Word cannot find data source problem

alfr...@gmail.com

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Jul 30, 2007, 10:10:30 AM7/30/07

to

Hi,

I'm having a problem getting Word to remember the link to its data
source for some files. It continually asks to locate the data source
and if you point it to the file it just continually loops back and
asks for the file location again. If you tell it "No" on the SQL
check dialog, the file opens and I can go to "Open Data Source" and
point to the file that way.

The merge document is a one page letter. The data is a simple csv
file with only 10 fields.

I've tried putting the csv file in the My Data Sources folder and that
doesn't fix it.

I've tried using the registry setting to skip the SQL check, but that
means I end up in the "Locate Data Source" loop with no way of opening
the file at all.

The closest thing I've come up with that sort of gets me to a work
around is that some of the field headings have an underscore in them:
First_Name, Last_Name, Address_1, etc. However, if I make a new csv
file in notepad and make the names with an _, it works fine. But then
I get the second clue.

If I click on Tools | Letters and Mailings | Mail Merge to get the
Mail Merge side bar, step 3 has some weirdness. On the csv file that
does not work, the source that the recipients are currently selected
from appears as:

[:\foldername\source.cs] in "source.csv"

If I make a csv file from scratch and do not use any underscores, that
line becomes just:

"test.csv"

But as soon as I change a field name in the working csv file to
contain and underscore it changes to:

[:\foldername\test.cs] in "test.csv"

It still works, probably because somewhere in the file it remembers
that it used to work before I changed the file name, but who knows at
this point.

Has anyone else run into something similar or know of a fix?

Thanks!

Peter Jamieson

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Aug 1, 2007, 9:39:08 AM8/1/07

to

Well spotted on the incorrect display of the file path name, but
unfortunately as far as I know it is a red herring and does not indicate
anything other than a fault in the display. Further, whether the Mailmerge
task pane displays the "long" data source location details or just the short
file name depends on whether the data source is in what Word thinks is the
"active" folder" (I think) - i.e. it is likely to change to that folder if
you create a test .csv in Word and save it.

However, things are complicated by the fact that Word has a number of
different mechanisms for opening a .tx or .csv type file and chooses the
mechanism depending on the file content (I think). I don't work for
Microsoft or have have access to the source code, so I have to guess, but in
Word 2002(XP) and 2003, I believe Word will either use Word's built-in text
converter to read the file, or OLE DB. If it uses OLE DB, it generates a
"connection string" which contains the path name of the folder containing
the file. However, Word does not save the whole connection string (max 255
characters I think) and can truncate the pathname, so when you close and
re-open the When you close the mail merge main document and re-open it, Word
can't find the file.I'm not so sure that happens when Word opens the file
using its converter.

Anyway, if you try putting the file in a folder with a short pathname I
think it will always work.

However, there could also be problems if Word does not recognise the
character encoding of your .csv file correctly - but let's leave that for
now.

Peter Jamieson

<alfr...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185804630....@e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

Jane

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Aug 20, 2007, 11:38:04 AM8/20/07

to

I'm having a very similar problem.

In Word 2003 (on a Windows 2003 network) we cannot save word merge files
with a user -assigned data source. One of the following will happen:
1. Our Word Merge templates (the 'letter' part of the file) are copied into
a client directory, and staff edits the file to 'link' to the new data source
(text file with CSV). Staff saves the document. The next time the staff
opens the document Word responds with 'Opening this document will run the
following SQL Command' - as we would expect - but then we get a message 'Word
cannot find its data source ' - displaying the name of the file we linked in
- which we know is there - so staff selects 'Find Data Source' and re-opens
the file. WE GET THE SAME MESSAGE - Word cannot find its data source. The
only option is to remove the headers. But even after we do that, Word Merge
cannot find the data source. We cannot save the Word merge file with the
correct data source attached.

Here's the strange part. All our word files are saved to the network - the
templates and the data source. If I attached a data source that's on my
local drive to the word file, there is no problem - the merge file with the
new data source saves fine.

It's as if the merge file does not want a data source that's on a network
drive - or is it the path?

Peter Jamieson

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Aug 20, 2007, 8:35:33 PM8/20/07

to

I just did some simple tests here and was able to re-open when both Mail
merge Main Document and data source were on the same network drive, i.e.
suggesting that the problem does not occur solely because it's a netwrok
drive (it worked whether I connected using E DB or the internal text file
converter).

A few questions:
a. are your mail merge document and data source in the same network folder?
b. how long is the pathname of the data source? e.g. longer or shorter than
the pathname you used when testing on a local drive? - the total length
consists of all the charaters in

\\computername\sharename\folders`filename.ext

c. have any sorts or filters been applied to the data?
--

Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
"Jane" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A2723282-115D-49FC...@microsoft.com...

Jane

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Aug 21, 2007, 7:42:02 AM8/21/07

to

1. The two files are in the same folder on a network drive.
2. the path to the data source is longish:
\\server\company\word\mhl clients\h\hollowayjane\mailmerge.txt
when I tested on the local drive it was short:
c:\cis\mailmerge.txt
3. there are no filters or sorts

Peter Jamieson

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Aug 21, 2007, 10:50:58 AM8/21/07

to

OK, I checked again with a similar length pathname and it does not appear to
be long enough to cause problems here. Which leaves me a bit stuck.

If you are able to test the same document and mail merge source on a much
shorter network path and it still does not work, I think that would help
establish that it is probably something to do with the network setup. I
would be looking at the permissions for the /share/ and for the underlying
folder - e.g. you may need to be able to read and write to both the share
and the folder (even though mailmerge typically only reads the data source).

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Jane" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:99CBE488-524F-4863...@microsoft.com...

Jane

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Aug 21, 2007, 11:18:02 AM8/21/07

to

I'll try that. I'll check into the permissions on network drives too. If
I have to I'll call Microsoft. Thanks for your help.

Peter Jamieson

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Aug 21, 2007, 11:24:59 AM8/21/07

to

One other thing that may be worth checking is that the document is not
connected to a template that also has a dtaa source (maybe the same one)
attached.

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Jane" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:476780F5-481C-440F...@microsoft.com...

Jane

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Aug 21, 2007, 4:26:01 PM8/21/07

to

do you mean connected to a .dot file? How would I find out if it is?

Peter Jamieson

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Aug 21, 2007, 5:12:58 PM8/21/07

to

Wen you have managed to open it, use Tools->Addins and Templates to have a
look.

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Jane" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:776D1DE7-EE62-4615...@microsoft.com...

Mike DiCanio

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Sep 27, 2007, 3:35:00 PM9/27/07

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I am having the same problem as all of you. I receive the error "Word cannot
find the source ". My files are on the network and have long descriptive
file names. Please let me know if there is any further information on this
from your experiences.

Thanks.

Mike

Peter Jamieson

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Sep 28, 2007, 2:59:12 AM9/28/07

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Is this also Word 2007?

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Mike DiCanio" <MikeD...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:553D4398-92BF-4E46...@microsoft.com...

Mike DiCanio

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Sep 28, 2007, 9:56:00 AM9/28/07

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Sorry no it is not. Word 2003.

Peter Jamieson

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Sep 28, 2007, 12:35:29 PM9/28/07

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As far as I know, the main reasons why Word may have difficulty /re-/opening
a data source are
a. In Word 2002 there is a problem where the data source is lost if you
apply a filter or sort criteria to your data source. This may have been
fixed in a later SP, and I believe was fixed in Word 2003.
b. the connection information saved by Word when you close a working mail
merge main document is truncated in such a way that Word loses essential
information about the location of the data source

For example, by default Word 2002 and later use OLE DB providers to open as
many types of data source as possible, including Excel worksheets, Access
databases and plain text files. The OLE DB provider typically divides the
location of a data source into a "database" and a "table". So for example,
if the data source is...
a. ...an Access table, the "database" is the Access .mdb file that contains
all the data, and the table is a table or query within that .mdb
b. ...a text file, the "database" is the Windows folder that contains the
text file, and the .txt file itself is the "table"
c. ...an Excel worksheet, the "database" is the Excel workbook, and the
"table" is a worksheet, a named range, or perhaps a range specified in R1C1
format.

An application such as Word that uses OLE DB to get data usually specifies
the database part of the data source's locatoin in a /Connection string/,
and specifies the "table" part either simply by naming the table, or
specifying a SQL query that names the table.

So what goes wrong in Word? Well, Word constructs a connection string
containing whatever path name is required to specify the "database", and
uses it to open the document. But then when you save the Word document, it
truncates the connection string to 255 characters long. If the pathname of
the database file or folder is so long that it spans that 255 boundary, Word
in effect forgets where the database it.

What can you do about it? Well, unfortunately, you cannot shorten the
connection string by leaving out unnecessary information. Word always
includes certain properties even when they are not strictly necessary. So
the only things you can do are
a. use another method to make the connection (and every method has its
drawbacks - see e.g. http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk/t0003.htm for a discussion of
some of the issues surrounding connections to Excel files, for example)
b. give your data source a shorter name, or put it in a folder with a
shorter pathname, depending on exactly what typ eof data source it is.

There can in theory be other problems that would cause this problem, but in
most of those cases you would be unlikely to connect at all.

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Mike DiCanio" <MikeD...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:A85F7CA3-EB97-4E90...@microsoft.com...

Mike DiCanio

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Oct 11, 2007, 11:32:00 PM10/11/07

to

Peter,

Can you tell me where the path to the data source is saved when I do the
following:

. With my merge document open in Word 2003 I click Letters and Mailings on
the Tools menu, and then click Mail Merge.
In the Select recipients section of the Mail Merge Wizard (Step 3 of 6), I
select the Data Source by browsing to the location of the this .txt file on
my network drive then click through the next steps and save the document.

Also, could you tell me if any data source information is stored in my
Windows XP user profile?

Thanks!

Mike

Peter Jamieson

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Oct 12, 2007, 12:53:51 PM10/12/07

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> Can you tell me where the path to the data source is saved when I do the
> following:

1. In the document, either completely or partially, either in clear text if
you save as .rtf, .xml or .htm, or in Word's binary format (actually it may
be a readable Unicode string - I don't know) if you save as .doc. The string
will be saved either in the connection string, or in the SQLStatement, or
split across the two, depending on how Word chose to make the connection (it
may choose to use OLE DB or its converter, and just possibly ODBC, depending
on the file).
2. the pathname may also be saved in various "recently accessed files" type
lists, e.g. in the Windows registry, but that's just my guess.

In the scenario you describe I would expect any such info to be stored in a
DSN, .udl or .odc file

> Also, could you tell me if any data source information is stored in my
> Windows XP user profile?

I'm not sure if the above answers your question. However, when you save a
mailmerge main doc. you /may find that data source info. is cached in the
.doc. If you save as .htm I think it looks more as if enough info. to
identify individaully selected records is stored (more or less).

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Mike DiCanio" <MikeD...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:539A447B-5E67-4937...@microsoft.com...

Mike DiCanio

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Oct 12, 2007, 5:47:00 PM10/12/07

to

Peter,

Thanks for the reply. This information was helpful. I have previously
done, as you mentioned, saving the document as an HTML and then opening it as
text. The problem ended up being solved by the following microsoft support
doc.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834699

Thanks for all your help.

Mike

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

> > Can you tell me where the path to the data source is saved when I do the
> > following:
>
> 1. In the document, either completely or partially, either in clear text if
> you save as .rtf, .xml or .htm, or in Word's binary format (actually it may
> be a readable Unicode string - I don't know) if you save as .doc. The string
> will be saved either in the connection string, or in the SQLStatement, or
> split across the two, depending on how Word chose to make the connection (it
> may choose to use OLE DB or its converter, and just possibly ODBC, depending
> on the file).
> 2. the pathname may also be saved in various "recently accessed files" type
> lists, e.g. in the Windows registry, but that's just my guess.
>
> In the scenario you describe I would expect any such info to be stored in a
> DSN, .udl or .odc file
>
> > Also, could you tell me if any data source information is stored in my
> > Windows XP user profile?
>
> I'm not sure if the above answers your question. However, when you save a
> mailmerge main doc. you /may find that data source info. is cached in the

> ..doc. If you save as .htm I think it looks more as if enough info. to

Peter Jamieson

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Oct 13, 2007, 5:01:42 AM10/13/07

to

Good feedback, thanks.

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Mike DiCanio" <MikeD...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:9F1003EB-7322-4F7C...@microsoft.com...

Iris Sitkin

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Sep 21, 2010, 12:41:57 PM9/21/10

to

Hi. I too am having this problem; however, I am using XP PRO and WORD 2007, along with a third party legal database, Time Matters from LexisNexis.

As with other posters, after the merge fails with the error msg that Word cannot find the datasource, I can either manually go out to the documents and settings folder and its subdirectories to find my WORDDATA.DAT which has been created by Time Matters or I can choose OPTIONS "remove dataheader" and the merge will give me a bunch of error codes but the data will be placed correctly into the merge forms data fields.

In my case I have a wrinkle in that the computer login is FRONT DESK and NOT ADMINISTRATOR.

While the settings in Time Matters, in all the forms and within the registry keys for TM correctly reflect that the correct sub-directory in docs and settings is FRONT DESK, WORD stubbornly persists in looking for the WORDDATA.dat in a non existent Admin subdirectory. Again, the correct path is: c:\Documents and Settings\Front Desk\etc.

No matter what I do, WORD looks in Documents and Settings\Admin.

Tech Support at LexisNexis has checked with me and my settings are correct; WORD just refuses to recognize them. I am the host computer on a peer-peer network. The attorney is using a virtual PC on a MACINTOSH. He DOES login as ADMINISTRATOR and guess what, his merges (which of course, I set up on his computer for him) using the forms on MY computer work flawlessly. His WORDDATA.DAT is located on HIS c: drive in the c;\Documents and Settings\Admin\etc subdirectory and all works correctly. He uses XP PRO but has WORD 2003 installed. PS, so you will know, I had the same problem using WORD 2003 and this was one reason that I upgraded to 2007.

At this point setting up a new user or renaming FRONT DESK back to ADMINISTRATOR is a nightmare to contemplate as it would affect all my forms and countless other programs and links.

Why is this happening and why is WORD 2003/2007 refusing to acknowledge that my user directory is named FRONT DESK (which my installer set up and not I by the way)???

Last point, because I had so many problems when I purchased a new computer, I did NOT use a backup to reinstall my entire drive. I installed every single program I used from scratch from the original CDs. That includes XP PRO and my newly purchased WORD 2007.

Thank you,
Iris

>> On Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:39 AM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>> Well spotted on the incorrect display of the file path name, but
>> unfortunately as far as I know it is a red herring and does not indicate
>> anything other than a fault in the display. Further, whether the Mailmerge
>> task pane displays the "long" data source location details or just the short
>> file name depends on whether the data source is in what Word thinks is the
>> "active" folder" (I think) - i.e. it is likely to change to that folder if
>> you create a test .csv in Word and save it.
>>

>> However, things are complicated by the fact that Word has a number of
>> different mechanisms for opening a .tx or .csv type file and chooses the
>> mechanism depending on the file content (I think). I don't work for
>> Microsoft or have have access to the source code, so I have to guess, but in
>> Word 2002(XP) and 2003, I believe Word will either use Word's built-in text
>> converter to read the file, or OLE DB. If it uses OLE DB, it generates a
>> "connection string" which contains the path name of the folder containing
>> the file. However, Word does not save the whole connection string (max 255
>> characters I think) and can truncate the pathname, so when you close and
>> re-open the When you close the mail merge main document and re-open it, Word
>> can't find the file.I'm not so sure that happens when Word opens the file
>> using its converter.
>>
>> Anyway, if you try putting the file in a folder with a short pathname I
>> think it will always work.
>>
>> However, there could also be problems if Word does not recognise the
>> character encoding of your .csv file correctly - but let's leave that for
>> now.
>>
>> Peter Jamieson
>>
>> <alfr...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1185804630....@e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

>>> On Monday, August 20, 2007 11:38 AM Jan wrote:

>>> I'm having a very similar problem.
>>>
>>> In Word 2003 (on a Windows 2003 network) we cannot save word merge files
>>> with a user -assigned data source. One of the following will happen:
>>> 1. Our Word Merge templates (the 'letter' part of the file) are copied into

>>> a client directory, and staff edits the file to 'link' to the new data source

>>> (text file with CSV). Staff saves the document. The next time the staff
>>> opens the document Word responds with 'Opening this document will run the
>>> following SQL Command' - as we would expect - but then we get a message 'Word
>>> cannot find its data source ' - displaying the name of the file we linked in
>>> - which we know is there - so staff selects 'Find Data Source' and re-opens
>>> the file. WE GET THE SAME MESSAGE - Word cannot find its data source. The
>>> only option is to remove the headers. But even after we do that, Word Merge
>>> cannot find the data source. We cannot save the Word merge file with the
>>> correct data source attached.
>>>
>>> Here's the strange part. All our word files are saved to the network - the
>>> templates and the data source. If I attached a data source that's on my
>>> local drive to the word file, there is no problem - the merge file with the
>>> new data source saves fine.
>>>
>>> It's as if the merge file does not want a data source that's on a network
>>> drive - or is it the path?
>>>
>>>
>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>> On Monday, August 20, 2007 8:35 PM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>> I just did some simple tests here and was able to re-open when both Mail
>>>> merge Main Document and data source were on the same network drive, i.e.
>>>> suggesting that the problem does not occur solely because it's a netwrok
>>>> drive (it worked whether I connected using E DB or the internal text file
>>>> converter).
>>>>
>>>> A few questions:
>>>> a. are your mail merge document and data source in the same network folder?
>>>> b. how long is the pathname of the data source? e.g. longer or shorter than
>>>> the pathname you used when testing on a local drive? - the total length
>>>> consists of all the charaters in
>>>>
>>>> \\computername\sharename\folders`filename.ext
>>>>
>>>> c. have any sorts or filters been applied to the data?
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
>>>> "Jane" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:A2723282-115D-49FC...@microsoft.com...

>>>>> On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:42 AM Jan wrote:

>>>>> 1. The two files are in the same folder on a network drive.
>>>>> 2. the path to the data source is longish:
>>>>> \\server\company\word\mhl clients\h\hollowayjane\mailmerge.txt
>>>>> when I tested on the local drive it was short:
>>>>> c:\cis\mailmerge.txt
>>>>> 3. there are no filters or sorts
>>>>>
>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>> On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 10:50 AM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>> OK, I checked again with a similar length pathname and it does not appear to
>>>>>> be long enough to cause problems here. Which leaves me a bit stuck.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you are able to test the same document and mail merge source on a much
>>>>>> shorter network path and it still does not work, I think that would help
>>>>>> establish that it is probably something to do with the network setup. I
>>>>>> would be looking at the permissions for the /share/ and for the underlying
>>>>>> folder - e.g. you may need to be able to read and write to both the share
>>>>>> and the folder (even though mailmerge typically only reads the data source).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Jane" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:99CBE488-524F-4863...@microsoft.com...

>>>>>>> On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 11:18 AM Jan wrote:

>>>>>>> I will try that. I will check into the permissions on network drives too. If
>>>>>>> I have to I will call Microsoft. Thanks for your help.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>> On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 11:24 AM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>> One other thing that may be worth checking is that the document is not
>>>>>>>> connected to a template that also has a dtaa source (maybe the same one)
>>>>>>>> attached.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

>>>>>>>>> On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 4:26 PM Jan wrote:

>>>>>>>>> do you mean connected to a .dot file? How would I find out if it is?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>>>> On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 5:12 PM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>> Wen you have managed to open it, use Tools->Addins and Templates to have a
>>>>>>>>>> look.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

>>>>>>>>>>> On Thursday, September 27, 2007 3:35 PM MikeDiCani wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>> I am having the same problem as all of you. I receive the error "Word cannot
>>>>>>>>>>> find the source ". My files are on the network and have long descriptive
>>>>>>>>>>> file names. Please let me know if there is any further information on this
>>>>>>>>>>> from your experiences.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, September 28, 2007 2:59 AM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>> Is this also Word 2007?
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, September 28, 2007 9:56 AM MikeDiCani wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sorry no it is not. Word 2003.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Thursday, October 11, 2007 11:32 PM MikeDiCani wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Can you tell me where the path to the data source is saved when I do the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> following:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> . With my merge document open in Word 2003 I click Letters and Mailings on
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the Tools menu, and then click Mail Merge.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In the Select recipients section of the Mail Merge Wizard (Step 3 of 6), I
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> select the Data Source by browsing to the location of the this .txt file on
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> my network drive then click through the next steps and save the document.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Also, could you tell me if any data source information is stored in my
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Windows XP user profile?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, October 12, 2007 12:53 PM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 1. In the document, either completely or partially, either in clear text if
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> you save as .rtf, .xml or .htm, or in Word's binary format (actually it may
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> be a readable Unicode string - I don't know) if you save as .doc. The string
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> will be saved either in the connection string, or in the SQLStatement, or
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> split across the two, depending on how Word chose to make the connection (it
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> may choose to use OLE DB or its converter, and just possibly ODBC, depending
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> on the file).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2. the pathname may also be saved in various "recently accessed files" type
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> lists, e.g. in the Windows registry, but that's just my guess.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In the scenario you describe I would expect any such info to be stored in a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DSN, .udl or .odc file
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure if the above answers your question. However, when you save a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> mailmerge main doc. you /may find that data source info. is cached in the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> .doc. If you save as .htm I think it looks more as if enough info. to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> identify individaully selected records is stored (more or less).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Mike DiCanio" <MikeD...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:539A447B-5E67-4937...@microsoft.com...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, October 12, 2007 5:47 PM MikeDiCani wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks for the reply. This information was helpful. I have previously
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> done, as you mentioned, saving the document as an HTML and then opening it as
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> text. The problem ended up being solved by the following microsoft support
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> doc.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834699
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks for all your help.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Saturday, October 13, 2007 5:01 AM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Good feedback, thanks.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:01 PM Doug Pruiett wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I am having the same problem with both Word 2003 and Word 2007. It drives me crazy, as I am trying to give our folks in the field instructions on how to use mail merge and they get varying junkie results, including for the most part the problem you reported.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I connect to a data source and then the next time I open the Word document it either cannot find the data source or asks me to find the data source. When I do find the source I return to the "Find" prompt again and again!!!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DID YOU EVER FIND A FIX?? Thanks for the help.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wednesday, July 16, 2008 11:28 PM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> There is definitely an error in this area. What happens in some cases is
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> this:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a. you open the Word document
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> b. Word cannot find the data source, so it prompts you (find it, or remove
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the data source)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> c. you find the data source.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> d. you probably save the mail merge main document to try to save the new
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> daa source location.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Unfortunately, (d) does not always work as you would expect, Word seems to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> retain the original daa source information and to treat the new data source
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> as "temporary".
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> One way tosave the document with the correect data source is to detach it
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from its data source, e.g. using the mail merge toolbar in Word 2007 to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> select the mail merge document type "Normal Word Document" - in 2007, it's
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in one of the dropdowns in the Mailings tab. Then reconnect. You will lose
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sorts and filters, and you have obviously lost the document type, but you do
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not lose the field codes. Set up the data source how you want it, then save
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the mail merge main document. Awkward, but I believe it works. (You can also
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> use VBA Activedocument.mailMerge.DataSource.Close in Word 2003/2007 to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> achieve a similar effect without losing the document type).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Doug Pruiett" wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:200871613130...@goodnewsjail.org...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wednesday, July 30, 2008 1:45 AM Jerry Garnett wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I have been able to create a merge document and save the data source using paths such as T:\Data\s1prod\word_us or U:\, with the template document and the data source (a .dat file) in the same folder. Although asked to confirm the data sources's location, when I click on 'Yes' the document opens using the relevant data source.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> However, when I use a path like \\Studep1.isd.ad.flinders.edu.au\t1\S1\Data\s1accept43\word_us I still get asked to confirm the data source when opening the template but it doesn't recognise this path and asks me to select a new data source. I can re-select the same data source and generate a document but when I save the template and re-open it, the same process occurs. It looks like Word doesn't like either the long path or not using a Drive letter.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Any ideas?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Thursday, July 31, 2008 9:55 PM Jerry Garnet wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Word 2003. I never see the "Confirm Data Source" dialog box. Just the 'Select
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Data souce' box.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, August 01, 2008 10:44 AM Peter Jamieson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Experiments here have worked so far.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> With the file and data source open, can you use the Visual Basic editor to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> display the value of ActiveDocument.Mailmerge.DataSource.ConnectString ?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (Actually, I can only get Word 2003 to open .dat data sources using its
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> internal text converter: a blank result would confirm that this is what is
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> happening on your system too).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter Jamieson
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Jerry Garnett" <Jerry Gar...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:BB0ECB26-5666-44E5...@microsoft.com...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Saturday, September 18, 2010 6:01 AM Jim Hanson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i have used my mail merge files for years without problem in word 6, 95, 97, 2000, and 2003.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> word 2010 has caused major problems (and i actually had 2007 and went back to 2003 in part because of mail merge problems).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i was doing a mail merge with a word document (.doc) with a table. would not work.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i saved the file as a .docx document. did not work.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> so, i took the table in my data document and copied the data (but not really the table) into a table in a new document.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i create a new "make mail merge" document. it connected well with the new data document i made.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> further, it actually emailed better and faster (i have to use a hotfix to email from word mail merge to live mail desktop email program).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all of this is kind of ridiculous and word should fix this problem.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Saturday, September 18, 2010 6:02 AM Jim Hanson wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i have used my mail merge files for years without problem in word 6, 95, 97, 2000, and 2003.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> word 2010 has caused major problems (and i actually had 2007 and went back to 2003 in part because of mail merge problems).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i was doing a mail merge with a word document (.doc) with a table. would not work.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i saved the file as a .docx document. did not work.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> so, i took the table in my data document and copied the data (but not really the table) into a table in a new document.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i create a new "make mail merge" document. it connected well with the new data document i made.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> further, it actually emailed better and faster (i have to use a hotfix to email from word mail merge to live mail desktop email program).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all of this is kind of ridiculous and word should fix this problem.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Submitted via EggHeadCafe - Software Developer Portal of Choice
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorials/aspnet/ee551a85-2206-446e-bc7d-c978f60ec671/kentico-cms-for-aspnet-sites.aspx

Iris Sitkin

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Sep 21, 2010, 12:42:56 PM9/21/10