Re: MSWord<-->Oracle interfaxe?

THere are many uses for this kind of thing. For example, we currently use WordPerfect 6 to query up our product list so we can make catalogs.

For sure it will probably only be used as a query tool. I'm not aware of anyone creating interactive front ends with a word Processor.

In terms of the tools required for this - THe Microsoft Office comes with a tool called MS Query. This is a piece of software that can query a database (anything from dBase or Paradox files to a relation database using ODBC) and then pass the results via DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) into a spreadsheet, word Processor, etc.

We have used it successfully to get records into MS Excel 5.0 using the Intersolv/Q+E ODBC Driver. I would assume it will also work with Oracle's ODBC as well.

It kind of looks like this (e-mail me for more details):

Oracle 7
Database -----> ODBC Driver -----> MS-Query -----> MS Excel, Word, etc.

           SQL              DLL Function       DDE
         statement            Calls

Note that all of this works under MS-Windows 3.1. I believe a similar scenario can be accomplished on a Mac.

WordPerfect and Lotus 123 have the query mechanisms built in so they just make ODBC calls directly.

As usual, please e-mail questions to . . .

Rich Holowczak
Rutgers University
holowcza_at_andromeda.rutgers.edu Received on Fri Nov 18 1994 - 03:15:52 CET