Rich Text Format-based mail merge document no longer connected to data source in Word 2003 (840936)

Important This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you open a Microsoft Office Word 2003 mail merge main document that is linked to a data source, the links may no longer function. You experience the following symptoms:

When you open the main document, you do not receive a warning message that is similar to the following: Opening this document will run the following SQL command
Most of the buttons on the Mail Merge toolbar are unavailable.
If you display the Mail Merge pane, you are on step 1 of the Mail Merge Wizard instead of on step 3.

To display the Mail Merge pane, on the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Mail Merge.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Save the main document in Word 2003 format

To save the main document in Word 2003 format, follow these steps:

Open the main mail merge document in Word 2003.
Follow the steps in Method 2 to reattach the data source.
On the File menu, click Save As.
In Save as type, select Word Document.
Click Save.

Method 2: Locate the data source

You can re-attach the data source every time that you open the main mail merge document. To do so, follow these steps:

Open the main mail merge document in Word 2003.
On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Show Mail Merge Toolbar.
On the Mail Merge toolbar, click Open Data Source.
Select the data source, and then click Open.

Method 3: Disable the fix in SP1

Note The following method may not work in all situations. For example, if you use a Microsoft Excel worksheet or a Microsoft Access database as your data source, and the mail merge main document is in RTF, adding the CalcDataFieldOnOpen registry setting may not change the behavior that is described in the Symptoms section. In this situation, you must use method 1 or method 2 to resolve the behavior.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To disable the fix that is described in Office 2003 SP1, follow these steps:

Start Registry Editor.
Locate and then click the following subkey in the registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
Under Name, type CalcDataFieldOnOpen.
Double-click CalcDataFieldOnOpen.
In the Value data box, type 1.
Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.

Note Detaching the data source from an RTF main document helps protect you from unintentionally sending data to a malicious user. By locating the correct data source, you know that you are sending the correct information.