Having trouble accessing the mail out data base. I have been using this db for years to print club envelopes. I always open the envelopes format and then click print and everything has been OK in LO. This time I get an error message ‘the data source was not found, the connection to the data source could not be established. Please check the connection settings’. So I check the settings and select the db I want to use and ‘Apply’ and then get another error message ‘the date source does not exist’ ! Hmm frustrating - have spent literally hours trying to find out why this has happened now. Can anyone help me with this please. Treker 71
- Hit Ctrl+F9, so your mail merge fields show
database_name.table_name.column_name. - Hit Ctrl+Shift+F4 for the data source window. In the left pane, there should be an entry
database_name. Does that entry exist or is there a differently named data source showing the data you are after?
Thanks Villeroy - tried your suggestion but nothing happens. Maybe my Mac version is too old - Catalina 10.15.7. I open the letter format on screen and try the suggested keys but no response. My computer knowledge is very basic!
Kind Regards
Treker 71
I just tried to rename the db to the name it says cannot be found - envelopeMalilist.odb so then I tried to find it but it says it does not exist no SDBC connection?
Treker 71
It isn’t the name of the database, which is expected by mailmerge.
Have a look at Tools → Options → LibreOffice Base → Databases
There is a Registered name for every database. And this name is the name mailmerge is looking for.
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I did not suggest any solution. I just tried to ask the right questions to narrow down where your serial letter lost the connection to its database. However, this is not so easy since you didn’t tell us your operating system. Keyboard shortcuts are different on a Mac.
menu:View Field Names is a toggle option. Turn it on, and your fields show the full reference of your mail merge fields Database_Name.Table_Name.Column_Name instead of the short <Column_Name>
menu:View>Data Sources displays the data source window where mail merge sources and bibliographies are listed in the left pane.
While navigating a data source, the data appear in the right pane.
My questions: Can you find your data source in the data source window?
Can you find it under the same name as the name indicated by the mail merge fields?
Does that data source show any data or an error message when you navigate it?
The following screenshot shows a dummy letter linked to the “Bibliography” database. That database has a table “biblio”, and this table shows various columns (“Author”, “Title”, “Publisher” etc.) the right pane of the data source window.
Within the letter, the first mail merge fields addresses its column by Bibliography.biblio.Author.
Thanks Villeroy, sorry didn’t mention the OS.
So now I can see the data sources in the data source window in the left pane however when I click on one of them (the tables icon) a message appears to say the data doesn’t exist. Anther message that appeared is - "The connection to the external data source could not be established. No SDBC driver was found for the URL ‘’**.
I’m including a screenshot to show you what is happening. Most of the mail lists are in fact all the same it’s my attempt to get one to open by changing the name. My last successful envelope printing was in June this year as you see by one of the names. Some have names deleted or added.
This is a tree view. Each data source name has two branches “Tables” and “Queries”. Each branch can have many elements.
Click the triangle in front of “Tables” or double-click “Tables”. This shows the tables of a database.
If you get an error, the data source is registered but not available.
If you get the tables, click on a table, and the table data appear on the right side.
Thanks - that is what I am doing - click the triangle or double click but this is the error message I get for all the db listed. They are all registered but there is some disconnect going on. Is it to do with the naming of the db? Nothing appears if I click queries. As a desperate measure do I reinstall or upgrade the program this is 7.0.0.0 alpha 1? Thanks for your help. Treker 71
At least the “Bibliography” should show some data. It is a sample database shipped with the office suite
Anyway, next step:
- Let your system find all files with .odb suffix, open them with LibreOffice and click on [Tables] in the upper right corner. Do you get a listing of table names? Does any table contain your data when you double-click on it?
- Where did you enter the data you are missing now? Was it a spreadsheet? Then let your system find all files with file name suffix .ods.
Yes the Bibliography shows data.
Did a search through ‘help’ in LO and it found the one .odb file but when I clicked on it it comes up with the same message that it doesn’t exist. Not sure what you mean about click on tables? I can’t see anything in the upper right corner.
The file contains the names of the recipients is an .ods file and I can find that OK and it just opens up when I click it.
If you get the message the file doesn’t exist: Might be you renamed the file. So you have to change the connection for this database file. The “Registered name” couldn’t find the database file any more.
OK. Let’s connect that ods spreadsheet with a new database document:
- Note the registered name which shows no data and the location of your spreadsheet.
- In the data source window, right-click any data source name and choose “Registered databases…”. In the upcoming dialog, remove all the dead data sources.
- File>New>Database…
- Connect to existing database of type “Spreadsheet”
- Next step: Browse to the location of your spreadsheet.
- Next step: Yes, register the new database…
- Save the new database document.
Now you have a new database document with 4 sections Tables, Queries, Forms and Reports. The tables section shows your spreadsheet contents as database tables. The data remain in your spreadsheet. The database document is nothing more than another representation of the same data. Obviously, it got lost somehow.
If the new database name does not equal the previously registered name, you have to re-connect the new data source with your serial letter:
Option 1: Open the dialog of registered databases again (right-click any data source).
Select your new entry, click [Edit…] and make sure that the registered name of your new database name is the same as the previously registered name.
Option 2: Open your letter, call menu:Edit>Exchange database… and point to the right table in your new datasource.
Thanks Villeroy - progress. You have taken me to parts of the program I didn’t know existed! The attached screen shot shows that I have registered a new database by save as and then leaving the file name the same but changing it when I registered it as a DB. So could now see the addresses in the right pane. Got very exited and loaded the printer with envelopes - BUT! It will not print it still cannot find it!
No doubt this very frustrating for you as it is me. Trekker 71
Rename the registered name for your datasource. The registered name should be “envelopeMaillist”, not “New Database mail25”.
Thank you Villeroy and Robert G for your patience and good suggestions. As I have pointed out before I’m very much a bunny in computer use!
However after much fiddling and mistakes I have managed to register a database when previously I didn’t know you had to register a data base or that such a thing even existed. For all the years I have been printing these envelopes I have never registered a DB it just sort of worked. OK I had trouble with Open Office (still do) and the wisdom of the community said install Libre Office which worked well until now.
I have deleted the not need files and have one only registered DB which has printed successfully - yay! BUT only one envelope at a time! If I try to print any more at once, LO crashes and goes into recovery mode. This happens repeatedly. So I try to print just a few and then I get the spinning wheel forever and I have to do a force quit at which point it needs to recover the document.
Probably because I have been playing around with so many DB and changing names the poor thing is confused!
Can you make some suggestions please to sort this latest glitch.
Treker 71
Did you close the Calc-file of the datasource?
Then I would try to print all content into a file, not directly to the printer.
Which system do you use? Here: OpenSUSE with LO 25.8.3.2
That is because the wizard for serial letters (mail merge) creates a database document automatically. In most cases you don’t need to do anything with that database document. However, you must not delete it.
- You have a spreadsheet with your address data.
- Now you have a new database document linked to the spreadsheet. When you open the database document, the status bar at the bottom of the database window indicates that this database document is connected with a spreadsheet. It looks like this:
- The database document is registered under a certain name. The name appears in the data source window with its queries and tables.
- Your mail merge document (the envelope) contains various fields addressing a distinct column of a database table within the named data source. When you turn on menu:View>Field Names, you see the full reference as
envelopeMaillist.Sheet1.Forename. That is the column below column label “Forename” on a table named “Sheet1” within a data source named “envelopeMaillist”.
If your new database document is registered under a different name, right-click any data source in the data source window and choose “Registered databases”.
Select your correct data source with the wrong name and click [Edit…]. Give the correct name “envelopeMaillist” to the data source.
Thanks Villeroy for your detailed reply
The mail list db data source window shows it is linked to envelopeMaillist.ods. The registered db is envelopeMaillist.odb. Is this how it should be?
There is only one registered DB now envelopeMaillist.odb
I checked the field names and they are all correct
Villeroy - Not sure if this will connect but also sorry to ask again but still having problems. Using your instructions from Nov 25 the system will not find spreadsheet I wish to link to.
I have now deleted LO 7.0.0 and have installed LO 25.2.2. But still have Open Office on the computer. I have tried to register the mail list spreadsheet but it says it doesn’t exist The envelopeMillist.odb is located in the documents folder but Libre Office cannot find it. Is this because it is regarded as an Open Office file? Should I now remove OO from the computer?
Treker71
