PUB97: Can't Use Excel 97 Spreadsheet with Mail Merge (158640)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher 97
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q158640

SYMPTOMS

If you try to use a spreadsheet file created by Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows as the data source for a Publisher 97 mail merge, you receive this error message:
Publisher cannot merge information from an Excel 97 worksheet unless it has been saved as an Excel 97 & 5.0/95 workbook.

If this is an Excel 97 file you can open it in Excel 97 and save it as a Microsoft Excel 97 & 5.0/95 Workbook.

CAUSE

The database conversion engine that Publisher uses was developed before the Microsoft Excel 97 workbook format was finalized.

RESOLUTION

  1. Open the .xls file in Microsoft Excel 97.
  2. On the File menu, click Save As.
  3. Click one of the following in the Files Of Type list:
    • Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt)
    • Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook (*.xls)
    • Microsoft Excel 97 & 5.0/95 Workbook (*.xls)
  4. Type a new file name in the File Name box and click Save.
Publisher can use any of these types of files as the data source for a mail merge.

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Excel 97 & 5.0/95 Workbook format is a special file format which can be opened natively by the following programs:
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0.
Note that a workbook saved in this format takes up more disk space than a file saved in Microsoft Excel 97 format.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Publisher 98.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kberrmsg kbinterop kbmerge kbprb KB158640
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.