Merge/Link Access DB to Word Doc/Template with datasource in Word

[breckan]

Hello,

I need to link a word document/template with an access database so that the information on the document updates the database records. All of the info I have found so far only deals with the reverse; updating word documents with a database to create form letters, etc. But I am taking electronic form letters and using them to update the database. Any ideas on how to do this? Any comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[jennyd41]

If you can get Access to treat your Word document as either a delimited file or as a set of fixed-width fields permitting you to capture the information you want, you should be able to write the field containing the information into your database. For example, if your form letter starts out "Dear Mr./Ms. [name]," and you want to read [name] into your database you could convert the Word document to text format and tell Access it is a fixed-width file. Make "Dear Mr." (or "Dear Ms.&quot your first field and the next 50 characters, or however many you need to include the longest name, your second field. Read the second field into your database and use a string functions to remove all the characters starting with the comma to the end of the field.