Excel Err Msg: DDE Error When Sending End Command

SUMMARY

When you extract data from an external database in Excel 3.00, the error message "DDE Error when sending end command" 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 "10297" [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 "E10297" (without the quotation marks) and it will extract the correct record.

MORE INFORMATION

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