Can Access act as a 'multiple data source' for mail merge to Word?

[CareBear]

Please Help! ASAP!

I am trying to create a word document that has changing data in each single
document (similar to a mail merge document) only that I require several data
sources for the same document. I have become aware that I cannot use
mulitple data sources for a mail merge in word.

I need to know if there is a way around this. Perhaps Access will act in
this way.

The other difficulty I have is that some of the data needing to go into the
final word document will remain within Access as constant database
information, however most of the data will need to be changed and be entered
reguarly for each new final document. Does this change the usefulness of
Access for what I need it to perform?

Finally, is there a better way to perform this function altogther?

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

You can merge data from multiple data sources if you can express the data as
query.

So, if you have one main customer table, and then 5 related tables that
represents an invoice (and all kinds of related tables that pull out part
numbers, part descriptions etc), then you can most certain merge a row of
data into the word document.

I have a nice working sample that does a merge of the current record to
word.

The sample I have can be found here:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/msaccess/msaccess.html

note that the above also supports merging of data form a query. And, a query
can pull data from 1, 2 or many tables.

So, multiple data sources can be merged into a word document by using a
query.

However, it not clear if you taking about repeating related data...that is a
different story.

so, yes, you can base your merge on a query that pulls data from 1, 2 3 or
more tables.....

However, if you talking about repeating related data from child tables, then
the hard part is the "repeating" data.

In these cases with repeating data that must go into one document, you have
several choices.

One great choice is to use a access report in place of word.

However, if you really must have repeating data in a SINGLE word document,
then there is a sample here:

http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister/MergFram.htm

look on the left side for special merges. The one you want is

Multiple items per condition

 

[James A. Fortune]

Please Help! ASAP!

I am trying to create a word document that has changing data in each single
document (similar to a mail merge document) only that I require several data
sources for the same document. I have become aware that I cannot use
mulitple data sources for a mail merge in word.

I need to know if there is a way around this. Perhaps Access will act in
this way.

CareBear,

Who told you it can't be done?

Go to:

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.access/topics?lnk=rgh

Type 'fortune syntax jamie' then click 'Search this newsgroup'

On the second page of results, this worked:

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.access/msg/ef639becbdf2faee

Using that syntax (first posted in this NG from Jamie AFAICT), I was
able to create a query in Access that used tables from separate remote
databases and then used that query to perform a mail merge in Word.

The other difficulty I have is that some of the data needing to go into the
final word document will remain within Access as constant database
information, however most of the data will need to be changed and be entered
reguarly for each new final document. Does this change the usefulness of
Access for what I need it to perform?

Note that the Word document used for the mail merge can contain constant
data as the static part of the Word document. Is that an option?

Finally, is there a better way to perform this function altogther?

That depends on the simplicity of your present and future requirements.

James A. Fortune
(e-mail address removed)

 

[david]

Access can join multiple data sources.

Also, Word can insert data from external documents.

Also, Word automation can select a different data source for every document.

I have mail merged into a document that had separate insertions at insertion
points, and I have automated a mail merge so that every copy of the document
merged from a different data source.

You can do this if what you want is not identical documents with a different
name on each.

If you just want identical documents with a different name on each, you can
just use Access to join the multiple data sources.

(david)