Word Lesson 12 Creating Mail Merge Documents

1. Word Lesson 12Creating Mail Merge Documents Microsoft Office 2010 Advanced Cable / Morrison

2. Objectives • Identify a main document and a data source. • Insert merge fields into the main document. • Preview, merge, and print merged documents. • Create a new data source. 2 2

3. Objectives (continued) • Edit, sort, and filter data source records. • Prepare mail merge documents for mass mailing labels and envelopes. • Create a main document for mass e-mails. • Use mail merge features to create catalogs and directories.

4. Vocabulary • data source • field • field name • filter • MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) • main document • merge field • record • switch 4 4

5. Creating Mail Merge Documents • The main document is a file that contains the boilerplate text and formats that remain constant during the merge process. • The data source is a collection of variable information to be used in a merge. • In the merge process, variable information from the data source is merged into the main document.

6. Creating Mail Merge Documents (continued) • Identifying the Main Document and the Data Source • First step in the merge process is to select the main document type. • Second step is to select the starting (or main) document. • Third step is to select the recipients.

7. Creating Mail Merge Documents (continued) • Identifying the Main Document and the Data Source (continued) • The data source stores information in a field. • The fieldname is a label that identifies a field in a data source. • A record is a group of related fields, or a single field, treated as a unit in a data source.

8. Creating Mail Merge Documents (continued) • Inserting Merge Fields into the Main Document • Fourth step in the merge process is to add merge fields to the main document. • The merge field is a placeholder in the main document. • Instructs Word to find and insert the corresponding information from the data source

9. Creating Mail Merge Documents (continued) • Previewing, Merging, and Printing the Merged Documents • Fifth step in the merge process allows you to preview the merged data in the main document. • Sixth and final step is to complete the merge.

10. Creating and Editing Data Sources • Creating a Data Source Using the Mail Merge Feature • First step in creating a data source is to identify the field names to be used. • Multiple merge documents can share the same data source. • When creating a data source, be sure to include all possible fields.

11. Creating and Editing Data Sources (continued) • Editing Data Source Records • You can edit or delete existing entries and add new entries in the data source. • If data source is saved in an Access table, you can edit it in the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box by clicking the Edit button.

12. Creating and Editing Data Sources (continued) • Editing Data Source Records (continued) Mail Merge Recipients dialog box

13. Creating and Editing Data Sources (continued) • Sorting and Filtering Data Source Records • Sort the data source records before completing the merge. • Records can be sorted in ascending or descending order by up to three fields. • A filter screens records by identifying criteria that must be met before the records are included in a merge.

14. Creating and Editing Data Sources (continued) • Sorting and Filtering Data Source Records (continued) Filter and Sort dialog box

15. Creating and Editing Data Sources (continued) • Inserting Fields with Conditions • The Rules button provides special fields that set conditions for performing an action during the merge process. • When you insert these special fields in a main document, you set parameters that Word uses to make a decision.

16. Preparing Mailing Labels and Envelopes • You can use data from an existing data source or you can create a new data source. • You can edit individual labels or envelopes for selected records.

17. Preparing Mailing Labels and Envelopes (continued) • Preparing Mailing Labels • You can merge records to create labels for: • Mailing labels • Name badges • Business cards • Postcards • Folder labels • And more

18. Preparing Mailing Labels and Envelopes (continued) • Preparing Mailing Labels (continued) Label Options dialog box

19. Preparing Mailing Labels and Envelopes (continued) • Preparing Envelopes Using the Mail Merge Feature • Mail Merge feature can be used to prepare addressed envelopes for a group or mass mailing.

20. Creating a Main Document for Mass E-Mails • You can use the merge feature to create group or mass mailings for personalized e-mail messages. • You can use Outlook or another MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface)compliant e-mail program. • MAPIis a Windows programming interface that provides applications with a standard way to communicate when sending e-mail.

21. Creating Catalogs and Directories • Merge feature is convenient for creating a catalog or a price list. • A switch is a special instruction that modifies a field result.

22. Creating Catalogs and Directories (continued) Common switches

23. Summary In this lesson, you learned: • You can use the mail merge feature to create personalized and customized form letters, mailing labels, and envelopes. • The mail merge process involves combining a main document with variable information from a data source.

24. Summary (continued) • To create the main document, you can use the current document, or you can start from a template or an existing document. • For the variable data, you can use an existing data source or you can create a new data source.

25. Summary (continued) • You insert fields into the main document to merge the variable data from the data source. • Data records can be sorted and edited before you merge them with a main document, and you can apply rules to the fields, which set parameters for the variable content.

26. Summary (continued) • You can preview merge results before you complete a merge, and you can edit individual merged records. • You can use the mail merge process to personalize an e-mail message to be sent to multiple recipients. • You can use the mail merge process to create catalogs and directories.