WD: Mail Merge Main Document Cannot Find Data Source

ID: Q188078

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
Schedule+ for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

When you create a mail merge main document and attach it to a Schedule+ data source, the link to the data source is lost when you close Word. When you restart Word and open the mail merge main document, you will see the following error message:

      <main document file name> is a mail merge main document. Word cannot
      find its data source, ~~~_virtual_file_~~~.scd.

CAUSE

When you attach a Schedule+ data source, Word converts the contact list and creates a temporary copy of the file in table format called ~~~_virtual_file_~~~.scd.

This behavior is by design to prevent you from accidentally overwriting the original contact list with a format not recognized by Schedule+. Since this file is a temporary file, it is deleted when you exit Word.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Use This Method When the Error Appears

1. Click Options in the Error dialog box, and then click Remove

   Data/Header Source.

2. With the document open, click Mail Merge on the Tools menu.

3. In the Mail Merge Helper, click Get Data, click Use Address Book, select

   Schedule+ Contact List, and then click OK.

   This creates a new virtual file, based on the current contact list
   information.

   NOTE: You need to repeat these steps each time you restart Word and open
   the mail merge main document attached to this data source.

Method 2: Export the Contact List as a Text File

1. Start Schedule+.

2. On the File menu, click Export, and then click Text.

3. In the Text Export Wizard, choose Contact List, and then click Next.

4. Select the field delimiter and the character you want to use to surround

   your fields, and then click Next.

5. Click Next

6. Select each field you want to export and then click the Add button. If

   you want to export all the fields, click the Add All button. Click Next.

7. Type a name for the file that will contain the exported data, and then

   click Finish.

   NOTE: If the ODBC drivers are installed, Word attempts to use the Text
   ODBC driver when you attach the data source. To prevent an error
   message such as the following

      Open Database Connectivity Error: <fieldname> isn't a valid name.

   select the data source, click to select the Select Method check box,
   and then click Open. Click Text Only. (If Text Only is not in the
   list, click Show All and then select Text Files.) Word will use its
   own text converter.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q189021
   TITLE     : WD95: Error Using Text Data Source with ODBC Driver

For additional information on using Outlook 97 Contacts with Word 7.x, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q162141
   TITLE     : WD95: Can't Access Outlook Contacts from Word 7.x

Additional query words: schedule + pab contact list virtual data outlook97

Keywords          : kbinterop kbdta kbconversion kbmerge word7 word95 
Version           : WINDOWS:7.0,7.0a
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbnofix

Last Reviewed: March 25, 1999