Mail Merge in Word 2007 Part 2: Selecting the Data Source

In the last post, we looked at setting up the initial merge letter in Word. In the next step of the Mail Merge wizard, you need to select the Data Source of your recipient list. A Data Source can be in any file format supported by Microsoft Word such as an Excel file, an Access database, a dBase file or even a plain text file. You can even create a Data Source on the fly by typing the information into Word.

Once you have selected the data file, the information is displayed in the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box. Here, you can exclude any of the records that you do not want to include in the merge document by removing the check mark to the left of the record. You can also choose how your data is sorted by clicking on the desired field heading.

If you do not have an existing data source, you can create one during this step and enter the desired information. This will be discussed in a later post.

To Select Recipients from an Existing Data Source

1. Click the radio button next to Use an existing list.
2. Click Browse.
3. Navigate to the folder that contains your data file.
4. Select the file, and then click Open.
5. Make any additional selections as necessary (query name, worksheet name, etc.)
6. Remove the check box next to any recipients that you do not wish to include in your final merge document.
7. To sort by a particular field, click the field heading.

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Tagged as: Microsoft Office Tips, Word 2007 Tips