WD97: DMM: Errors Using Word to Create Mail Merge Document (179973)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Direct Mail Manager for Windows
  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q179973

SYMPTOMS

When you use Microsoft Word to create a mail merge document from Direct Mail Manager, you may receive one of the following error messages:

Error (5922) - Word was unable to open the data source. This error occurred while trying to set the data source.

-or-

Another application has locked access to the data file (Commonly caused by a 2nd instance of Word). Please close the other application. Then click the "View Sample Data" button on the DirectNET toolbar to attempt to attach to the data file.
NOTE: This problem may occur when you use either the Simple Form Letter, the Letter Wizard, the Flyer Wizard, or the Postcard Wizard in Direct Mail Manager.

CAUSE

Microsoft Word is attempting to use the ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) Text driver to process the mergedata.txt file that Direct Mail Manager created when it imported your address list. For more information about why this happens, see the "More Information" section of this article.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use any of the following methods.

Method 1: Remove the ODBC Text Driver

This method allows Word to use its own text converter instead of the ODBC Text Driver to read the data file. Use the following steps to remove the ODBC Text driver:

  1. Quit Microsoft Direct Mail Manager, Microsoft Word, and all Windows applications.
  2. Click the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
  3. Double-click the 32bit ODBC icon.
  4. On the User DSN tab, select "Text Files Microsoft Text Driver (*.txt, *.csv)" and then click Remove.

    NOTE: When you are prompted "Are you sure you want to remove the Text Files data source," click Yes.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Restart Direct Mail Manager and complete your mail merge.

Method 2: Perform the Merge from Microsoft Word

You can perform the merge process manually from Microsoft Word and choose the type of data connectivity you want to use. That is, you can manually choose to connect to the data file using the Text Converter rather the Text ODBC driver and bypass some of the limitations of the Text ODBC driver. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click OK to close the error message listed in the Symptoms section of this article.
  2. In Word, click Mail Merge on the Tools menu.
  3. Attach to the Mergedata.txt file that Microsoft Direct Mail Manager created as your data source using the text converter.
    1. In the Mail Merge Helper, click "Get Data and Open Data Source."
    2. Navigate to the Microsoft Direct Mail Manager folder. By default, this is (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Direct Mail Manager).
    3. From the Files of type list, select Text Files.
    4. Click to select the Select Method check box.
    5. Click the Mergedata file and click Open.
    6. In the Confirm Data Source dialog box, click Text Files (*.txt) and click OK.
  4. Continue with the merge, adding merge fields as needed. Perform the merge, by either merging directly to the printer, or merging to a new document and then printing the new document.

Method 3: Submit the Mailing to a Mailing Service

Rather than printing the mailing out yourself, you can submit the mailing to a mailing service and have them process the mailing for you. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Step 3 of the Microsoft Direct Mail Manager wizard gives you the following options:

    Quick and Simple - First Class Mail
    Standard Mail
    Easy - Use a Mailing Service
    Do not print the mailing now.

  2. Rather then printing the mailing yourself, you choose the third option "Easy - Use a Mailing Service" and have a Mailing Service perform the task for you.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Direct Mail Manager prints the mailing by connecting to Microsoft Word using OLE Automation and handing the task off to Microsoft Word for processing and printing. Microsoft Word will then connect to the data source text file generated by Microsoft Direct Mail Manager and process the request.

When using a text file as a data source, Microsoft Word can either connect through a Text ODBC driver or a text converter. For performance reasons, Microsoft Word will always attempt to use the Text ODBC driver to connect to the data source, if the Text ODBC driver is installed. If the driver is not installed, Word will use the text converter.

The Text ODBC driver that ships with Microsoft Office can process only certain types of information. If the text file contains tab-delimited text, comma and quote delimited text, or extended characters, you will receive one of the error message listed in the Symptoms section of this article.

REFERENCES

For more information about removing the Text ODBC driver, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

137385 WD97: Error Using Text Data Source with ODBC Driver

For more information about using the mail merge feature in Word, start Microsoft Word, click the Office Assistant, type "mail merge," click Search, and then click one of the topics.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

120802 Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or Component

For more information about troubleshooting Microsoft Direct Mail Manager problems, click the Index tab in Microsoft Direct Mail Manager Help, type "troubleshooting", click to select troubleshooting and then click Display.

Additional informational is available through the Microsoft Direct Mail Manager Web site. You can access this Web site by clicking the "Learn More" button on the Welcome screen of Microsoft Direct Mail Manager.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/16/2000
Keywords:kbbug KB179973
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.