If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
At work I just upgraded from Office 2000 to Office XP. In
2000 after using a file a couple of times with a mail merge, it would stop asking me for the database (it would know where it is automatically). I assumed the same would be for XP. I've had Office XP for about a month now and every time I open a mail merge document, it asks me for the location of the database!! It's driving me nuts!! It never opens to the right directory, and I have to locate it each time! Is there a way around this? 99% of my documents are mail merged to this same database and I use it constantly throughout the day. I need a solution. If there isn't one, I will ask tech to downgrade me again, because I can't do this every time! |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
Hi Rachael,
1. Is this an Access database, or something else? 2. Is the database on your machine, locally, or in the network? 3. Are you making use of the Recipients dialog box to choose records, or does also happen otherwise? To get you going, you should look at the Word 2002 section of my website's mail merge FAQ, most especially, the information on connecting. Try using a DDE or ODBC connection (if this is Access) and see if things don't settle down a bit. At work I just upgraded from Office 2000 to Office XP. In 2000 after using a file a couple of times with a mail merge, it would stop asking me for the database (it would know where it is automatically). I assumed the same would be for XP. I've had Office XP for about a month now and every time I open a mail merge document, it asks me for the location of the database!! It's driving me nuts!! It never opens to the right directory, and I have to locate it each time! Is there a way around this? 99% of my documents are mail merged to this same database and I use it constantly throughout the day. I need a solution. Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
I have no idea if it's an Access Database. It was already
set when I started here. How could I find that out? The Database is locally on my machine. I don't know what the recipients dialog box is, but I'm doing files on an individual per recipient basis. I never have to send the same letter to more than one person. (I work in insurance, and these are the claimants who I send benefits too) any help would be great. -----Original Message----- Hi Rachael, 1. Is this an Access database, or something else? 2. Is the database on your machine, locally, or in the network? 3. Are you making use of the Recipients dialog box to choose records, or does also happen otherwise? To get you going, you should look at the Word 2002 section of my website's mail merge FAQ, most especially, the information on connecting. Try using a DDE or ODBC connection (if this is Access) and see if things don't settle down a bit. At work I just upgraded from Office 2000 to Office XP. In 2000 after using a file a couple of times with a mail merge, it would stop asking me for the database (it would know where it is automatically). I assumed the same would be for XP. I've had Office XP for about a month now and every time I open a mail merge document, it asks me for the location of the database!! It's driving me nuts!! It never opens to the right directory, and I have to locate it each time! Is there a way around this? 99% of my documents are merged to this same database and I use it constantly throughout the day. I need a solution. Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e- :-) . |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
I have no idea if it's an Access Database. It was already
set when I started here. How could I find that out? OK, if you have to navigate to the database in order to relink, then you do know the complete file name? What extension does it use? *.xls, *.mdb, or something else? I don't know what the recipients dialog box is, but I'm doing files on an individual per recipient basis. I never have to send the same letter to more than one person. Ahhh. OK. This isn't really what mailmerge is meant for, but people do use it like that :-) So, in order to choose the single recipient, what do you do, exactly? Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-) |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
I had this exact same problem when our office converted
to XP professional. My system, is that I have a template (source document) in Word, and it links to an Access database. When you open your template or source document, before you start the merge, go to "Tools" "Options" click the "general tab" and click the box "confirm conversion on open" Then re-save your template. When you start your merge, it will prompt you to choose the link, since mine is Access, I choose the "DDE" link. That seemed to solve THAT problem. Now, I have another problem (which i'm sure is as a result of converting to XP, but I'm going to post it under a new heading. Hope this helps. When I get back to work next week, I'll look up the actual article I got from Microsoft, and post the link. -----Original Message----- I have no idea if it's an Access Database. It was already set when I started here. How could I find that out? OK, if you have to navigate to the database in order to relink, then you do know the complete file name? What extension does it use? *.xls, *.mdb, or something else? I don't know what the recipients dialog box is, but I'm doing files on an individual per recipient basis. I never have to send the same letter to more than one person. Ahhh. OK. This isn't really what mailmerge is meant for, but people do use it like that :-) So, in order to choose the single recipient, what do you do, exactly? Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e- :-) . |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
-----Original Message----- I have no idea if it's an Access Database. It was already set when I started here. How could I find that out? OK, if you have to navigate to the database in order to relink, then you do know the complete file name? What extension does it use? *.xls, *.mdb, or something else? Ok, it's just a .doc file. I don't know what the recipients dialog box is, but I'm doing files on an individual per recipient basis. I never have to send the same letter to more than one person. Ahhh. OK. This isn't really what mailmerge is meant for, but people do use it like that :-) So, in order to choose the single recipient, what do you do, exactly? OK. This is the process (sorry if it's long, but I need to figure this out). I open the template I want to use in the "open office document". I open the file and a window pops open that says: "filename.dot is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find it's data source, C:\...\filename.doc" and I get two options: "Find Data Source" and "Options". I click on "Find Data Source" and manually go to the location of my filename.doc data source file. Then my word document opens. It asks this for EVERY WORD FILE that has a mail merge. Then, I click on the the button on my toolbar for "dataform" which is a picture of table with a pen/pencil and a screen opens up that has all my fields in the body, "record" at the bottom left (to cycle through all my records) and a bunch of buttons on the right ("Add New" "Delete" "Restore" "Find" "View Source" and "Close"). I click on "Find" (a screen opens) and search by one of the fields (i.e. last name), by clicking on the "find first" button in the find screen. When the right record shows up in the "Data Form" in the background, I click the close button in the "find" box. Now, because there is no "OK" button on the "Data Form" if I click on "Close", the record doesn't update to the document. I have to look at the bottom of the "Data Form" Screen for the record number (say #192), click "Close" and go to my record number space in the toolbar, type in the corect one (192), press enter, and then it updates to my document after pressing the "ABC" button (Veiw Merged data). I'm trying to figure out if there is a better way to do this. If I click on the "find" button in the toolbar (the binoculars one) It doesn't find anything. Of course, that is related to my other post. Essentially, they are a related issue. I don't know anything about Macros. All I did was customize my toolbar from the ToolsCustomize menu. Any help would be apreciated. Our tech department doesn't do Office help. Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e- :-) . |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
I forgot to say the above message was from me. (forgot to
put my name!!) -----Original Message----- -----Original Message----- I have no idea if it's an Access Database. It was already set when I started here. How could I find that out? OK, if you have to navigate to the database in order to relink, then you do know the complete file name? What extension does it use? *.xls, *.mdb, or something else? Ok, it's just a .doc file. I don't know what the recipients dialog box is, but I'm doing files on an individual per recipient basis. I never have to send the same letter to more than one person. Ahhh. OK. This isn't really what mailmerge is meant for, but people do use it like that :-) So, in order to choose the single recipient, what do you do, exactly? OK. This is the process (sorry if it's long, but I need to figure this out). I open the template I want to use in the "open office document". I open the file and a window pops open that says: "filename.dot is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find it's data source, C:\...\filename.doc" and I get two options: "Find Data Source" and "Options". I click on "Find Data Source" and manually go to the location of my filename.doc data source file. Then my word document opens. It asks this for EVERY WORD FILE that has a mail merge. Then, I click on the the button on my toolbar for "dataform" which is a picture of table with a pen/pencil and a screen opens up that has all my fields in the body, "record" at the bottom left (to cycle through all my records) and a bunch of buttons on the right ("Add New" "Delete" "Restore" "Find" "View Source" and "Close"). I click on "Find" (a screen opens) and search by one of the fields (i.e. last name), by clicking on the "find first" button in the find screen. When the right record shows up in the "Data Form" in the background, I click the close button in the "find" box. Now, because there is no "OK" button on the "Data Form" if I click on "Close", the record doesn't update to the document. I have to look at the bottom of the "Data Form" Screen for the record number (say #192), click "Close" and go to my record number space in the toolbar, type in the corect one (192), press enter, and then it updates to my document after pressing the "ABC" button (Veiw Merged data). I'm trying to figure out if there is a better way to do this. If I click on the "find" button in the toolbar (the binoculars one) It doesn't find anything. Of course, that is related to my other post. Essentially, they are a related issue. I don't know anything about Macros. All I did was customize my toolbar from the ToolsCustomize menu. Any help would be apreciated. Our tech department doesn't do Office help. Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e- :-) . . |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
XP asks for database every time
Hi Rachel
Thanks for all the detailed information :-) Now I know what you're looking at, and I hope we can find a solution together. I'd like to pursue one problem at a time, if that's OK with you. It's possible that solving one may clear up another... So I'd like to start with the problem that occurs when you open a mail merge document. First, an observation: *.dot files are meant for creating new documents, and normally shouldn't just be opened, as you describe you do. It's not certain any problems stem from this, but I'd like you try something, just so we can be certain: 1. Start Word 2. File/New. Probably, the "New Document" task pane will open up. Click the "On my computer" link, if this is the case. Is your .dot file in this list? 3. If it is, choose it. If it's not, skip down to * below the numbered steps. 4. Do you get prompted for the data source? (Probably, but I just want to make sure) *If the template is not in your Templates or Workgroup templates location, please navigate to it in Windows Explorer, right-click, and choose the New command. --- OK. If you did get prompted (which I expect, but I just want to be sure): - are these *.dot mail merge files saved in a network location? - are you able to SAVE changes to the files, or save new files to this same location? - if you - Rename Normal.dot to NormalOLD.dot - Start Word - set up a test mail merge to your *.doc data source - save and close the document, and Word (to a local drive, not to the network) - open this test merge document Does you still get the prompt, or does it open cleanly, with the data source attached? And if you repeat the above steps and this time save the new document to the network location (assuming you're working over a network when you get the problems)? -----Original Message----- I have no idea if it's an Access Database. It was already set when I started here. How could I find that out? OK, if you have to navigate to the database in order to relink, then you do know the complete file name? What extension does it use? *.xls, *.mdb, or something else? Ok, it's just a .doc file. I don't know what the recipients dialog box is, but I'm doing files on an individual per recipient basis. I never have to send the same letter to more than one person. Ahhh. OK. This isn't really what mailmerge is meant for, but people do use it like that :-) So, in order to choose the single recipient, what do you do, exactly? OK. This is the process (sorry if it's long, but I need to figure this out). I open the template I want to use in the "open office document". I open the file and a window pops open that says: "filename.dot is a mail merge main document. Word cannot find it's data source, C:\...\filename.doc" and I get two options: "Find Data Source" and "Options". I click on "Find Data Source" and manually go to the location of my filename.doc data source file. Then my word document opens. It asks this for EVERY WORD FILE that has a mail merge. Then, I click on the the button on my toolbar for "dataform" which is a picture of table with a pen/pencil and a screen opens up that has all my fields in the body, "record" at the bottom left (to cycle through all my records) and a bunch of buttons on the right ("Add New" "Delete" "Restore" "Find" "View Source" and "Close"). I click on "Find" (a screen opens) and search by one of the fields (i.e. last name), by clicking on the "find first" button in the find screen. When the right record shows up in the "Data Form" in the background, I click the close button in the "find" box. Now, because there is no "OK" button on the "Data Form" if I click on "Close", the record doesn't update to the document. I have to look at the bottom of the "Data Form" Screen for the record number (say #192), click "Close" and go to my record number space in the toolbar, type in the corect one (192), press enter, and then it updates to my document after pressing the "ABC" button (Veiw Merged data). I'm trying to figure out if there is a better way to do this. If I click on the "find" button in the toolbar (the binoculars one) It doesn't find anything. Of course, that is related to my other post. Essentially, they are a related issue. I don't know anything about Macros. All I did was customize my toolbar from the ToolsCustomize menu. Cindy Meister INTER-Solutions, Switzerland http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003) http://www.word.mvps.org This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-) |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|