Microsoft KB Archive/116361

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"Too Many Data Fields" Error in Single-Field Data Document

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Q116361

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a

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SYMPTOMS
If ALL of the following conditions are true when you perform a mail merge operation, Word for Windows displays a "Record 1 contained too many data fields" error message:


 * You are using a separate header source.
 * Your header and data documents are text files that contain only one field per record.
 * When you attached the header source, you selected None from the Field Delimiter list in the Header Record Delimiters dialog box. (This is the logical selection because you do not need a delimiter in a single-field data document.)
 * The records in your data document are identical in format and they all contain a character that Word can use as a delimiter (such as hyphens, periods, and so on).

The following sample header and data documents illustrate these conditions.

  Header Source    Data Source       Note -   ---

SSN             123-45-6789       All contain 2 hyphens 987-65-4321                   654-32-1098

Chapter         83.6.9            All contain 2 periods 12.3.2                   7.5.5

Description     Push-pull         All contain 1 hyphen Helter-skelter Teeter-totter Furthermore, the mail merge operation inserts only the first portion of each field in the merged document (the portion before the first character Word mistakenly uses as a delimiter). For example, if you perform a mail merge using the above sample header and data documents, the merged documents contain the following results:

  123            83            Push 987           12            Helter 654            7            Teeter

CAUSE
Even though you selected no field delimiter, Word still analyses your data document. If all the records are formatted in a similar manner (all social security numbers, all contain the same number of decimals, and so on), Word mistakenly uses the common character as a delimiter and treats each record as if it contained multiple fields.

This problem does not occur if the data records contain dissimilar formatting, if the data document is a Word table, if you are not using a separate header source, if each data record is enclosed in quotation marks, or if your data records contain more than one field apiece.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word versions 6.0 and 6.0a for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

WORKAROUNDS
Method 1:

"Do not use a header source file; instead, place the field name at the beginning of the data document. (To detach the header source, you must restore your main document to a normal Word document and then reattach the data document)" Method 2:

Use the following procedure to convert your data document to a Word table:

 Open the mail merge data document in Word. (To open the data document from your main document, choose the Edit Data Source button on the Mail Merge toolbar.) From the Edit menu, choose Select All to select all your data. From the Table menu, choose Convert Text to Table. Select 1 in the Number of Columns box, select the Paragraphs option, and then choose OK. Method 3:

"Use a header and data source whose records contain more than one field apiece. You do not need to use the additional fields in your mail merge operation." Method 4:

In your data document, enclose each record in quotation marks. For example, change the sample file above to the following:

"123-45-6789"

"987-65-4321"

"654-32-1098"