Mail Merge Query Word 2007

[James]

Hello,

I am new to Word 2007 but very experienced in Word 2000.

I am trying to merge to a query, and I am setting various options, a date
field, and two text fields.

The problem I have is that Word keeps adding an option that is wrong. The
date field is set to today, one text field is set to "Pass" and the other
text field is "p3". The Field set to pass is the grade field.

Word then accepts this, but when I click Merge, it adds another query option
below that says "Or Grade Is Blank". This returns over 2500 records that have
a blank grade as the paper has not been marked yet.

Why does Word do this? I have tried everything to stop it, even putting And
Grade Is Not Blank, but it still adds the extra option.

Its driving me mad. I could edit the query but it is used to merge various
documents with different query options, so I would have to create about 20-30
queries to replace it, each with specific Where Clauses.

Any that can help will be a big help.

Thanks
James

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Its driving me mad.

I'm not surprised.

Why does Word do this?

Well, not exactly an answer to "why", but a description of what has changed:
Word 2000 used to use DDE by default to connect to Access data (although you
might also have been using ODBC). Word 2002 and later, including Word 2007,
use OLE DB by default, and a number of things work differently (or don't
work properly, e.g., in some cases, conditions keep being added to the query
options).

The trouble is that I don't think it's going to be easy to get from where
you are to where you need to be. The way to go back to using DDE in Word
2007 - and that will not necessarily solve this problem - is...
a. go to Word->Office button (in the top left)->Word
Options->Advanced->General and check "Confirm file format conversion on
open"
b. go through the connection process again and select the DDE option when
offered in the "Confirm Data Source" dialog box.

However, that will destroy your query options, hence the problem. However,
it is probably worth going through this process once if only to establish
that a DDE connection will get your query options right. i.e you would then
need to
c. go to Edit Recipient List, select Filter... and enter your criteria.

If that does what you need, and you can save and re-open your mail merge
main document and get the results you need, this could be the simplest way
to upgrade all those other mail merge main documents, even if it is a slog.

if however, you decide that you would rather try sticking with the current
connection method (OLE DB), then I'd suggest that you try setting up your
filter conditions by defining the appropriate SQL query in Word VBA. If you
can do that, as far as I know, Word will use the query you specify, reducing
the problems so you are left with the following main ones:
i. will the query you specify behave the way you want?
ii. what f you want to allow the end users to modify the query?

Frankly, if you need to do (ii), the only option is to find a connection
method that works with whatever your users need to do, and that's likely to
be DDE, if anything.

But maybe we could leave that until you've had a look at the suggestions
earlier in my message.

 

[James]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your reply. I have gone with the DDE connection as users do need
to amend the query. I will teach the staff how to do this so as they use
documents they can change the connection as it is the same to what they
currently do in 2000.

Is it just me or have Microsoft gone a little too hand holding? I have just
bought some new office machines with Vista Business and Office 2007 and it
seems like it is much harder to do stuff as it is always asking you if you
actualy want to do it? Plus Vista Business searches for Media Centres before
it searches for servers in the Network! Why would you want your staff viewing
an XBox before finding the server?

What happend to NT

Again thanks for your comment.
James

 

[Peter Jamieson]

seems like it is much harder to do stuff as it is always asking you if you

actualy want to do it?

Well, we're off-topic here - there may be things you can do to cut down the
number of questions, but I've never tweaked my Vista config. I assume you'd
get better info in a Windows/Vista group. There's a Technet article about
the "User Account Control" in Vista at

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windo...8514-4c9e-ac08-4c21f5c6c2d91033.mspx?mfr=true

which may give you useful info.

 

[James]

Hi,

yes sorry. I will look into that later as more of an annoyance rather than
urgent.

Thanks