Mail merge

[andaman55]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Can I use Microsoft Access files as mail merge data sources, as I can in Windows?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

AFAICS Word 2004/2008 cannot access any data sources directly except text
files, Excel stuff, Word files, and in some cases FileMaker data sources.
Since I don't have FileMaker, I can't tell you what /it/ can do, and what
sources it can access "on-the-fly" - Access .mdb? .accdb? stuff like MYSQL
data sources? perhaps someone can chip in here?

Otherwise, I think you have to consider a 2-stage merge in Word 2004/8 where
you copy your data into a format that Word can understand (e.g. Word, Excel,
some delimited text formats) then use that as the data source for your
merge.

In many cases, perhaps cheaper to use Bootcamp, Windows Office etc.

 

[CyberTaz]

Just confirming what Peter had to say... Access doesn't exist on the Mac so
its file type isn't supported by most Mac applications. The process involved
for accessing tables or queries in an Access file for a merge is more
trouble than it's worth if it isn't an absolute necessity for ongoing
requirements. It's far simpler to output the data from Access as one of the
source formats Peter suggested (Excel is best) & use that as the data source
for the merge. The down side, of course, is that there's no dynamic link to
the Access .mdb/.ACCDB so you have to create a new source file as the
database gets updated.

Mac Excel "can" be used to query an Access file but it's still an extra
process which isn't as simple as the output-as-Excel method. You can get
excellent additional info here:

http://www.agentjim.com/MVP/Excel/ExcelHome.htm

But I'm not sure everything required by Jim's process is available for
Office 2008 due to the lack of support for VBA.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[andaman55]

Many thanks to both Bob and Peter. I am a professor in a business school, and I make extensive use of mail merge in a course I run, not just for emailing, but also for printing out documents. My data files, once compiled at the beginning of a course, then remain fixed for its duration, and thus do not need updating along the way. In fact, up until now, I have been assembling the data in Excel, and then using the Excel file to create the Access file. If the Excel file will be sufficient on its own, this whole process will be simpler with the Mac!
Many thanks again for the fast and helpful comments. If you can think of anything else, let me know.

Patrick

 

[CyberTaz]

Hello Patrick;

From what you describe it sounds like skipping the Access file altogether
will expedite your workflow. As long as a single list of records will
suffice & you don't need relational connections among multiple lists there
really isn't any need to move the Excel data into an Access file.

Even if you want to use the Forms, Reports & other features of Access you
can Link to the Excel File from an Access DB. With the exception of data
modification it can be treated as though it were an Access Table. If you
wish you can still import to Access any time.

As a thought: If you need to do the same basic process repeatedly for course
after course you might consider setting the DB up in Access for the purpose
of standardizing data entry then outputting the record content for each
course as a separate Excel file.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Phillip Jones]

*If* you do need a relational Database on the Mac. The idea application
is FileMaker Pro. Its up to version 9 and works with Intel mac and OSX.

Hello Patrick;

From what you describe it sounds like skipping the Access file altogether
will expedite your workflow. As long as a single list of records will
suffice & you don't need relational connections among multiple lists there
really isn't any need to move the Excel data into an Access file.

Even if you want to use the Forms, Reports & other features of Access you
can Link to the Excel File from an Access DB. With the exception of data
modification it can be treated as though it were an Access Table. If you
wish you can still import to Access any time.

As a thought: If you need to do the same basic process repeatedly for course
after course you might consider setting the DB up in Access for the purpose
of standardizing data entry then outputting the record content for each
course as a separate Excel file.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

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Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
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[andaman55]

Many thanks Philip.

*If* you do need a relational Database on the Mac. The idea application
is FileMaker Pro. Its up to version 9 and works with Intel mac and OSX.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

*If* you do need a relational Database on the Mac. The idea application
is FileMaker Pro. Its up to version 9 and works with Intel mac and OSX.

Hi,

Although FileMaker is a fine relational database and is a soup-to-nuts
solution which can certainly be used in this situation, but it is not
needed at all here and would side-step.

The question at hand is, "Can Excel use an Access MDB file as a data
source?"

The answer is absolutely, "Yes."

Excel (via MS Query which is included in Office 2008 as part of the
regular install) when coupled with a 3rd party ODBC driver ($30 from
ActualTechnologies) can do everything the questioner requested.

This does work in Office 2008. It does not require VBA.

Neither Access nor FileMaker has the data analysis, formula computation,
ease of building reports, graphing, etc. that Excel has, which is why it
is so good that Excel does have SQL capabilities and can directly link
to Access and Filemaker data bases.

Details here:
http://www.agentjim.com/MVP/Excel/RelationalOffice.htm

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP


WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The number of new Mac users has skyrocketed. That’s excellent. In this
forum all answers come from other users, not from Microsoft employees.
Please help answer questions.

If you see an unanswered question that you know the answer to, please
take just a moment to post the answer. Doing so speeds response time for
people who come here and need fast responses.

If you see an answer that might be wrong or that you can answer better,
hop right in and offer your thoughts. Don’t berate a wrong answer –
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Don’t bother with questions you’re not quite sure about or don’t know about.

Please take just a moment to help fellow Mac users. Your efforts will be
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[Phillip Jones]

Hi,

Although FileMaker is a fine relational database and is a soup-to-nuts
solution which can certainly be used in this situation, but it is not
needed at all here and would side-step.

The question at hand is, "Can Excel use an Access MDB file as a data
source?"

The answer is absolutely, "Yes."

Excel (via MS Query which is included in Office 2008 as part of the
regular install) when coupled with a 3rd party ODBC driver ($30 from
ActualTechnologies) can do everything the questioner requested.

This does work in Office 2008. It does not require VBA.

Neither Access nor FileMaker has the data analysis, formula computation,
ease of building reports, graphing, etc. that Excel has, which is why it
is so good that Excel does have SQL capabilities and can directly link
to Access and Filemaker data bases.

Details here:
http://www.agentjim.com/MVP/Excel/RelationalOffice.htm

-Jim

I was only pointing out *if* he needed such. Then FileMaker would be the
ticket. You and other have already explained that in the OP case, FM is
overkill and not needed. There are cases where FM would be a good
solution. But Many cases Excel can do quite well.

Trying not to argue with anyone or detract from Office products.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |MEMBER:VPEA (LIFE) ETA-I, NESDA,ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

I was only pointing out *if* he needed such. Then FileMaker would be the
ticket. You and other have already explained that in the OP case, FM is
overkill and not needed. There are cases where FM would be a good
solution. But Many cases Excel can do quite well.

Trying not to argue with anyone or detract from Office products.

Hi,

Sorry if I over-reacted. For many years I have heard and read repeatedly
that Excel is not a relational database. That's splitting hairs, because
Excel comes with MS Query, which makes Microsoft Office (not Excel
alone) a relational database.

Excel does have its limitations. In 2004 and earlier versions the row
limit was about 65,000 rows. Excel 2008 boosts that to over 1,000,000
rows. More robust databases can handle far more records than that, and
be faster at it because they don't do any calculations or formulas in
the tables.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP


WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The number of new Mac users has skyrocketed. That’s excellent. In this
forum all answers come from other users, not from Microsoft employees.
Please help answer questions.

If you see an unanswered question that you know the answer to, please
take just a moment to post the answer. Doing so speeds response time for
people who come here and need fast responses.

If you see an answer that might be wrong or that you can answer better,
hop right in and offer your thoughts. Don’t berate a wrong answer –
we’re all here trying to help each other.

Don’t bother with questions you’re not quite sure about or don’t know about.

Please take just a moment to help fellow Mac users. Your efforts will be
appreciated greatly - especially by those you help.