Microsoft KB Archive/212323

= WD2000: Date, Currency, and Phone Number Fields Merge Incorrectly When You Use an Access or Excel Data Source =

PSS ID Number: 212323

Article Last Modified on 12/6/2000

-

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Word 2000

-



This article was previously published under Q212323





SYMPTOMS
When you perform a mail merge using ODBC with a Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel data source, the merge results for the Date, Phone Number, and Currency fields are incorrect. For example:

The Date field appears in the following format:

1995-10-22 00:00:00

The Currency field appears in the following format:

12.00

The Phone Number field from an Access data source appears in the following format:

-7081234567.00



CAUSE
The data appears in its native, stored format in Access or Excel. When you use DDE to convert the Access or Excel data instead of ODBC, the data is masked to display the correct format.



Method 1: Use DDE to Connect to the Access or Excel Database

 * 1) Click to select the Select Method (Confirm Conversion) check box in the Open Data Source dialog box, locate and select your Access/Excel database, and then click Open.
 * 2) In the Confirm Data Source dialog box, click to select Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel Database via DDE (*.mdb), and then click OK.

If DDE is not available, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

137076 WD: Can't Use Microsoft Access Files, *.MDB, or DDE with Word

Method 2: Use ODBC and Add a "Picture" Switch to the Date/Currency fields.
 Include a numeric picture switch (\#) in the Currency field, so that the Currency field looks like this:

{mergefield number \# $####,0.0}

NOTE: The {mergefield number \# $####,0.0} string works for SQL Server 6 as well. Include a numeric picture switch (\#) in the Phone Number field, so that the Phone Number field looks like this:

{mergefield phone \# ###'-'###'-'####}

NOTE: The hyphen inside the mergefield is in quotation marks. Also, the quotation marks are single quotation marks. Include a date-time picture switch (\@) in the Date field, so that the Date field looks like this:

{mergefield date \@ "MMMM d, yyyy"}

NOTE: The picture switch is case-sensitive; also, you must use quotation marks around the picture string.

Additional query words: winword access database data source odbc dde mail merge print merging merged records results fields mergefield currency money dollars $ date time wrong incorrect change how to switch picture numeric number decimal thousandths telephone word2000 access2000 excel2000

Keywords: kbinterop kbmerge kbprb KB212323

Technology: kbWord2000 kbWord2000Search kbWordSearch kbZNotKeyword2

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.