word's wizard?

[Victor Lazlo]

Thanks a million. Merge documents were linked using OLE DB. Now however
when other users :"open" merge documents they are asked to select a data
source (theSelectData Source window). Can this process be avoided?

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

What I would do is:
a. enable the MailMerge toolbar (e.g. View|Toolbars)
b. create new merges by starting with the lefthand button, then use button
2 to select the data source etc.
c. if you are seeing the list of connection methods when you select your
data source,
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and never chose the connection
method, choose DDE in the first instance. That's what Word 97/2000 used.
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and used ODBC, I'd probably
choose OLE DB, which is the default in Word 2003

The Word 2003 MailMerge toolbar behaves differently from the WOrd 97/2000
one - it doesn't disappear/reappear depending on whether the document is a
Mail merge Main document or not.

The advantage of using OLE DB is that it's the (relatively) up-to-date
method and does not have to start up a copy of Access each time it gets
data. If you have non-ANSI Unicode character data in your data source, it's
the only option that works. However,
a. it does not work with all types of query, particularly "Parameter
queries". With DDE, Access opens and asks for the parameters as necessary.
b. it's more difficult to set it up to work with databases secured by
passwords or using workgroup info. files (with DDE, Access just asks the
appropriate questions when it opens, and you answer them)
c. you are more likely to need "formatting switches" in your MERGEFIELD
fields in Word where the data is a date or amount.

The main advantage of using the Mail Merge Wizard, other than the fact that
it leads you through the process, is that it lets you connect to Outlook
Contacts data sources (you can't do that from the toolbar), andlets you set
up new data sources in "Office Address List" format, which you also can't do
from the toolbar. However, if you want to merge from Outlook COntacts, you
will probably be better off selecting your contacts in Outlook and using
Outlook Tools|Mail Merge... to do it.

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Upgraded recently to MS Access 2003 (and Word 2003). What would be best
approach to merge documents to Access queries? From word document to the
query opting for DDE, or ODC, or MDB, or ODBC DSN....very confusing.... or
from query to the word document using word's wizard?

[Peter Jamieson]

Only really by changing the registry - see

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/825765

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Thanks a million. Merge documents were linked using OLE DB. Now however
when other users :"open" merge documents they are asked to select a data
source (theSelectData Source window). Can this process be avoided?

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

What I would do is:
a. enable the MailMerge toolbar (e.g. View|Toolbars)
b. create new merges by starting with the lefthand button, then use
button
2 to select the data source etc.
c. if you are seeing the list of connection methods when you select your
data source,
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and never chose the
connection
method, choose DDE in the first instance. That's what Word 97/2000 used.
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and used ODBC, I'd probably
choose OLE DB, which is the default in Word 2003

The Word 2003 MailMerge toolbar behaves differently from the WOrd 97/2000
one - it doesn't disappear/reappear depending on whether the document is
a
Mail merge Main document or not.

The advantage of using OLE DB is that it's the (relatively) up-to-date
method and does not have to start up a copy of Access each time it gets
data. If you have non-ANSI Unicode character data in your data source,
it's
the only option that works. However,
a. it does not work with all types of query, particularly "Parameter
queries". With DDE, Access opens and asks for the parameters as
necessary.
b. it's more difficult to set it up to work with databases secured by
passwords or using workgroup info. files (with DDE, Access just asks the
appropriate questions when it opens, and you answer them)
c. you are more likely to need "formatting switches" in your MERGEFIELD
fields in Word where the data is a date or amount.

The main advantage of using the Mail Merge Wizard, other than the fact
that
it leads you through the process, is that it lets you connect to Outlook
Contacts data sources (you can't do that from the toolbar), andlets you
set
up new data sources in "Office Address List" format, which you also can't
do
from the toolbar. However, if you want to merge from Outlook COntacts,
you
will probably be better off selecting your contacts in Outlook and using
Outlook Tools|Mail Merge... to do it.

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Upgraded recently to MS Access 2003 (and Word 2003). What would be
best
approach to merge documents to Access queries? From word document to
the
query opting for DDE, or ODC, or MDB, or ODBC DSN....very confusing....
or
from query to the word document using word's wizard?

[Victor Lazlo]

Sorry about not being clear on this. The following question/prompt is NOT
the issue here but rather the need to reestablish a link to the query again
with the presentationo of the Select Data Source Window and the options
within the select window....

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Only really by changing the registry - see

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/825765

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Thanks a million. Merge documents were linked using OLE DB. Now however
when other users :"open" merge documents they are asked to select a data
source (theSelectData Source window). Can this process be avoided?

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

What I would do is:
a. enable the MailMerge toolbar (e.g. View|Toolbars)
b. create new merges by starting with the lefthand button, then use
button
2 to select the data source etc.
c. if you are seeing the list of connection methods when you select your
data source,
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and never chose the
connection
method, choose DDE in the first instance. That's what Word 97/2000 used.
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and used ODBC, I'd probably
choose OLE DB, which is the default in Word 2003

The Word 2003 MailMerge toolbar behaves differently from the WOrd 97/2000
one - it doesn't disappear/reappear depending on whether the document is
a
Mail merge Main document or not.

The advantage of using OLE DB is that it's the (relatively) up-to-date
method and does not have to start up a copy of Access each time it gets
data. If you have non-ANSI Unicode character data in your data source,
it's
the only option that works. However,
a. it does not work with all types of query, particularly "Parameter
queries". With DDE, Access opens and asks for the parameters as
necessary.
b. it's more difficult to set it up to work with databases secured by
passwords or using workgroup info. files (with DDE, Access just asks the
appropriate questions when it opens, and you answer them)
c. you are more likely to need "formatting switches" in your MERGEFIELD
fields in Word where the data is a date or amount.

The main advantage of using the Mail Merge Wizard, other than the fact
that
it leads you through the process, is that it lets you connect to Outlook
Contacts data sources (you can't do that from the toolbar), andlets you
set
up new data sources in "Office Address List" format, which you also can't
do
from the toolbar. However, if you want to merge from Outlook COntacts,
you
will probably be better off selecting your contacts in Outlook and using
Outlook Tools|Mail Merge... to do it.

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Upgraded recently to MS Access 2003 (and Word 2003). What would be
best
approach to merge documents to Access queries? From word document to
the
query opting for DDE, or ODC, or MDB, or ODBC DSN....very confusing....
or
from query to the word document using word's wizard?

[Peter Jamieson]

My fault actually, Victor. The following is mostly guesswork as I haven't
done these transitions except experimentally for quite some time.

But
a. what version of Word are the users moving from?
b. what is the data source?

If it was definitely OLE DB and they are moving from Word 2002, and the data
source is where it is expected to be, then I can't see any obvious way to
prevent the problem in the first instance. However, if you are then saving
and copying the mail merge main document to others, with an OLE DB
connection I would hope it would work.

If it was actually Word 97/2000 and ODBC and the users still have the
appropriate ODBC DSN used by the connection, then it's more or less the same
story. If however, they don't have the DSN then you can try creating it.

The basic problem with Word is always that you can't discover the existing
Mail Merge Data Source without opening the document, but if Word can't find
the data source, it unlinks it and there's no record of it. But you can't
run code /before/ Word does that.

If you still have the old version of Word and all your Mail Merge Main
Documents are on it, it shoule be possible to go through every document,
perhaps using a macro, to discover what the Data Source and Query options
were, then to use VBA in the new version of Word to set the data sources up
again.

Peter Jamieson
"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Sorry about not being clear on this. The following question/prompt is NOT
the issue here but rather the need to reestablish a link to the query
again
with the presentationo of the Select Data Source Window and the options
within the select window....

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Only really by changing the registry - see

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/825765

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in message
...
Thanks a million. Merge documents were linked using OLE DB. Now
however
when other users :"open" merge documents they are asked to select a
data
source (theSelectData Source window). Can this process be avoided?

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

What I would do is:
a. enable the MailMerge toolbar (e.g. View|Toolbars)
b. create new merges by starting with the lefthand button, then use
button
2 to select the data source etc.
c. if you are seeing the list of connection methods when you select
your
data source,
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and never chose the
connection
method, choose DDE in the first instance. That's what Word 97/2000
used.
- if you were using Word 97/2000 before and used ODBC, I'd
probably
choose OLE DB, which is the default in Word 2003

The Word 2003 MailMerge toolbar behaves differently from the WOrd
97/2000
one - it doesn't disappear/reappear depending on whether the document
is
a
Mail merge Main document or not.

The advantage of using OLE DB is that it's the (relatively) up-to-date
method and does not have to start up a copy of Access each time it
gets
data. If you have non-ANSI Unicode character data in your data source,
it's
the only option that works. However,
a. it does not work with all types of query, particularly "Parameter
queries". With DDE, Access opens and asks for the parameters as
necessary.
b. it's more difficult to set it up to work with databases secured by
passwords or using workgroup info. files (with DDE, Access just asks
the
appropriate questions when it opens, and you answer them)
c. you are more likely to need "formatting switches" in your
MERGEFIELD
fields in Word where the data is a date or amount.

The main advantage of using the Mail Merge Wizard, other than the fact
that
it leads you through the process, is that it lets you connect to
Outlook
Contacts data sources (you can't do that from the toolbar), andlets
you
set
up new data sources in "Office Address List" format, which you also
can't
do
from the toolbar. However, if you want to merge from Outlook COntacts,
you
will probably be better off selecting your contacts in Outlook and
using
Outlook Tools|Mail Merge... to do it.

Peter Jamieson

"Victor Lazlo" wrote in
message
...
Upgraded recently to MS Access 2003 (and Word 2003). What would be
best
approach to merge documents to Access queries? From word document
to
the
query opting for DDE, or ODC, or MDB, or ODBC DSN....very
confusing....
or
from query to the word document using word's wizard?