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Mail Merge Lesson Notes

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Mail Merge Lesson Notes

Uploaded by

xxxvijaynelson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MAIL MERGE CLASS NOTES

Objectives
1. Explain the term mail merge.
2. Create and open a primary document.
3. Create and open a data source.
4. Add records to a data source.
5. Insert field codes (merged fields) in a primary document.
6. Merge a primary document with a data source.

Definition of Mail Merge

Mail merge is a facility found in full-fledged word-processing programs that draws information from a
database, usually a mailing list, to print multiple copies of a document. Each copy contains some
common text but each bearing different addresses. (CSEC I.T. 2020 syllabus pg. 47)

The term mail merge refers to combining a data source file with a main document to produce a batch
of customized documents. The main document could include letters, postcards, notices, or any other
document for mass mailing.

Uses of Mail Merge

Letters to customers

• telling them about an upcoming sale or event or informing them about a change to the
business e.g. new phone number.

Mail shot
• sending out a survey to many people.
• sending reminders to many customers.
Schools
• distribute reports to students.
• send information to parents.
• print students' names on certificates.
Personal
• send greetings and thank you cards.
1
Advantages
• One standard letter can be written and sent to all customers without having to manually add
each name and address.
• The letter can be personalised - it looks as though the letter has been written to the individual
person.
• It’s a very fast way to produce hundreds of personalised letters.
• Much easier to proofread just one letter than thousands of individual letters.
• Letters can be sent to people who meet specific criteria.
• The same data source and be reused - reducing the risk of errors.

Disadvantages
• Letters can lack the personal touch.
• The database that provides the information for the mail merge letter must be kept up to date if
it is going to be useful.

The Mail Merge Process

To perform a mail merge two documents are required these are a primary/main document and a data
source. The data source contains records that will change for each person (e.g. name, address etc.)
and could be: Ms Word Data Source File, Ms Access table, form or query or A Worksheet (Ms Excel).

Before creating the data source

1. Identify each piece of data that will change for each document.
2. Give each piece of data that will change a name. The name should be short; not exceeding
ten characters (if possible) and is called a fieldname.

Mail merge involves four basic steps:

1. Open or create a main document.


2. Open or create a data source with individual recipient information.
3. Add or customize merge fields in the main document.
4. Merge data from the data source into the main document to create a new, merged document.
2
Pictorial Mail Merge Guide

Mail Merge in Microsoft Word 2010

Method 1: Using an existing data source.

1. Select “Mailings” from menu bar.


The resulting mail merge tool bar appears below the menu bar.

2. Click the arrow to the right of “Start Mail Merge” and select “Letters”.
3. Click the arrow to the right of “Select Recipients” and select the option “Use Existing List…”
from the sub menu.
4. You will be prompted to select the data source; be sure to select the location of the file e.g. My
Document, your flash disk …
5. Select the file name i.e. file containing the data to be merged. This may be your Ms Access
query/table or Microsoft Excel worksheet.
6. Position your cursor where the field will be inserted or highlight the temporary field.
7. Click the arrow to the right of the “Insert Merge field” icon and insert the fields (double click) at
the appropriate position.
8. Save the changes to the primary/main document (with merged fields).
9. Merge the document by clicking the “Finish & Merge” icon
10. Select “Edit Individual Documents”, select “All” then “OK”.
11. Scroll down to view the personalized documents.
12. Save the merged document.

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