ACC2000: Exporting to Word Merge Format After Renaming Field Causes Error

When you export a table from a Microsoft Access database to the Microsoft Word Merge format, you may receive the following error message: This error message includes the following text when you are using Visual Basic for Applications code: When you export a table from a Microsoft Access project or a query from a Microsoft Access database to the Microsoft Word Merge format, you may receive the following error message: This error message includes the following text when you are using Visual Basic for Applications code:

The field names for the Microsoft Word Merge format are stored in the Schema.ini file the first time that you export the table or query. After a field name in the source table or query is modified, the previously exported fields no longer match the names of the new fields. The next time that you try to export the table or query, you receive one of the errors listed in the "Symptoms" section.

Use one of the following methods to correct this problem.

Method 1

Open the Schema.ini file with a text editor such as Notepad, and then delete the section that you are having trouble with. The section starts with the name of the text file in brackets. For example, if you export the Shippers table, the section would start on the line that has [Shippers.txt]. The section ends on the last line above the beginning of the next section.

Method 2

Open the Schema.ini file with a text editor such as Notepad, and then correct the field names that you are having trouble with. For example, if you export the Shippers table and later change the CompanyName field to CName, you would change the line that read to read as follows:

Method 3

Delete the Schema.ini file, and then export the table or query.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Access 2000.

You may receive one of these errors if you export the table or query by using the Export command on the File menu, by using a macro that uses the TransferText action where the Transfer Type is Export Word for Windows Merge, or by using Visual Basic for Applications code that uses the TransferText method where the TransferType is acExportMerge.

You cannot export a view or stored procedure from an Access project to the Microsoft Word Merge format.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

CAUTION: If you follow the steps in this example, you modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb file and follow these steps on a copy of the database.

1. Open the sample database, Northwind.mdb.
2. Select the Shippers table. On the File menu, click Export.
3. In the Export Table 'Shippers' As dialog box, in the Save as type list, click Microsoft Word Merge, and then click Save.
4. Open the Shippers table in Design view.
5. Change the name of the CompanyName field to CName.
6. Save the change and close the Shippers table.
7. Select the Shippers table. On the File menu, click Export.
8. In the Export Table 'Shippers' As dialog box, in the Save as type list, click Microsoft Word Merge, and then click Save.

For more information about Microsoft Word Merge format files, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type export a table or query to a Microsoft Word mail merge data source file in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.