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Microsoft® Word has a feature called "Mail Merge" that
can do a lot more than create envelopes and letters for a mass mailing.
You can use Word to generate a formatted document using data from an
Excel spreadsheet, a table or query in Access, or just from a text file.
I think using Mail Merge is similar to the process we're hearing so
much about in technical writing: Keeping your content format-independent,
and applying a set of rules to automatically "transform" the
content into a well-designed format. Word makes it very easy to convert
your data; Microsoft even provides a step-by-step wizard with embedded
help.
I'm going to give you some brief notes on using Mail Merge, and a few
resources if you want to learn more. Get creative—see if this feature
can help you solve a problem at work.
Note: The following instructions apply to Word 2003. If you
have an earlier version of Word, the steps may vary.
Types of documents you can create when you merge
Mail Merge can create:
- Letters.
- E-mail messages.
- Envelopes.
- Labels
- Directories.
The last one is the only item that isn't self-explanatory. When you
create a directory, Word creates one document that contains all the
merged data.
Using Mail Merge
- From the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and click Mail
Merge Wizard.
- (Select type of mail merge) In the first page of the Mail
Merge Wizard, select the type of Mail Merge you want to create. We'll
select "Directory."
- (Select starting document) Select the main document where
you'll set up your design.
You can select:
- The current document
- A template
- An existing document
- (Select recipients) Select the recipients.
You can select:
- An existing file or database
- Outlook contacts
- Type a new list
- (Arrange directory) Click one of the items listed
in the Wizard. To see the fields in your database or file, click More
items.
- To insert a field, select the field and click Insert.
- The field will look like this: <<Priority>>, and the
name of your field will be inside double angle brackets.
- Continue adding all the fields you want to use in your file.
- (Preview the directory) Look at the preview. This is a small
sample of the entire set of records.
- (Complete the merge) Click Merge to New Document.
- Review the merged data, and fine-tune your formatting if necessary.
If you need to make changes in your format, make your changes in the
Main Document (step 3, above). Repeat steps 2 to 6.
Applications
Recently, I used Mail Merge to import a set of data from Access into
Word. We had a set of data in an Access database that we wanted to import
into Release Notes in Word. The fields included "component,"
"feature name," and "description." Using Mail Merge
made this a simple process.
For more information
Procedures for mail merge
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