XL7: Get External Returns Incorrect Data and/or Blank Rows

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Get External Data command on the Data menu to return data from an external data source, the data that is returned is not correct. Some fields or rows that should contain data are blank; or some fields or rows contain incorrect data.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when Microsoft Excel uses the Microsoft Query dynamic data exchange (DDE) Fetch command to return the data to the worksheet.

This problem occurs only under Windows 95. The problem does not occur when you use Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 or later.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. The problem has been corrected in Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information on using DDE with Microsoft Query, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: <LINK TYPE="ARTICLE" VALUE="Q149581">Q149581</LINK> 

   TITLE     : How to Retrieve Request Items Using DDERequest to MSQuery 

   ARTICLE-ID: <LINK TYPE="ARTICLE" VALUE="Q142357">Q142357</LINK> 

   TITLE     : XL: Visual Basic Example Using BuildSQL 

   ARTICLE-ID: <LINK TYPE="ARTICLE" VALUE="Q105953">Q105953</LINK> 

   TITLE     : MSQuery: Obtaining Login String from DDE Request to Query 

Method 1: Using Data Access Objects (DAO)

1. On the Insert menu, point to Macro and click Module.



2. In the Visual Basic module, type the following code:

   
         Sub GetDataUsingDAO()
   
             'Open the database.
             Set Db = opendatabase("c:\my documents\db1.mdb")
   
             'Create a recordset using a SQL statement.
             Set RS = Db.OpenRecordset("Select * from Table1")
   
             'Copy the field names starting at Sheet1!A1.
             For i = 1 To RS.Fields.Count
                 Range("Sheet1!A1").Offset(, i - 1) = RS(i - 1).Name
             Next
   
             'Copy the results starting at Sheet1!A2.
             Range("Sheet1!A2").CopyFromRecordset RS
   
             Db.Close
   
         End Sub 




3. Click References on the Tools menu, select "Microsoft DAO 3.0 Object Library", and then click OK.

1. Click Macro on the Tools menu, click GetDataUsingDAO, and click Run to run the macro.

Method 2: Using DDE with Microsoft Query

1. On the Insert menu, point to Macro and click Module.



2. Type the following code in the module.

   
   Sub GetDataUsingDDE()
   
       Dim chan As Integer
       Dim r As Variant, c As Variant
       Dim StartCell As Range
       Dim RowsToRetrieve As String
       Dim i As Integer
   
       'Activate query - if it is not running, an error occurs and the
       'error handler StartQuery will start Query.
       On Error GoTo StartQuery
       AppActivate "Microsoft Query"
       On Error GoTo 0
   
       'Initiate a channel to query and return control to the user.
       chan = DDEInitiate("MSquery", "system")
       DDEExecute chan, _
           "[UserControl('&Return Data To Microsoft Excel', 3, true)]"
   
       'Prompt the user for the cell to return the data to.
       Set StartCell = Application.InputBox( _
           prompt:="Select the starting cell", Type:=8)
   
       'Obtain the number of rows and columns in the result.
       r = DDERequest(chan, "NumRows")
       c = DDERequest(chan, "NumCols")
   
       'Return the headers to the first row at the starting cell.
       DDEExecute chan, "[Fetch('Excel','" & StartCell.Worksheet.Name & _
           "','" & StartCell.Resize(, c(1)).Address( _
           ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1) & "','R1:R1/Headers')]"
   
       'Return the data to the worksheet 100 rows at a time.
       For i = 1 To r(1) Step 100
           RowsToRetrieve = "R" & i & ":R" & i + 100 - 1
           DDEExecute chan, "[Fetch('Excel','" & StartCell.Worksheet.Name _
               & "','" & StartCell.Offset(i).Resize(100, c(1)).Address( _
               ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1) & "','" & RowsToRetrieve & "')]"
           DoEvents
       Next
   
       'Terminate the channel.
       DDETerminate chan
   
      Exit Sub
   
   
   StartQuery:
          Shell "c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared" & _
              "\msquery\msqry32.exe", 2
          DoEvents
          Resume
   End Sub
    

   For i = 1 To r(1) Step 100 

1. Click Macro on the Tools menu, click GetDataUsingDDE, and click Run to run the macro.

1. Create your query and then click "Return Data to Microsoft Excel" on the File menu.



2. When you are prompted, select a cell for the data and click OK.

REFERENCES

For more information about Data Access Objects, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

   data access, using 

Additional query words: garbage character gap missing XL7 nothing nil nada

Keywords : kbtool xlvbainfo xlquery xldao
Version : WINDOWS:7.0,7.0a,95
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb