Unable to Attach Outlook Address Book for Mail Merge

ID: Q155942

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you create a mail merge main document in Word and then attach the Microsoft Outlook Address Book as a data source, the following error message may appear:

Microsoft Word: Word was unable to open the data source.
When you close the mail merge main document, the following error message appears:
Microsoft Word: Word cannot open the document.
Try one or more of the following
* On the File menu, click open to open the document
* Make sure the document has a .Doc extension
(Outlook Address Book)


RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp





NOTE: If this product was already installed on your computer when you purchased it from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and you need this fix, please call the Pay Per Incident number listed on the above Web site. If you contact Microsoft to obtain this fix, and if it is determined that you only require the fix you requested, no fee will be charged. However, if you request additional technical support, and if your no-charge technical support period has expired, or if you are not eligible for standard no-charge technical support, you may be charged a non-refundable fee.

For more information about eligibility for no-charge technical support, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q154871 Determining If You Are Eligible for No-Charge Technical Support


WORKAROUND

Before you can use the Microsoft Outlook Address Book as a data source in a Word mail merge, you need to type a contact listing in the Address Book. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Start Microsoft Outlook.


  2. On the Tools menu, click Services. On the Services tab, make sure Outlook Address Book is in the profile list. If Outlook Address Book is not in the list, click Add and add Outlook Address Book.

    For additional information if your contact information does not appear correctly, please see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
    ARTICLE-ID: Q161349 TITLE : OL97: Contact Information Does Not Appear in Address Book



  3. On the Outlook bar, which is on the left, click Contacts. If the Outlook bar is not visible, click Outlook Bar on the View menu.


  4. On the File menu, click New, and click Contact on the New menu.


  5. Type the information for the new contact entry.


  6. On the Contact toolbar, click Save, and then click Close.


  7. On the Outlook bar, right-click the Contacts button. Click Properties on the shortcut menu, and then click the Outlook Address Book tab.


  8. Click to select the "Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book" check box, and click OK.



NOTE: If the above steps do not resolve the problem, it may be necessary to reinstall Outlook, especially if Outlook was installed before Word 97. For additional information, please see the following Knowledge Base article:

ARTICLE ID: Q200134 TITLE : Word Mail Merge with Outlook Address Book Fails with Error

Additional query words: 8.0 contactlist addressbook mailmerge 


Keywords          : kbualink97 kbusage kbdta kbmerge 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug

Last Reviewed: July 2, 1999