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Database Field

Use the Database Field data source to read data from a wide variety of external sources, including databases, delimited text files, spreadsheets, and ODBC or OLE DB sources. By using this data source, you can print multiple items that have different data on each item, based on the records in a database.

After you create a database connection for your document, the available database fields appear in the Data Sources pane of the Toolbox and they are available to use as data sources for the template objects. For more information about how to create a database connection, refer to Reading Data from Databases.

ClosedTo create a text object that has a Database Field data source

Before you can complete the following steps, you must set up a database connection for your document by using the Database Setup dialog.

  1. In the Toolbox, click the Data Sources tab to show the Data Sources pane.

  2. If necessary, expand the Database Fields node to display the available Database Field data sources.

  3. Drag the Database Field data source that you want from the Data Sources pane to the location on the template where you want the object.

You can configure the properties of this data source by using the Data Sources property page of the Object Properties dialog. You can identify a Database Field data source in the navigation pane of the Object Properties dialog by the icon. For more information about the properties that you can specify for the data source, refer to Data Sources Property Page.

You can also replace an existing data source with a Database Field data source or add a Database Field data source to an object's already existing data sources. For more information about how to do this, refer to Configuring Data Sources.

When an object on the template is linked to a Database Field data source, you can view the items that will be printed with the real database field values. To do this, use the record navigation bar, which is located at the bottom of the Template Design View.

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