ACC2000: How to Use a Query to Format Data for a Mail Merge

ID: Q197520

The information in this article applies to:
Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.


SYMPTOMS

In a Microsoft Access table, if you've added formatting to the numbers in a Number field, and you send that data to Microsoft Word through a mail merge, the numbers will lose their formatting when they appear in Microsoft Word.


CAUSE

In a mail merge, only the actual data in the table is sent to Microsoft Word. Any formatting is not sent.


RESOLUTION

In a query, use the Format() function in an expression to create a text string of formatted data from the field. You can then base the mail merge on that query and see the formatting. To send formatting to Word through mail merge, follow these steps:

  1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.


  2. Create the following query: 
    
   Query: MyTest1
   -----------------------------------------
   Type: Select Query

   Field: OrderId
      Table: Order Details
      Criteria: 10252
   Field: UnitPrice
      Table: Order Details
   Field: Discount1: Format([Discount],"0%")
    Note that the last field cannot be called Discount because it would cause a circular reference with the original field name.


  3. On the Query menu, click Run. Note that the Discount1 column shows a percent (%) symbol next to each discount.


  4. On the File menu, click Save. Type MyTest1 in the Query Name box, and then click OK.


  5. On the File menu, click Close.


  6. Select the MyTest1 query in the Database window, but do not open it.


  7. On the Tools menu, point to Office Links, and then click Merge It With MS Word.


  8. In the Microsoft Mail Merge Wizard dialog box, click to select Create a new document and then link the data to it, and then click OK.

    Note that Microsoft Word starts and that a new, blank document is created.


  9. In Word, click Insert Merge Field. Note that a list of the fields in the MyTest1 query are displayed. Select OrderID, and then press ENTER.


  10. Click Insert Merge Field, and then select UnitPrice. Press ENTER.


  11. Click Insert Merge Field, and then select Discount1. Press ENTER.


  12. Click View Merged Data.


Note that the Discount1 field has a percent sign (%) for all the records. Because the expression in the query evaluates to a text string, the percent sign is not lost.


MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

The following example demonstrates what will occur when you include a field that has a data type of Number and has a format specified in the table.
  1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.


  2. Click Tables under Objects, click the Order Details table, and then click Design.


  3. Click the Discount field, and then look at its properties. Note that its data type is Number and its Format property is Percent.


  4. On the File menu, click Close.


  5. Create the following query:


    6. 
   Query: MyTest2
   -----------------------
   Type: Select Query

   Field: OrderId
      Table: Order Details
      Criteria: 10252
   Field: UnitPrice
      Table: Order Details
   Field: Discount
      Table: Order Details
  6. On the Query menu, click Run. Note that the Discount column shows a percent symbol (%) beside each discount.


  7. On the File menu, click Save. Type MyTest2 in the Query Name box, and then click OK.


  8. On the File menu, click Close.


  9. Click the MyTest2 query in the Database window, but do not open it.


  10. On the Tools menu, point to Office Links, and then click Merge It With MS Word.


  11. In the Microsoft Mail Merge Wizard dialog box, click to select Create a new document and then link the data to it, and then click OK.

    Note that Microsoft Word starts and that a new, blank document is created.


  12. In Word, click Insert Merge Field. Note that a list of the fields in the MyTest2 query are displayed. Select OrderID, and then press ENTER.


  13. Click Insert Merge Field, and then select UnitPrice. Press ENTER.


  14. Click Insert Merge Field, and then select Discount. Press ENTER.


  15. Click View Merged Data.

    Note that the Discount field shows no percent sign (%), but you do see the dollar sign ($) for UnitPrice. This is because in the table definition, UnitPrice has a data type of Currency with no added format. However, Discount has a data type of Number with an added format of Percent. The mail merge only considers the data type.



REFERENCES

For more information about the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type "Merge data from a table or query by using the Microsoft Word Mail Merge Wizard" in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

Additional query words: inf prb mailmerge 


Keywords          : kbdta IntpPrtm QryHowto 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: July 15, 1999