mail merges using wizard

8/10/2019 Mail Merges Using Wizard

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Modified: Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Mail Merges in Word

using the Mail Merge Wizard


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Modified: Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Table of ContentsOverview .............................................................................................................................1

Objectives............................................................................................................................1

Mail Merge Wizard............................................................................................................2

Step 1The Main Document - Form Letter ...................................................................5

Step 2Select Data Source - Use an Existing List..........................................................6

Excel Data Source ....................................................................................................................... 7

Preserve Numeric Formatting from Excel................................................................................... 7

Mail Merge Recipients dialog box ....................................................................................9

Sort Data.................................................................................................................................... 10

Filter Data.................................................................................................................................. 11

Step 3Insert Merge Fields ...........................................................................................13

Insert an Address Block ............................................................................................................ 14

Match Fields .............................................................................................................................. 15

Insert a Greeting Line ................................................................................................................ 17

Step 4Merging Data .....................................................................................................20

Step 5Complete the Merge ..........................................................................................21

Mailings Tab .....................................................................................................................22

Access Data Source ................................................................................................................... 24

Create Mailing Labels .....................................................................................................28

Summary ...........................................................................................................................32


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Information Technology Services The College of Saint Rose

Microsoft Word Mail Merges 1

Overview

The mail merge feature in Word is a wonderful tool that can be used to create personalized mass

mailings. It can be used to produce form letters, envelopes and mailing labels. For example, a

mail merge can be used to create form letters to alumni, donors, or prospective students, along

with mailing labels.

A mail-merge operation consists of two parts: a main document(such as a form letter ormailing labels) and a data source. The merge just brings the two together. The data source

can be a word table, excel spreadsheet, or an Access database. The data source can store just

about anything. Most commonly, names and addresses are stored.

The Main Documentcontains the boilerplate information, or standardized text that stays

the same in all the merged documents. It also contains merge fields, which areplaceholders that instruct Word where to insert the data source information when the

merge occurs.

The Data Source contains variable information, such as names of individuals, addresses,

etc., which will be different in each merged document. A data source can consist of a textfile, a list in an Excel spreadsheet, or an Access database table or query.

The Mailings tabon the ribbon provides you with the tools to merge the main documentand data source. You can use the buttons available in the Mailings tab on the ribbon, or

use the Mail Merge Wizard to walk you step by step through the process. Both methods

will be covered in this course.

Objectives

At the completion of this course, you will be able to:

Perform a mail merge using the Wizard

Use an Excel data source to complete a mail merge

Use an Access query data source to complete a mail merge

Sort and filter the data source

Create a merged form letter

Use the Mailings Tab to perform a Mail Merge

Create mailing labels


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Mail Merge Wizard

The Mail Merge Wizard runs in the task pane and walks you through the steps to complete the

mail merge process. It can also be used to edit a merge which has been previously set up. The

easiest method is to already have your data source and form letter created beforehand and then

run the mail merge wizard.

Exercise

In this example, we are going to merge an existing form letter with an existing Excel spreadsheet

containing a list of addresses, which will be used as our data source.

1. Open the Excel Spreadsheet named Excel Data Source for Mail Merge. A sample of the

spreadsheet (data source) is shown below. The first row contains the headings or fieldnames. Right below the headings the appropriate information is entered in rows also called

records. The fields correspond with the mail merge fields you will insert into the document.

The biggest problem with a Mail Merge is that Word will often import the data without any

formatting. In Excel, I formatted the zip codes as text so that zip codes that lead with a 0 arenot lost when brought into Word. More on preserving Excel formatting will be covered later.

Notice there is three worksheets in my workbook. The data resides in Sheet1. It will be

apparent why this is important later.

2. Go ahead and close the spreadsheet. This was just to familiarize you with how a data source

should be set up in a table format.


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Start by opening your form letter or main document, and then run the mail merge wizard.

1. Open the Word document named Form Letter Enrollment.

2. Click the Mailingstab on the ribbon.

3. In the Start Mail Merge Group, click the Start Mail Merge button.

4. Select Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard.


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This opens the Mail Merge Task Pane alongside the form letter, as shown below.

5. Under SelectDocument Type you can create a Letter, E-mail message, Envelopes, Labels or

a Directory. A directory is used to create a list, in which merged information remains on the

same page as with a directory or address list. Each will give you slightly different options asyou walk through the steps. No matter which option you choose, the basic concept is still the

same.

For our example, since we are working on a letter, leave the Letters optionselected.

6. Located at the bottom of the task pane under Step 1 of 6, click Next: Starting document.


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Step 1 The Main Document -Form Letter

In this step you can create the main document or, if you already had a letter you wanted to use,

you can edit it here. The main document contains the standard text or the information that

remains the same in all of the merged documents.

The different starting document options are explained below.

Use Current Document - Starts with the document currently shown in the active documentwindow.

Start from a TemplateAllows you to select the template you want.

Start from existing DocumentAllows you to select the document you want.

1. UnderSelectStarting document, Use the current documentis the default. Since we have

our form letter open, accept the default.

2. Under Step 2 of 6, click Next: Select Recipients.


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Step 2 Select Data Source -Use an Existing List

This is the step in which the data source is linked into to Word document. The data source

contains the variable information to be merged into a document. As you can see there are three

options for this. In this example, we will use an existing list in Excel.

Use an existing listAllows you to select an existing data sourcesuch as (a Word table, a list inExcel, or an Access database). Select Browseand locate and select the data source. By default,

Microsoft Word opens the My Data Sourcesfolder.

1. Accept the default, Use an existing list.

2. Under Use an existing list, select Browse.

3. In the Select Data Sourcedialog box, navigate to the

location of your data source.

4. Select your data source. Click Open.

By default Word opens to the My DataSources folder, but you can navigate to other

locations and select the data source file.

Note: Because Word opens up to a special folder called My

Data Sources, you no longer have to change the files of typetoreflect the file extension of your data source.


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Excel Data Source

5. If your data source is an Excel workbook, select the worksheet that contains your data. We

choose sheet1 because that is the sheet that contains our data.

6. The first row of the excel datasheet should contain the column headers or the field names.

Click OK.

7. This will open the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, which can be used to sort and filterdata.

Preserve Numeric Formatting fr om Excel

If your data file is an Excel worksheet that includes percentages, currency values, or postal

codes, you can preserve the numeric formatting of the data by using Dynamic Data Exchangetoconnect to the Excel worksheet from Word. For example, you can make sure that a currency

field from your data file displays the dollar sign and comma in the completed mail merge.Before you connect to the worksheet, do the following in Word:

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options .

2. Click Advanced.

3. Scroll to the General section, and select the Confirm file format conversion on open checkbox.

4. Click OK.


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5. With the mail merge main document open, in the Start Mail Mergegroup of the

Mailingstab, click Select Recipients, and then click Use Existing List.

6. Locate the Excel worksheet in the Select Data Sourcedialog box, and double-click it.

7. In the Confirm Data Sourcedialog box, click MS Excel Worksheets via DDE (*.xls),

and then click OK.

Note: If you don't see MS Excel Worksheets via DDE (*.xls), select the Show allcheck

box.

8. In the Microsoft Office Exceldialog box, for Named or cell range, select the cell range

or worksheet that contains the information that you want to merge, and then click OK.

Note: To prevent being prompted every time you open a data file, you can turn off the

Confirm conversion at Openoption after you have connected to the worksheet.


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Mail Merge Recipients dialog box

You can use the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box to select the people who will receive the

letter. Click to remove check marks from the recipients you want to exclude from the mail

merge.

It can be used to sort or filter records. For example, if you are doing a mass mailing you can sortthe list by zip code. You can sort the list by any field by clicking a column heading.

Click on a column heading to sortthe list by that field or click on the

drop down arrow for more options.

Click to remove the check marks from

the recipients you want to exclude

Click to open sort & filter dialog box


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Sort Data

Sometimes you may want to sort by more than one field such as by last name then by first name.

1. If you need to sort on more than one field, click on the drop-down arrow next to the column

heading, choose Advanced.

2.

Or click the Sort link under refine recipient list.

3. In the Filter and Sort dialog box click the Sort Recordstab. Click the drop-down arrow

next to the Sort By box. Select a field name, such as Last Name. Stick with the default ofAscending order, but note that you have the option to change it to Descending. In case there

are duplicates, you can use Then Byto specify a third field to modify the sort. Click OK

and the records are sorted accordingly.


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F il ter Data

1. To filter data, click on the drop-down arrow next to the column heading, choose Advanced.

Or Click the Filter link under refine recipient list.

2.

In the Filter and Sort dialog box, click on the Filter Records tab if you are not already there.Click the Fieldlist arrow and select the field name you want to create a filter for.

In this example select City. Under Comparison, make sure it says Equal To; and under

Compare Totype Clifton Park. Yes, spelling matters!

3. Click OK.

4. The records are filtered based on your criteria. As shown below.

5. To display all the cities and bring the data back to its original form, click on the drop-down

arrow next to the filtered value which in this case is city and choose All.

Use additional rows

to set more filters.

Click Clear Allto remove any filters


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6. Click OK. You will be returned to the mail merge task pane.

Return to the Mail Merge Task Pane

1. Under Use an existing list, notice that the name of yourdata source is listed.

2. Under step 3 or 6, click Next: Click Write you letter. This will entail entering the mail

merge field codes into the form letter.

Click Edit recipient list to go return to

the mail merge recipients dialog box


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Step 3 Insert Merge Fields

In step three you will be prompted to write your letter. Since we already typed the text for our

form letter, we just need to insert merge fields into the letter. Merge fieldsare likeplaceholdersthatinstruct Word where to insert information from your data source. The merge fields represent

a link between your form letter and the data source.

There are two methods that can be used to insert the merge fields into your document. You can

insert the addressfield codes from the task pane or click more itemsand select the fields

directly from your data source.

1. In your main document place your insertion point wherever you want the merge field toappear.

2. Insert merge fields using the Address codeslisted in the task pane or More items. The

codes are described below.

Address blockAdds the name and address information.

Allows you to select the address elements you want to

include, and the formats you want.

Greeting lineAdds the salutation and format for the

recipient name.

Electronic postage - In order to add electronic postage, you

must first install an electronic postage program, such as oneyou purchased from a service on theWorld Wide Web.

More itemsdisplays the Insert Merge Fielddialog box(shown below) that allows you to select and insert field

names into your main document from the data source.


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I nsert an Address Block

In this example, we will use the Address Block and Greeting line.

1. Place the insertion point in the document where you want to insert the recipients address.

Click Address Block.

2.

In the Insert Address Block dialog box (shown below) choose the address elements and theformat you want. Click OK.

3. Word inserts the field code in your document.

If the Match Fieldsdialog box appears, Microsoft Word may have

been unable to find some of the information it needs for the address

block. Click the arrow next to (not matched), and then select thefield from your data source that corresponds to the address field.


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Match Fields

Word will match the fields that you have in your data source to what it believes are the

corresponding fields that it has for the items. However, I have found that Word does not alwaysget the mapping correct.

1.

For example, the address block uses the field name addresswhere our excel spreadsheet usesthe field name Street, but they both correspond to the same thing.

2. In the example below, notice that there is no street address for Casey Amerster. Word did

not match our street field with its address field.

3. In this case we need to manually match Address 1 with the Street field.

4. Click Match Fieldsto make sure that all your fields correspond correctly with the AddressBlock field codes.


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The Match Fields dialog box appears as shown below.

5. Click the arrow next to (not matched), and then select the correct field in yourdata sourcethat corresponds to the address field. In this manner you are instructing Word to consider

Address 1 as the same as street1.

6. Click OK. Now you have a Match! The Insert Address Block preview will reflect the

change.


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I nsert a Greeting Line

1. Back in the main document, place the insertion point in the document where you want to add

a greeting line. Click the Greeting line link in the task pane.

2. In the Greeting Line dialog box, specify the greeting format you want and Click OK.

3. Click OK.

4. A sample of the main document using address blocks and greeting line is shown below.

5.

The next step is to Preview your letters, but first, inserting More Items or database mergefields will be discussed.


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More Items

Instead of using the address block or greeting line you may insert the merge codes directly from

your data source by selecting More items from the task pane.

More itemsdisplays the Insert Merge Fielddialog box that allows you to select and insert

field names into your main document from an existing table or query in a database.

Do one of the following:

To select from address fields that will automatically map to corresponding fields in your

data source,even if the data source's fields don't have the same name as your fields, click

Address Fields.

To select the fields directly from a table or query, click Database Fields.

Select and insert the merge fields into your form letter. Then click Close.

Database Fields- To

select the exact fields

from your data source.

Address Fields- Toselect from address fields

that will automatically

map to correspondingfields in yourdata

source,even if the data

source's fields don't have

the same name as yourfields.

If the Match Fieldsdialog box appears, Microsoft

Word may have been unable to find some of the

information it needs to insert the field. Click the

arrow next to (not available), and then select the

field from your data source that corresponds to thefield required for the mail merge.


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Once you insert all the fields, arrange them as you would want them to appear in the letter.

Remember that you have to provide the punctuation, if it isnt included in the data source.

Arranged, they it would look like the example is shown below. Remember to insert spaces

and the necessary punctuation!


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Step 4 Merging Data

You have finished inserting the merge fields, now it is time to merge the main document with the

data document. You can preview the letters before you print them. This enables you to check

and make sure the information was merged properly before you print.

1. In Step 4 of 6 clickNext: Preview your letters. Notice that the first letter is merged andappears in the document window alongside the task pane.

2. Using the task pane you can view other recipients, as well as find, edit and exclude a

recipient.

Note: If the fields do not appear correctly, just click previous and make your changes.


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Step 5 Complete the Merge

In Step 5 of 6 click Next: complete the merge. The options are explained below.

PrintSends the job to the printer, and prints out the merged letters.

Edit- This will open a new document containing your merged letters. This will allow you tomake changes to the individual letters. If you want permanent changes make sure you make

them in the main document.

You have completed the mail merge process!


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Mailings Tab

This section will show how to perform a mail merge using the buttons on the mailings tab

instead of the mail Merge Wizard and use a Microsoft Access data source.

1.

Using the buttons on the ribbon you would begin by clicking the Start Mail Mergebuttonand specify the type of main document you want to create, such as a form letter, mailinglabels, etc. and create your starting document.

2. Click Select Recipients to create or choose an existing data source file.

3. Insert the merge fieldsinto your main document.

4. Previewyour results and make any necessary changes.

5. Click Finish & Mergeto complete the merge.

Exercise

1. Open the Word document named Form Letter Student Affairs.

2. Click the Mailingstab on the ribbon.

3. In the Start Mail Merge Group, click the Start Mail Mergebutton.

4. Select Letters. This instructs Word that you want to merge a letter.


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5. In the Start Mail Merge Group, click the Select Recipientsbutton.

6. Click Use Existing List.

7. The Select Data Source dialog box opens. Select the Access database named Address

List. Click Open.


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Access Data Source

1. When your data source is an Access Database, in the Select Tabledialog box, select the

table or query that contains your data. ClickOK.

Note: You can click Edit Recipients to open the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box,

to make changes to the list of recipients or to sort and filter data.


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2. Place the insertion point in the document where you want to insert a field. On the Ribbon

click the drop down arrow next to the Insert Merge Field button. The Insert Merge Field

dialog box appears containing a list of the field names from your database. Select and insertthe merge fields into your form letter as you would want them to appear.

3. Select the field to Insert. Continue to insert the desired fields and add the necessarypunctuation. A sample is shown below.


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6. After you make any desired changes you are ready to complete the merge. Click the Finish

& Mergebutton and then click Edit Individual Documentsin the drop down list.

Note: You can also merge all or specified records to an Adobe PDF format.

7. At the Merge to New Document dialog box, select to merge all or specified records and then

click OK. This option will create a new word document with all of your merged form letters.

From this document you can print or edit the individual letters. You are done!


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Create Mailing Labels

1. To create labels for a mass mailing you would also use the mail merge feature. Start with a

new blank document.

2.

Click the Mailingstab on the ribbon.3. In the Start Mail Merge Group, click the Start Mail Mergebutton.

4. Select Labels.

5. In the label options dialog box select printer and label options. Under Label Information,select the Label Vendor. This example will use Avery, which is a popular brand of labels.

6. Under Product Number, scroll to find and select the appropriate label number. For this

example, choose 5160Easy Peel Mailing Labels. Usually the Product number and Label

dimensions are provided on the product box to assist you in choosing the correct product

number. Click OK.


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7. A page of blank labels are displayed in the window.

8. Click the Select Recipientsbutton. In this example, select Use Existing List, to use a list

of names and addresses in an existing database to go with our form letter.

9. In the Select Data Sourcedialog box, locate and select the appropriate file. Click Open.

10. In the Select Tabledialog box that appears, select the table or query or Excel Sheet that

contains your data. ClickOK.


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11. Once you select a data source word inserts the merge field in the labels.

This default code is necessary so that Word picks up the next record in your data source.

12. In the first cell in the label template, click in the location where the recipients address

would appear. Insert the merge fields using the Address Blockor field names directlyfrom the data source by using Insert Merge Fieldsdrop down list as shown below.

13.

Arrange the field codes and add the proper punctuation as you want it to appear on the

label.

14. Once you complete setting up the label you need to update all the labels with the same

format.


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15. Click the Update all labels button. An example is shown below.

16. ClickPreview Results. A preview is shown below.


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Information Technology Services The College of Saint Rose17. After you make any desired changes you are ready to complete the merge. Click the Finish

& Mergebutton and then click Edit Individual Documentsin the drop down list. Print

Documents - Sends the job immediately to the printer, and prints out your labels.

8. At the Merge to New Document dialog box, select to merge all or specified records and thenclick OK. This option will create a new word document with all of your merged labels.

From this document you can print or edit the individual letters. You are done!

9. Close and save the main document. Your labels are done!

Summary

This class covered how to perform a mail merge using a main document such as a form letter anda data source in Access and Excel. We learned how to sort and query our data source to extract

specific information. Lastly, we covered how to create mailing labels. You can use the

traditional Mail Merge Wizard in the task pane or buttons in the Mailings tab to accomplish your

task. Use whatever method you feel more comfortable with.