First mail merge recipient is duplicated when you connect to the data source through the DDE method

Article ID: 286847 - View products that this article applies to.
This article was previously published under Q286847
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SYMPTOMS

In the Mail Merge Wizard, when you attempt to sort or filter the Mail Merge Recipients list, you may receive the following error message:
Word could not re-establish a DDE connection with Microsoft Access to complete the current task.
When you click OK to clear the message, the first record in the Mail Merge Recipients list appears twice.
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CAUSE

This behavior can occur if you are using the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) method to connect to your data source.
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WORKAROUND

To refresh the Mail Merge Recipients list and get rid of the duplicate first record, follow these steps:
  1. Proceed to step 5 of the Mail Merge Wizard, and then click the scroll buttons to preview the recipients.

    The list now appears without the duplicate first record.
  2. Click Next, and then complete the merge operation.
NOTE: Do not clear the check box beside one of the duplicate first records. Because both copies of the first record have the same unique identifier, canceling one has the effect of preventing both copies from being included in the mail merge operation.
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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
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Properties

Article ID: 286847 - Last Review: January 29, 2007 - Revision: 2.2
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Office Word 2003
  • Microsoft Word 2002 Standard Edition
Keywords: 
kbbug kbmerge kbpending KB286847
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