XL2000: Error Message: ORA-00923:FROM Keyword Not Found Where Expected

In Microsoft Query, when you use an alias in a query to an Oracle database, and you employ an aggregate, the query does not succeed, and you receive the following error message:

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Office 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
After you install the latest service pack from Microsoft Office 2000, you must add and configure the AllowAlias registry key to enable this fix. To do this, follow these steps. WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Quit Excel 2000 if it is running.
2. . Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Verify that the following key exists. If it does, go to step 4.
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Query\
   Options If the key path does not exist, create the key path:
   1. Locate and select the following registry key:
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft
   2. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click Key.
   3. Type Office, and then press ENTER.
   4. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click Key.
   5. Type 9.0, and then press ENTER.
   6. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click Key.
   7. Type Query, and then press ENTER.
   8. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click Key.
   9. Type Options, and then press ENTER.
4. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click DWORD Value.
5. Type the following name for the new value: AllowAlias.
6. Press ENTER.
7. Right-click the new DWORD value name, and then click Modify.
8. In the Value data box, type 0.
   
   NOTE: To disable the fix, delete the AllowAlias key or set the value to 1.
9. When you are finished, click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.

WORKAROUND

To temporarily work around this problem, follow these steps:

1. After you insert your table in the Tables pane in Microsoft Query, drag the fields into the display area.
2. Double-click the heading for the field to which you want to apply the alias and aggregate.
3. In the Column Heading box, type your alias in quotation marks. For example, type "fred" (including the quotation marks).
4. In the Total list, click the aggregate function that you need. Click OK.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 2.