[AccessD] Mail Merge

The kind of mail merging that I'm familiar with doesn't actually import data
into Word.   Word just defines a "data source" for a particular document,
and you place special Merge feilds on the document.  When you perform a
merge, the data simply flows through.  You can choose to save the resulting
merged document if you want.  But it is not the same as "import".

Steve Capistrant
Symphony Information Services
scapistrant at symphonyinfo.com
www.symphonyinfo.com

Through September 25th:
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-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of John Colby
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 3:32 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Mail Merge


So you have a piece of code VB macro) that opens the file and imports it?
Access pulls the data and generates the text file?

John W. Colby
www.colbyconsulting.com

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Charlotte
Foust
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 3:44 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Mail Merge


That's the approach I've always used as well.  It isn't quite so bad in
OXP, but there's just too much overhead when both Word and Access have
to be considered at once.  The other advantage to the text file
approach, is that you can go back and redo it if there was a problem and
you don't have to incur the overhead of a query since the source is
static.

Charlotte Foust

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Capistrant [mailto:scapistrant at symphonyinfo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 10:45 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Mail Merge


If you do the pull method, I don't recommend having the Word document
look to a query.  There is an extra layer involved when negotiating into
MDB or MDE that adds what I consider to be a lot of time, plus possibly
a layer of security.  The approach we prefer at our shop is to have your
database output a text file with a standard name ("SelectedContacts.txt)
to a standard folder (like "c:\temp" or the application's install
folder).  All mail merge documents are trained to look to this file, and
the speed is MUCH faster for both connecting and merging.  Plus this
gives the you the added benefit of being able to send this file to
printing vendors if you have specialty mailings.  And the file can be
opened in Excel for other kinds of merging and analysis uses as well.

Steve Capistrant
Symphony Information Services
scapistrant at symphonyinfo.com
www.symphonyinfo.com



-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of John Colby
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 8:27 AM
To: AccessD
Subject: [AccessD] Mail Merge


Folks,

I have been looking at a push method of mail merge were an access class
pushes data into the doc at bookmarks.  It is my understanding that
there is also a pull method where the document knows what query it needs
to use to get data from Access and where to put the data in the
document.  Is that method easy to set up for a given document?  Any
online references for doing this?  I need to get a handful of mail merge
docs set up quickly for a customer.

John W. Colby
www.colbyconsulting.com


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