Word Mailmerged documents still associated with source

[PBAPaul]

I am using Office XP.

I have setup a main document - Master Merge.doc - with an Excel data source - MyDatabase.xls. In the main document, I have various fields from the data source.

I mail merge to new documents - I usually merge from record 1 to 100, then 101 to 200 etc so that I have a series of documents all 100 pages long so if anything happens when printing, I can easily rectify matters.

Everything happens as it should do but when I open the merged documents eg Letters 1-100.doc, the system starts Excel and starts a DDE exchange!

This means that the data source is somehow attached to the merged letters. Does anyone have any idea how I can mail merge to documents that are "stand alone" and do not refer back to the data source.

A 100 page merged document (actually 100 single pages each different) has a file size of over 100MB. I need to email these to another site and so I am desparate to get these merged documents to be stand alone.

Any ideas - please?

Paul

 

[BlueHorizon]

Hi,
Please clarify - is the Letters 1-100.doc file created by selecting Edit individual letters in the last step of the Mail Merge Wizard using the Mail Merge Task Pane?

Best,
Blue Horizon

http://www.bluehorizontraining.com

 

[PBAPaul]

Hi Blue Horizon

When I have completed the merge and closed down Word then if I either open Letters 1-100.doc via Word, Open or via a double click on the file in Windows Explorer, the system starts DDE and starts a DDE exchange.

Hope this clarifies the matter.

 

[BlueHorizon]

Hi again,
I still don't know the answer to my question. Is the file you created - Letters 1-100.doc - a result of the original mail merge document being closed or is it created at the last step of the Mail Merge Wizard by selecting Edit individual letters?

If it's the original mail merge form letter, it will be associated with the document. If it's a new document created in the last step of the wizard, it won't be associated with the data source document. You may want to try using the wizard to disassociate with the data source.

HTH,

Best,
Blue Horizon

http://www.bluehorizontraining.com

 

[dcompto]

PBAPaul,

You might try:
1. Make a backup copy of your Main Document
2. Turn OFF Confirm conversions at open in Word's General Options
3. Create a new Main Document
4. Save As [the same name as your original Main Document]

I base this suggestion upon the following statement taken from

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=...vicedesks/webcasts/en/wc071201/wct071201.asp:

You'll see that the next note here is that Word 2002 removes DDE as the standard for accessing Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access data. You can have or still use DDE for backwards compatibility, so even though it isn't used by default, you can turn on the Confirm conversions at open option in Word's general options to be able to get the choice to set DDE as the method for your data connection. After it's set for the active main Mail Merge document, DDE, data access, will continue to be used for that document. So once it's set for a given main document, it will stay that way.

I certianly hope this helps!