Troubleshoot mail merge

• The file containing the data source that you're trying to connect to might be open. To connect to a data source other than a Microsoft Publisher address list, make sure that the file is closed.
• Publisher might not be able to recognize the file format of the data source that you're trying to connect to. Make sure that you are using a data source that Publisher can use.

  How?

  The Publisher Mail and Catalog Merge Wizard can use data sources in the following formats:

  • Microsoft Access (all versions)
  • Microsoft Excel (versions 3.0 and later)
  • Microsoft FoxPro (version 2.0 and later)
  • Microsoft Outlook (all versions)
  • Microsoft SQL 6.x, 7.0, and 2000
  • Microsoft Word tables or merge data documents
  • Microsoft Works for MS-DOS 3.0 (if database contains no formulas)
  • Microsoft Works for Windows 3.0 and later (if database contains no formulas)
  • Oracle 7.3, 8i (8.1.6) (if client software is installed)
  • dBase III, IV, and V
  • ASCII text files (except for fixed-field width files)
  • Any data source with an OLE DB provider

• There are records in your data source that were not filled in. Edit your data source and fill in the missing fields, or filter the records so that no blank records are included in the merge.

  How?

  1. If it is not already open, open your mail merge publication.
  2. On the Tools menu, point to Mail and Catalog Merge, and then click Mail and Catalog Merge Wizard.
  3. In the Mail and Catalog Merge task pane, click Next: Select data source.
  4. Under Select data source, click Edit recipient list.
  5. Click the arrow next to the column heading of the item you want to filter by.
  6. To exclude blank records from your merge, click (Nonblanks) to display all the records in which the corresponding field contains information.

     The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box displays only the designated records. To display all the records again, click (All).

You might have a filter applied to the data source in this publication.

1. On the Tools menu point to Mail and Catalog Merge, and then click Filter or Sort.
2. In the Filter and Sort dialog box, click the Filter Records tab.
3. Click Clear All.

• The Microsoft Word document that you're trying to open doesn't contain a table that Publisher recognizes as a data source.

• You might not have selected Word Documents (*.doc) in the Files of type list.