PUB2002: Mapped Fields Shift Erroneously When You Delete OAL Fields (285379)

SYMPTOMS

When you use an Office Address List (OAL) to create a mail-merge publication in Microsoft Publisher 2002, the mapped fields may erroneously shift upward if you delete a field or fields in the OAL from the Mail Merge Wizard.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur because Publisher does not recalculate the field mapping after an edit unless you reopen the file.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, edit the OAL file from the Mail Merge Wizard, and then reopen the OAL file. To reopen the OAL file, follow these steps:

After you edit the OAL file, click Previous on the Mail Merge Wizard task pane until you return to the Step 1 of 4 dialog box.
On the Mail Merge Wizard task pane, click Browse.
In the Select Data Base dialog box, select the OAL that you just edited, and then click OK.
On the Mail Merge Wizard task pane, click Next: Create the publication.
Click More Items, and then click Match Fields. Notice that the fields now match as expected.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.