Re: Apostrophe Creating a Merge Problem

> This works, but it is not "pure," so to speak. Maybe I should leave well
> enough alone!

I often come to that conclusion these days :-)

One other thing you could try is to use a different character in your data,
e.g. if you are using character 39 (Unicode U+0027 Apostrophe), try Unicode
U+2019 Right Single Quotation mark instead - you may be able to insert it
from the Windows Character map, or using Alt+numeric-keypad-0146 on the
keyboard.

Whether or not you will be able to do that, and whether or not this
character appears correctly in your merge results, I cnanot tell.

Peter Jamieson

"G.G. Biggar, Jr." <Colonel_Biggs@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Oav3MbwRFHA.3560@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Peter --
>
> This is a merge program that I have been using with success for at least
> two
> years. This is the only last name (of an individual, newly added to the
> Excel file) in the particular Excel column that contains an apostrophe.
> If
> I leave the apostrophe out of the name in the Excel file, and I enter the
> same spelling (without an apostrophe) in the Word merge program, I get a
> perfect match. For now, this is the route that I have taken, and then I
> have to remember to add the apostrophe into the name in the merged
> document
> (e.g., a letter, mailing label).
>
> This works, but it is not "pure," so to speak. Maybe I should leave well
> enough alone!
>
> Gordon
>
>
>
> "Peter Jamieson" <pjj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:OKv8qukRFHA.2356@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> I don't get this particular problem no matter how I connect to the Excel
>> ***. But there is certainly the potential for a clash, in that Word
>> generates an SQL statement to get the data, and single quote is used in
> SQL
>> (at least the way Word does it) to quote text values, e.g.
>>
>> SELECT * FROM mydata WHERE surname = 'Smith'
>>
>> However, for this to cause problems you would really have to be
> specifiying
>> "O'Donnell" - or whatever - as a filter criterion, in whch case Word
>> would
>> probably not generate valid SQL:
>>
>> SELECT * FROM mydata WHERE surname = 'O'Donnell'
>>
>> It seems unlikely but maybe you are doing something like that?
>>
>> Peter Jamieson
>>
>>
>> "G.G. Biggar, Jr." <Colonel_Biggs@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:Op1ipYiRFHA.3684@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > Sir Douglas --
>> >
>> > Been on the road for the last week, so I did not see your post until
> this
>> > evening.
>> >
>> > Yes, the appropriate box was checked.
>> >
>> > Could the problem have something to do with different interpretations
>> > of
>> > an
>> > apostrophe by Word (the merge document) and Excel (the data file
> source)?
>> >
>> > Gordon
>> >
>> >
>> > "Doug Robbins" <dkr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> > news:%23pKdrrBRFHA.3716@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> Gordon,
>> >>
>> >> Have you checked the box against the "Confirm conversions at open"
>> >> item
>> >> under Tools>Options>General?
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Hope this helps.
>> >>
>> >> Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
>> >> services on a paid consulting basis.
>> >>
>> >> Doug Robbins - Word MVP
>> >> "G.G. Biggar, Jr." <Colonel_Biggs@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> news:ebJx5JePFHA.244@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> > Sir Douglas --
>> >> >
>> >> > I'm not sure that I know what you mean when you say "attach the data
>> >> > source...select(ing) the DDE method..."
>> >> >
>> >> > If I use a blank space in the name field of the Excel file (in place
> of
>> > an
>> >> > apostrophe), there is no problem in creating a match-up during the
>> > merge.
>> >> > I
>> >> > think that the software doesn't like my single-quote in that it is
>> > looking
>> >> > for another closing quote, so to speak.
>> >> >
>> >> > Gordon
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > "Doug Robbins" <dkr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> > news:%23LN3YzdPFHA.3668@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> Hi Gordon,
>> >> >>
>> >> >> In Word, select Options for the Tools menu and then on the General
>> >> >> Tab,
>> >> >> check the "Confirm conversions at open" item and then when you
> attach
>> > the
>> >> >> data source to the mailmerge main document, select the DDE method
>> >> >> of
>> >> >> connection and see if that overcomes the problem.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> --
>> >> >> Hope this helps.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of
> my
>> >> >> services on a paid consulting basis.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Doug Robbins - Word MVP
>> >> >> "G.G. Biggar, Jr." <Colonel_Biggs@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> >> news:%23xsF74VPFHA.204@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> >I have an Excel data file that I use as a master list for merges.
>> >> >> >Recently,
>> >> >> > I added a last name with an apostrophe (e.g., O'Donnell). Word
>> >> >> > comes
>> >> > back
>> >> >> > during a merge with the message, "Word could not parse your query
>> >> > options
>> >> >> > into a valid SQL string."
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > I can get around this by omitting the apostrophe in the master
> list,
>> >> >> > but
>> >> >> > it
>> >> >> > does not seem very professional. Is there an alternative?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Thanks in advance for any assistance.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Gordon Biggar
>> >> >> > Houston, Texas
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>


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