Attaches a data source to the specified document, which becomes a main document if it is not one already.
expression. OpenDataSource ( _Name_ , _Format_ , _ConfirmConversions_ , _ReadOnly_ , _LinkToSource_ , _AddToRecentFiles_ , _PasswordDocument_ , _PasswordTemplate_ , _Revert_ , _WritePasswordDocument_ , _WritePasswordTemplate_ , _Connection_ , _SQLStatement_ , _SQLStatement1_ , _OpenExclusive_ , _SubType_ )
expression Required. A variable that represents a 'MailMerge' object.
| Name | Required/Optional | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Required | String | The data source file name. You can specify a Microsoft Query (.qry) file instead of specifying a data source, a connection string, and a query string. |
| Format | Optional | Variant | The file converter used to open the document. Can be one of the WdOpenFormat constants. To specify an external file format, use the OpenFormat property with the FileConverter object to determine the value to use with this argument. |
| ConfirmConversions | Optional | Variant | True to display the Convert File dialog box if the file is not in Microsoft Word format. |
| ReadOnly | Optional | Variant | True to open the data source on a read-only basis. |
| LinkToSource | Optional | Variant | True to perform the query specified by Connection and SQLStatement each time the main document is opened. |
| AddToRecentFiles | Optional | Variant | True to add the file name to the list of recently used files at the bottom of the File menu. |
| PasswordDocument | Optional | Variant | The password used to open the data source. (See Remarks below.) |
| PasswordTemplate | Optional | Variant | The password used to open the template. (See Remarks below.) |
| Revert | Optional | Variant | Controls what happens if Name is the file name of an open document. True to discard any unsaved changes to the open document and reopen the file; False to activate the open document. |
| WritePasswordDocument | Optional | Variant | The password used to save changes to the document. (See Remarks below.) |
| WritePasswordTemplate | Optional | Variant | The password used to save changes to the template. (See Remarks below.) |
| Connection | Optional | Variant | A range within which the query specified by SQLStatement is to be performed. (See Remarks below.) |
| SQLStatement | Optional | Variant | Defines query options for retrieving data. (See Remarks below.) |
| SQLStatement1 | Optional | Variant | If the query string is longer than 255 characters, SQLStatement specifies the first portion of the string, and SQLStatement1 specifies the second portion. (See Remarks below.) |
| OpenExclusive | Optional | Variant | True to open exclusively. |
| SubType | Optional | Variant | Can be one of the WdMergeSubType constants. |
To determine the ODBC connection and query strings, set query options manually and use the QueryString property to return the connection string. The following table includes some commonly used SQL keywords.
| Keyword | Description |
|---|---|
| DSN | The name of the ODBC data source |
| UID | The user logon ID |
| PWD | The user-specified password |
| DBQ | The database file name |
| FIL | The file type |
To instruct Word to use the same connection method as in earlier versions of Word (Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) for Microsoft Office Access and Microsoft Office Excel data sources) use SubType:=wdMergeSubTypeWord2000 .
How you specify the range depends on how data is retrieved. For example:
Avoid using hard-coded passwords in your applications. If a password is required in a procedure, request the password from the user, store it in a variable, and then use the variable in your code. For recommended best practices on how to do this, see Security notes for Office solution developers.
This example creates a new main document and attaches the Orders table from an Access database named "Northwind.mdb."
Dim docNew As Document Set docNew = Documents.Add With docNew.MailMerge .MainDocumentType = wdFormLetters .OpenDataSource _ Name:="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office" & _ "\Office\Samples\Northwind.mdb", _ LinkToSource:=True, AddToRecentFiles:=False, _ Connection:="TABLE Orders" End With This example creates a new main document and attaches the Excel worksheet named Names.xls. The Connection argument retrieves data from the range named "Sales."
Dim docNew As Document Set docNew = Documents.Add With docNew.MailMerge .MainDocumentType = wdCatalog .OpenDataSource Name:="C:\Documents\Names.xls", _ ReadOnly:=True, _ Connection:="Sales" End With This example uses ODBC to attach the Access database named "Northwind.mdb" to the active document. The SQLStatement argument selects the records in the Customers table.
Dim strConnection As String With ActiveDocument.MailMerge .MainDocumentType = wdFormLetters strConnection = "DSN=MS Access Databases;" _ & "DBQ=C:\Northwind.mdb;" _ & "FIL=RedISAM;" .OpenDataSource Name:="C:\NorthWind.mdb", _ Connection:=strConnection, _ SQLStatement:="SELECT * FROM Customers" End With Have questions or feedback about Office VBA or this documentation? Please see Office VBA support and feedback for guidance about the ways you can receive support and provide feedback.