WD2000: ErrMsg: "Word was unable to open the data source."

ID: Q224056

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 2000

ERROR MESSAGE

When you try to attach a data source using the mail merge helper, the following error message may appear:

Word was unable to open the data source.

NOTE: Microsoft Office 2000 has built-in functionality that allows you to get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages. If you want to enable this functionality for this and other error messages in Microsoft Office 2000, please download the Microsoft Office 2000 Customizable Alerts file from the Microsoft Office Update Web site at the following address:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/alerts.htm

NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking the Web Info button in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts enabled.

CAUSE

The data source text file is open on a different computer.

The ODBC Text driver installed by Microsoft Office for Windows does not support the delimiter that you used to separate text in your data source text file.

You are using MSQuery to generate a data source for a Word mail merge, and your query string exceeds 255 characters.

You have selected Outlook Express as your default e-mail program and made Outlook Express the default simple MAPI client.

WHAT TO TRY

The data source text file is open on a different computer.

Close the data source text file on the other system, and then restart your mail merge in Word.

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The ODBC Text driver installed by Microsoft Office for Windows does not support the delimiter that you used to separate text in your data source text file.

Some known delimiters that the ODBC Text driver does not support are

Tab Delimited

Tilde (~) Delimited

Pipe Delimited

Method 1: Rename the data source text file extension.

Rename the extension of your tab-delimited text file to an "unrecognized" extension. For example, if your tab-delimited text file is named Address.txt, rename the file to Address.too.

Method 2: Use a comma-delimited text file as your data source instead of a tab-delimited data source.

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You are using MSQuery to generate a data source for a Word mail merge, and your query string exceeds 255 characters.

Method 1: Shorten the search string.
For example, shorten the path to the data source, shorten the file name, or select fewer columns of data when you define your query.

Method 2: Connect to the data source using dynamic data exchange (DDE) instead of MSQuery.

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You have selected Outlook Express as your default e-mail program and simple MAPI client.

Do not set Outlook Express as the default simple MAPI client. Outlook Express was designed for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x. Although you can use Outlook Express to send e-mail from Word, the Outlook Express Address Book is not designed for use with Word.

NOTE: To send e-mail from Word, point to Send To on the File menu, and then click Mail recipient.

To clear the simple MAPI client check box, follow these steps:

In Outlook Express, on the Tools menu, click Options.

On the General tab, click to clear the Make Outlook Express my default Simple MAPI client check box.

NOTE: The Make Outlook Express my default Simple MAPI client check box is not available unless the Make Outlook Express my default e-mail program check box is selected.

You may need to restart your computer, or reinstall Microsoft Office or Outlook after clearing the Make Outlook Express my default Simple MAPI client check box. After you restart your computer or reinstall Office or Outlook, your previous address book should again function correctly with Word.

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Additional query words: OFF2000

Keywords : kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb