WD98: Extended Characters From dBase 3.x File Missing

• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you use a dBASE 3.x file in Word, most of the extended characters are missing. This problem will occur when you do one of the following:

• Open the file in Word.

  -or-

• Use the dBASE 3.x file as a mail merge data source. (In the Mail Merge Helper, click Get Data, and then click Open Data Source.)

  -or-

• Insert the dBASE 3.x file into a Word document. (On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Database. On the Database toolbar, click the Insert Database button.)

CAUSE

This functionality is by design. When the Word FoxPro/dBASE converter encounters a character that it does not understand, the character is replaced with an underscore character.

WORKAROUND

Upgrade your dBASE 3.x database to a dBASE 4.x or later database.

REFERENCES

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

   ARTICLE-ID: Q179607
   TITLE     : WD98: Supported Non-Word File Formats