Microsoft KB Archive/69668

{| = Excel Err Msg: DDE Error When Sending End Command =
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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994

Article ID: Q69668

SUMMARY
When you extract data from an external database in Excel 3.00, the error message &quot;DDE Error when sending end command&quot; can occur if an incorrect entry is made in the criteria range.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

 * 1) Load QE.XLA.
 * 2) Choose Set Database from the Data menu, select External Database, choose dBASEfile from the Source list box, and highlight ADDR.DBF in the QE subdirectory of your Excel 3.00 directory.
 * 3) Paste the field names for both the criteria and extract ranges by choosing Paste Fieldnames from the Data menu.
 * 4) Set the criteria and extract ranges.
 * 5) In the criteria range, under the field heading Emp_Id, enter a criteria that consists only of numbers (for example, type &quot;10297&quot; [without the quotation marks]).
 * 6) From the Data menu, choose Extract. Excel will search for that record and will return with the DDE error message.

Solution:

 * 1) Type &quot;E10297&quot; (without the quotation marks) and it will extract the correct record.

MORE INFORMATION
If the entry is &quot;E10297&quot;, typing &quot;e10297&quot; for the criteria will return the message &quot;No data retrieved.&quot; If it is typed correctly, Excel will find the record. If it is typed with just the &quot;E&quot;, it will return all records with &quot;E&quot; in that field. However, with only the number, the error message will occur.
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