WD6X: Word Is Slow Finding Previous Record in Data Document

• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh version 6.0

SYMPTOMS

In a mail merge main document, when you choose the Previous Record button on the Mail Merge toolbar, Word for Windows may find the record very slowly, especially if the current record is near the end of a large database.

CAUSE

Word counts from the beginning of the data document to find the previous record. After you choose the Previous Record button on the Mail Merge toolbar, Word displays the following message on the status bar:

   Word is reading record NNN

For example, if 381 displays in the Go To Record box on the Mail Merge toolbar and you choose the Previous Record button, Word reads from record 1 to record 380 and displays the count on the status bar.

Word does not cache the results of any sorting or query operations you perform on a data document, which means Word cannot go directly to a data record based on its current position in the data document. As a result, Word must start from the beginning of the data document and find each record, in order.

STATUS

We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.