17.14.25 odso

This element specifies a group of additional settings for the mail merge information which comprise an extension to the standard settings stored with a mail merge which performs two functions:

• First, it provides additional information about the mail merge data source, specifically: information
• about how to map the columns in the data source to MERGEFIELD fields and information about records
• which shall be included and excluded when creating merged documents, and column delimiters used in
• text data sources. This information can be used regardless of the value of the dataType element
• (17.14.10) when it is present.
• Second, it provides an alternate set of connection information which should be used when the
• dataType element (17.14.10) specifies a value of native. This alternate connection string provides
• additional connection information for applications which choose to support the ODSO connection string
• syntax. If the dataType element (17.14.10) specifies that the data type of the current mail merge is not
• native, then the second group of settings specified within this element shall be ignored in favor of their
• non-ODSO equivalents.

[Example: Consider the WordprocessingML for a source document whose mail merge includes mail merge information including ODSO settings as follows:

<w:odso>
  <w:udl w:val="…" />
  <w:table w:val="Sheet1$" />
  <w:src r:id="rId1" />
  <w:colDelim w:val="9" />
  <w:fHdr w:val="1" />
  <w:fieldMapData>
    <w:type w:val="dbColumn" />
    <w:name w:val="Title" />
    <w:mappedName w:val="Courtesy Title" />
    <w:lid w:val="en-US" />
  </w:fieldMapData>
  <w:recipientData r:id="rId2" />
  …
</w:odso>

The odso element and its child elements provide all of the information specified above that is needed to carry out a mail merge with the current document. This includes alternate connection information using the udl, table, and src elements, and additional mail merge information in the other child elements. end example]

[Note: The W3C XML Schema definition of this element’s content model (CT_Odso) is located in A.1. end note]