I have just moved all my files to a new PC.

With identically named file locations my MailMerge in Word successfully links to an Excel workbook which contains the merge data.

I want however to move the Excel Workbook to a differently-named location (so that it is in the OneDrive directory).

When I do this I cannot re-link to the data source.

I can find the Workbook to link it, but when I select it I get the message "The Data Connection Wizard cannot obtain a list of databases from the specified source".

This happens whether or not the Workbook is open.

Curiously . . . I have kept copies of the MailMerge and the Workbook in their original locations - that connection still works. But if I try and connect the copy of the MailMerge in its new location with the Workbook in the old location I still get the error message. So it doesn't seem to the the location of the Workbook that is the issue.

I would be grateful for any help in how to reconnect my MailMerge to the Workbook source.

Martin

PS The copy of the MailMerge document in the new location remains successfully linked to the copy of the Workbook in the old location. I just cannot link it to the copy of the Workbook in the new location.

From the Mailings tab, select 'Start Mail Merge' and change the merge type to 'Normal Word Document', then save the document. Then from the same tab, 'Select Recipients' then 'Use an Existing List'. Browse to the folder where the Excel data file is stored. Select the sheet with the data and click 'OK'. This will set the merge type to 'Letters'. Save the document again.
If this doesn't work, it suggests a problem with your data source. Try re-copying the original to the new location.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Thank you Graham. Unfortunately, exactly the same when I did what you suggested to the Word document - "The Data Connection Wizard cannot obtain a list of databases from the specified source".
I've copied the original Workbook to the new location - still the same.
Do you think it could be the Trust Centre settings in the Workbook - I don't know anything about those settings but I'm trying to think what could be blocking the access ?

It is odd that I can't link the new Word document to the old Workbook either, and the old Workbook remains successfully linked to the old document. It seems that creating the new link is the issue.

PS I am using the OBDC DSN option for the linking. It comes up with Excel as a choice, stumbles after that.

Either turn off confirm file format conversion on open (Options > Advanced) or use the default OLE DB linking option and see if that now works.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Thanks again Graham.
"turn off confirm file format conversion on open" - is that for Word or Excel ? Or both ? I found it in Word (it wasn't checked) but, oddly, that option is not visible in Excel 365 in Options>Advanced>General (or anywhere else as far as I can see).
Also in Excel, "Ignore other application that use DDE" is NOT checked.

I had a look at OLE DB but couldn't understand which of the many options to choose, and what to enter when it says "Data source". I tried the file path (with and without quotes) to no avail.

Attached Images

OLE DB.jpg (67.5 KB, 11 views)

Hmmm. With the confirm conversions on open check box checked in Word it should not prompt for variations, but use the default.
Unfortunately my office is in a container at sea somewhere around Gibraltar, so I am unable to refer to my notes and hardware until it is once again setup here in the UK.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Graham - thanks for the help, and good luck with getting your Office back one day.

Meantime I think there's little I can do but play with the (many) settings !

I think I'll continue with this in the Excel forum - I can use ODBC DSN to connect to Access databases but not to Excel. I suspectthe issue lies with Excel settings ?

Solved, well sort of.

After a 2 hour support call with Microsoft, they couldn't get it to work either.

But, instead of using "Connect to a new data source", I can just select the Excel workbook from the list of files in the LH pane . That works.