Alternative to Adobe Indesign for more Complicated Data Merges?

Question

Attached is a snapshot of what i currently have going with Adobe Indesign.
Unfortunatly, Indesign has some problems that i have not been able to find a solution to :
1.) When using the " Multiple Record Layout ", it will not populate the rest of the screen if there is an embedded picture in the background.
2.) I prefer a much simpler approach, for instance, designating a certain field as Data derived from Cell " EH3 " in excel for example, instead of relying on the multiple record layout.
3.) The Documents I want to generate are not incognito in regards to Layouts and i want something with more powerful customization and also able to use the Entire Excel File and display data all within one page, without going the multiple record layout route.
That pretty much sums it up, I've included a picture of the templatei've made in indesign, I've made a red circle at the bottom to indicate the part of the document that will not work with a multiple record layout approach, since the data export is basically a mirror of itself all the way down.
Any Suggestions as to what kind of program i should use would be most appreciated or alternative methods of using Indesign.Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

There are third-party programs and plug-ins that do much more than Data Merge, but they usually have a high cost and a more steep learning curve. One that I've used in the past with QuarkXPress is XData from Em Software (they also have one for InDesign called InData, but I haven't used it). They're like Data Merge on steroids. There are others, so Google and see what you can find.