XL2000: Errors Appear When Using an ODBC Text Data Source (DSN)

ID: Q212155

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 2000

SYMPTOMS

When you work with a file data source name (DSN) that uses a text Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver, either of the following symptoms occur:

When you attempt to add a table, the following error message appears:

Can't access table name where name is the name of the database.

When you create a PivotTable, one of the following error messages appears:

Problems obtaining data

PivotTable is not valid

CAUSE

Can't Access Table

This error message appears when both of the following conditions are true:

You attempt to add a table to a query.

-and-

That text file is open in another Office program.

Problems Obtaining Data, or PivotTable Is Not Valid

These error messages appear when you attempt to create a server-based page field in a PivotTable when the source data is from an external text file.

WORKAROUND

Can't Access Table

To work around this problem, close the text file in the other program before you add it to the query.

Problems Obtaining Data, or PivotTable Is Not Valid

When you use a File DSN that uses a text ODBC driver, you cannot create a server-based page field. Update the PivotTable to reset the PivotTable field settings.

If you want to use a server-based page field in a PivotTable, import the text database into another program, for example, Microsoft Access. For more information about importing data into Microsoft Access, refer to Microsoft Access Help.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Unlike other types of ODBC drivers, the Text ODBC driver uses file locking instead of record locking. This means that records are not available to more than one program at a time. When you open the text file in one program, and then attempt to open the same file in another program, it is an access violation. You cannot use any driver that uses file locking instead of record locking to create a PivotTable with server-based page fields. Other ODBC drivers do not exhibit this problem.

Additional query words: XL2000

Keywords : kbtool kbusage xlquery xlpivot
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug