Data Source error

[david]

I'm using a text file (data.wp) for the data source files on vaious word
merge (2003) forms. Lately now only the Administrator can run these forms
because Word prompts for the Data Source. it's location is in the C drive of
the users pc. When I browse to that location and select it a window appears
with the data. I click ok and I'm asked again for the Data Source.
Permissions on the "data.wp" is open to everyone. I also tried renaming the
data source name to data.doc but still having the same problem.
Also are there field names that should not be used in merging data?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Can you say more about what the windows that appear are saying?

If one of them is asking about SQL, you probably need to read and apply this
Knowledgebase article:

"Opening This Will Run the Following SQL Command" Message When You Open a
Word Document"

at

http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=825765

I would guess that you might also be seeing a box that asks about encoding,
or perhaps about the delimiters to use. Can you say which? Or maybe it is
something else altogether.

What is the exact format of the file? e.g. is it comma-delimited, with CR/LF
characters at the end of each line? Does it have multiline data in any of
the fields? Does it just contain ANSI characters or does it have accented
characters etc.

Also are there field names that should not be used in merging data?

Typically when Word sees a field name it doesn't like it modifies it, but I
don't think there are any "reserved" names.

Peter Jamieson

 

[david]

Peter, Thanks for the info but I'm not getting a sql error. The problem I
found to be with the length of the merged fields. When I shortened them the
problem went away.

Would you happen to know what the field lengths limits are and/or other
limits e.g. naming schemes for merging data?

Thanks again
David

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I'd be surprised if you were getting a /message/ as a result of the values
of the fields being too long. Word generally just truncates the data and
says nothing.

I don't know all the rules for dealing with names, but for text files in
Word 2003, Word
a. truncates names over 40 characters.
b. if you connect using ODBC or Word's internal text converter, word
displays the same names in dropdowns as the field names it recognises.
however, if you connect using OLEDB, it displays a name, truncated to 64
characters, in the drop-down filed insertion menu on the merge toolbar and
in the Mail Merge Recipients box. However, it may not display the actual
name - it may display the name preceded by the filename and a #.
c. If you have 2 long names over 40 characters and the first 40 characters
are the same, with the text converter, Word will "mangle" the names, e.g. if
the 40 characters end in xxx, the first name will probably end in xxx and
the second in xx1, but of course there could be a real name whose first 40
characters ends in xx1, so the algorithm needs to be a bit more complicated.
ISTR there used to be a knowledgebase article about this. However, with
OLEDB Word truncates both names and it becomes impossible to insert the
data for the second name using a mergefield.

So I guess it's not a bad idea to stick to names less than 40 characters
long...

Peter Jamieson

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Sorry, thought I was replying to the original poster.

I agree that it would be nice to have these rules better documented (there
may be appropriate KB articles - I haven't checked), although in some cases
the relevant documentation probably belongs with the appropriate ODBC
driver/OLEDB provider.

Peter Jamieson

 

[david]

The only message I always got (if not the administrator) was that the data
file could not be found when indeed it was there. However if someone else
ran the same word merge doc it worked fine and I could run it again then.
The problem ended up that the same person could not run that process back to
back or the data file error appeared.
I appreciate all your help and will use your recommendations in the future.
I don't think any of the field names were over 20 characters, but since I
changed them I can't be for sure.