Mail Merge Data Source Desiree McComb 12/8/2008 10:50:10 PM I'm using Microsoft Office 2003. I have several different word documents located in different areas on my computer and I merge from several different Excel spreadsheets. Once I set up a mail merge from one particular spreadsheet, 9 out of 10 times I always want to use that same, particular spreadsheet for that particular Word doc. Usually, I don't have a problem opening the document. It asks me if I want to continue because it's drawing info from a database. I click "Yes". Sometimes it immediately opens up to my document using the previously selected spreadsheet. THE PROBLEM - some documents, no matter how many times I select the desired spreadsheet upon opening, it constantly asks me to select the desired spreadsheet each time I close out and re-open. Why does it do this for some documents and not others? I would like to know what the difference between the two documents are so that I can make sure that once a database is chosen, I don't have to keep re-selecting the data source. Thanks!

Re: Mail Merge Data Source "Peter Jamieson" <pjj[ at ]KillmapSpjjnet.demon.co.uk> 12/9/2008 10:56:54 AM If the are no obvious differences such as "some documents have sorts and filters", some data sources are in a different folder", and so on, something you can try: Open one of the documents that constantly asks. Enable the mailmerge toolbar (View->Toolbars) Click the first icon and set the mailmerge type to Normal Word document.. This disconnects the data source and loses any sorts/filters, but all your merge fields are still intact. Click it again and set the mailmerge type back to the one you need. Click the second icon and reselect your data source. Save and close the mailmerge main document. Test by re-opening. The reason this /may/ work is that once Word decides it cannot find your data source, in some versions even if you select the correct data source and save the mail merge main document, Word does not actually forget the data source it was originally connected to. -- Peter Jamieson http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk "Desiree McComb" <Desiree McComb[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:FF082164-8DBB-46AC-8EC9-49998FA82BAF[ at ]microsoft.com... [Quoted Text] > I'm using Microsoft Office 2003. > > I have several different word documents located in different areas on my > computer and I merge from several different Excel spreadsheets. Once I set > up > a mail merge from one particular spreadsheet, 9 out of 10 times I always > want > to use that same, particular spreadsheet for that particular Word doc. > Usually, I don't have a problem opening the document. It asks me if I want > to > continue because it's drawing info from a database. I click "Yes". > Sometimes > it immediately opens up to my document using the previously selected > spreadsheet. THE PROBLEM - some documents, no matter how many times I > select > the desired spreadsheet upon opening, it constantly asks me to select the > desired spreadsheet each time I close out and re-open. > > Why does it do this for some documents and not others? I would like to > know > what the difference between the two documents are so that I can make sure > that once a database is chosen, I don't have to keep re-selecting the data > source. Thanks!

Re: Mail Merge Data Source Desiree McComb 12/9/2008 4:55:01 PM Oh my god. You're amazing! That was so simple. I thought it would be a lot more complicated than that. Thank you so much. "Peter Jamieson" wrote: [Quoted Text] > If the are no obvious differences such as "some documents have sorts and > filters", some data sources are in a different folder", and so on, something > you can try: > > Open one of the documents that constantly asks. > > Enable the mailmerge toolbar (View->Toolbars) > > Click the first icon and set the mailmerge type to Normal Word document.. > This disconnects the data source and loses any sorts/filters, but all your > merge fields are still intact. > > Click it again and set the mailmerge type back to the one you need. > > Click the second icon and reselect your data source. > > Save and close the mailmerge main document. > > Test by re-opening. > > The reason this /may/ work is that once Word decides it cannot find your > data source, in some versions even if you select the correct data source and > save the mail merge main document, Word does not actually forget the data > source it was originally connected to. > -- > Peter Jamieson > http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk > > "Desiree McComb" <Desiree McComb[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:FF082164-8DBB-46AC-8EC9-49998FA82BAF[ at ]microsoft.com... > > I'm using Microsoft Office 2003. > > > > I have several different word documents located in different areas on my > > computer and I merge from several different Excel spreadsheets. Once I set > > up > > a mail merge from one particular spreadsheet, 9 out of 10 times I always > > want > > to use that same, particular spreadsheet for that particular Word doc. > > Usually, I don't have a problem opening the document. It asks me if I want > > to > > continue because it's drawing info from a database. I click "Yes". > > Sometimes > > it immediately opens up to my document using the previously selected > > spreadsheet. THE PROBLEM - some documents, no matter how many times I > > select > > the desired spreadsheet upon opening, it constantly asks me to select the > > desired spreadsheet each time I close out and re-open. > > > > Why does it do this for some documents and not others? I would like to > > know > > what the difference between the two documents are so that I can make sure > > that once a database is chosen, I don't have to keep re-selecting the data > > source. Thanks! > >