WD: Sheet1 Is the Only Microsoft Excel Sheet Available with Word

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When Word performs a mail merge using a DDE link to a Microsoft Excel data source, Word looks only at the first sheet available in the Microsoft Excel workbook. Word does not allow you to select another worksheet. Also, editing the data source to move another sheet to the first position while it is attached to the Word main document does not allow you to access the new sheet.

CAUSE

When using DDE to attach a Microsoft Excel worksheet as a mail merge data source, Word recognizes only the first sheet in the workbook. Also, Word does not recognize any changes you make to the data source while the Microsoft Excel worksheet is attached to the mail merge main document.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the above listed versions of Word for Windows.

WORKAROUNDS

Method 1: You can select a specific sheet in a Microsoft Excel workbook

          using the converter instead of the DDE option. To do this, select
          the Confirm Conversions (Word 6.0) check box or click the

          Method (Word 7.0 - 97) check box in the Open Data Source dialog
          box. Select the desired sheet from the list of all available
          sheets in the workbook.

          Excel, then open the workbook and move the desired sheet to the
          first position. (To do this, click and drag the desired sheet tab
          to the first position on the sheet tab bar at the bottom of the
          current workbook.) Save the Microsoft Excel workbook. In Word,
          reestablish the DDE link to the Microsoft Excel worksheet before
          performing your merge. (To do this, from the Tools menu, select
          Get Data, Choose Open Data Source, select your Microsoft Excel
          file, and reselect the entire worksheet.)

          intended to be used as merge data, you can define a range name
          for the data. (To do this, open the Microsoft Excel worksheet and
          select the range of cells that contain your data. From the Insert
          menu, select Name, then select Define and type the desired name
          without spaces.) The worksheet containing the range should be
          moved to the first position in the workbook as described in
          Method 2. Return to your mail merge main document in Word and
          reattach the data source. Instead of selecting the entire
          worksheet, select the range name.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 676-677

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide," version 5.0, Chapter 7, "Working in Workbooks"