XL97: MS Map May Hang When You Insert Canadian Postal Codes

ID: Q191963

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

If you use Microsoft Map to create a Canadian map using a range of three-digit Canadian postal codes, the Forward Sortation Area (FSA), or if you insert a range of FSA postal codes in an existing map of Canada, you may receive the following error message or Microsoft Excel may appear to stop responding (hang).

 If You Are Using Windows 95 or Windows 98
 -----------------------------------------

 You may receive the following error message:

       This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut
       down.

   If you click Details, you receive an error message similar to the
   following:

      MSMAP caused an invalid page fault in module MSMAP.EXE at
      015f:00448a00.

   If you click Close, the session of Microsoft Map ends, but Excel remains
   open and unresponsive.

 If You Are Using Windows NT 4.0
 -------------------------------

 The embedded map may disappear, and Excel may appear to stop responding.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when the following conditions are true:

At least one of the FSA codes is not in the correct format.
```
    -and-
```
There are more than four postal codes in the source data.

NOTE: If an incorrect FSA code is formed of three numbers and is the first code in the column, it will be treated as a heading and ignored.

RESOLUTION

If this problem occurs, close Microsoft Excel by using one of the following methods, depending on which operating system you have.

Method 1: For Windows 95 or Windows 98

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL.

2. Click Microsoft Excel and click End Task.

3. Close all applications and restart Windows.

Method 2: For Windows NT 4.0

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL.

2. Click Task Manager.

3. On the Applications tab, click Microsoft Excel, and then click End Task.

4. Close all applications and restart Windows NT.

To prevent this problem, use only the FSA portion of the Canadian postal code, and use the correct format. The format requires that you use only three characters in the following order: letter/number/letter.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Map can use only Canadian Forward Sortation Area postal codes. These characters are the first three characters of the Canadian postal code.

Further information on the Canadian Postal Code and the Forward Sortation Area can be found on the Canada Post Corporation Web site at the following address:

   http://www.canadapost.ca

NOTE: The third-party contact information included in this article is provided to help you find the information you need. This contact information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

In order for Microsoft Map to find a matching geographic map based on geographic data, such as state names, abbreviations, or postal codes, at least 80% of the data needs to be valid for the map that is being matched. For instance, if you type in state names and have four or fewer names, you must spell them all correctly; otherwise, Microsoft Map will fail to find a corresponding map. You may then get the message, "You must include a column of geographic data in your selection."

However, if you have five or more names, you may misspell one of them (up to 20% of the items) and Microsoft Map still has enough information to find the proper map. You will then receive a Resolve Unknown Geographic Data message stating that "The following data from your worksheet is not recognized as geographic data," which allows you to change or discard (ignore) each item in error. Note, however, that these messages do not appear when the errors occur with Canadian Forward Sortation Areas, as described in the "Cause" section earlier in this article.

REFERENCES

For more information about Microsoft Map, click Contents And Index on the Help menu, click the Index tab in Excel Help, type the following text

map

and then double-click the selected text to go to the "create a map" topic. If you are unable to find the information you need, ask the Office Assistant.

NOTE: For more information about working with maps, double-click an existing map, and then click Microsoft Map Help Topics on the Help menu.

Additional query words: XL97 datamap data ipf

Keywords          : kbdta xlmap 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbpending

Last Reviewed: November 5, 1998