When you perform a mail merge in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows using a Visual FoxPro table contained in a database container, the following error message appears:

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Word is unable to open Visual FoxPro for Windows tables contained in a database container.

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Use one of the following three to perform a mail merge in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows using a Visual FoxPro table contained in a database container.

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Method 1: Copy Native Visual FoxPro Table to a 2.x Format

1.	In Visual FoxPro for Windows, open the table.
2.	Issue the following command in the Command Window or program: COPY TO <newtablename> TYPE FOX2X

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Method 2: Use MSQuery from Word

1.	When using the Mail Merge Helper in Word, click MS Query in the Open Data Source dialog box.
2.	When MSQuery opens, select the Visual FoxPro ODBC dataset from the list in the Choose Data Source dialog box.
3.	Select the table, create the query, and then return to Word.

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Method 3: Remove Table from Database Container

1.	If the table is part of the database container DBC, open the DBC.
2.	Locate the table to be used in the merge, right-click the table and click Delete.
3.	A dialog box appears and prompts you to either remove the table from the DBC or delete the table from the disk. Click Remove to free the table from the DBC.

You can also issue the FREE TABLE command in the Command window. For example, open the DBC and free the table as follows:

MODIFY DATABASE testdata
FREE TABLE mymergetable
CLOSE DATABASES ALL
				

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This behavior is by design.

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Word 97 for Windows can to open FoxPro 2.x tables with the ISAM driver for use in mail merges if the driver has been installed. The steps below assume that the ISAM driver has been installed.

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Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1.	In Word 97, go to the Tools menu and click Mail Merge. The Mail Merge Helper appears.
2.	In Section 1 - Main document, click Create. Click Form Letters, and click Active Window in the message box.
3.	In section 2 - Data source, click Get Data and click Open Data Source.
4.	In the Open Data Source window, change the Files of type to Microsoft FoxPro Files (*.dbf).
5.	Locate a Visual FoxPro for Windows 3.0b or 5.0x table, and click Open.
6.	In the Confirm Data Source dialog box, click FoxPro Files through ODBC (*.dbf) and click OK. NOTE: If MS FoxPro Files (*.dbf) is not available, you must install the data access (ODBC) utilities using the Office 97 Setup program.

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For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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