Microsoft Office. Mail Merge in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Office Mail Merge in Microsoft Word

TABLE OF CONTENTS Microsoft Office... 1 Mail Merge in Microsoft Word... 1 CREATE THE SMS DATAFILE FOR EXPORT... 3 Add A Label Row To The Excel File... 3 Backup the Datafile... 4 Text Import Wizard... 4 Step 1 of the Text Import Wizard... 4 Step 2 of 3 (Import Wizard)... 5 Step 3 of 3 (Import Wizard)... 5 Label Data... 6 Change Column and Row Sizing... 6 Adjusting Column Widths... 7 Changing Row Heights... 7 Saving the Converted Excel File... 7 CREATING A MAIL MERGE LETTER... 8 Begin the Wizard:... 8 Step 1 of 6: Select the document type.... 8 Step 2 of 6: Select the Starting Document... 8 Step 3 of 6: Select the recipients (Data Source)... 9 Step 4 of 6: Write Your Letter... 12 Step 5 of 6: Preview the Letters... 13 Step 6 of 6: Print the Letters... 13 LABELS... 14 Step 1 of 6: Select the document type.... 14 Step 2 of 6: Select the Starting Document... 14 Step 3 of 6: Select Recipients (Data Source)... 15 Step 4 of 6: Arrange your labels... 16 Step 5 of 6: Preview your labels... 18 Step 6 of 6: Complete the Merge... 18 Save the File of Completed Labels... 18 MAIL MERGE FROM THE RIBBON... 19 Step 1: Select Start Mail Merge.... 19 Step 2: Select the Starting Document... 19 Step 3: Select Recipients (Data Source)... 19 Step 4: Write and Insert Fields... 19 Step 5: Preview your document... 19 Step 6: Complete the Merge... 19 Step 7: Save and Print the Document File... 19 PWCS SIS OFFICE 2 October 2015

Information may be obtained from SMS through Searches and/or Reports and exported from SMS to an Excel file for use with Microsoft Word and Merge files. This documentation has been developed to assist the SMS user in working with the Excel file and Microsoft Word s Mail Merge to create labels, form letters and other documentation from the data provided. CREATE THE SMS DATAFILE FOR EXPORT Log in To SMS. 1. Perform a Basic or Detail Advanced Search to create a Grid view of students. 2. From the Grid view, select the YELLOW Printer Icon (located at the upper right hand corner of the grid) to generate the Report format, OR 3. From My Reports, All Reports, select the desired report and open the Report format. The Example is Student MailingLabels5160_PWCS 4. Review the available Preferences on the report format: Make selections based on what grade level of students are to be included in the report, the calendar year to be used, if specific text is included in the label and if the Homeroom number will be displayed. 5. Select Comma Separated Values as the output option. 6. Click RUN 7. When the report format opens, select 8. Save as to save the file to the desktop or My Documents folder, or Open it as an Excel Workbook. 9. Once the file has opened in Excel, save it again, but use Save As to convert it to an Excel workbook file. Note: When exporting from SMS using CSV as the output options, SAVE the file to the desktop or Documents folder. Do not open the file by double-clicking it, as this will not allow you to initiate the Import Wizard. Add a Label Row to the Excel File To successfully use the Excel file for a Mail Merge, there must be a LABEL ROW. Select Row 1 and insert a new row above. This row becomes the Label Row. Enter the appropriate Labels to identify the data in the Columns. These labels should not contain spaces if they are to be used in a Mail Merge. Use an Underscore to separate words in the label. Example: FirstName OR First_Name. PWCS SIS OFFICE 3 October 2015

Backup the Datafile Before working with the Excel file, save it a second time. One Copy will be the MASTER file and one copy will be the WORKING copy. This will ensure access to the data in the event that there is a hardware or software problem with the workstation or an error is made during the manipulation of the data. To quickly save a copy of the Excel file, open the Documents folder. Locate the file and right click. From the drop down menu, choose copy. Move the mouse cursor to a blank area of the folder and right click again. Choose paste. A second file (copy) will appear in the document list. Text Import Wizard Use Microsoft Office Excel s Text Import Wizard to import data from a text or CSV file into a worksheet. The Wizard examines the text file that is being imported and helps to ensure that the data is imported in the way that works best for the intended use. Open a blank Excel File. To start the Text Import Wizard: 1. Data tab, 2. Get External Data group, 3. Click From Text. Then, in the Import Text File dialog box, locate and select the text file (the CSV file from SMS) that is to be imported. 4. Click the Open button. The text import wizard opens up: Step 1 of the Text Import Wizard Original data type: If items in the text file are separated by tabs, colons, semicolons, spaces, or other characters, select Delimited. If all of the items in each column are the same length, select Fixed width. The CSV file from SMS is a comma separated value file, and is delimited. 1. Start import at row: Type or select a row number to specify the first row of the data to be imported or leave it at the default. 2. File origin: Select the character set that is used in the text file. In most cases, this setting may be left at its default. 3. Preview of file: This box displays the text as it will appear based on the current step in the process and the current selections. 4. Click Next. PWCS SIS OFFICE 4 October 2015

Step 2 of 3 (Import Wizard) Delimiters: Select the character that separates values in the text file. If the character is not listed, select the Other check box, and then type the character in the box to the right. Note: These options are not available if the data type is Fixed width. The following parameters/selections may be left at the default selections. However, to explain their use: Treat consecutive delimiters as one: Select this option if the data contains a delimiter of more than one character between data fields, such as a comma followed by a space. Text qualifier: Select the character that encloses values in the text file. When Excel encounters the text qualifier character, all of the text that follows that character and precedes the next occurrence of that character is imported as one value, even if the text contains a delimiter character. For example, if the delimiter is a comma (,) and the text qualifier is a quotation mark ("), "Dallas, Texas" is imported into one cell as Dallas, Texas. If no character or the apostrophe (') is specified as the text qualifier, "Dallas, Texas" is imported into two adjacent cells as "Dallas and Texas". Data preview: Review the text in this box to verify that the text will be separated into columns on the worksheet as expected. Step 3 of 3 (Import Wizard) Column data format: Click to define the format of the column that is selected in the Data preview section. Note: If you do not want to import the selected column, click Do not import column (skip). Choose the data format that closely matches the preview data so that Excel can convert the imported data correctly. For example: To convert a column of currency number characters to the Excel Currency format, select General. To convert a column of numeric characters to the Excel Text format, keeping leading zeros, select Text. PWCS SIS OFFICE 5 October 2015

To convert a column of all date characters, each date in the order of year, month, and day, to the Excel Date format, select Date, and then select the date type of YMD in the Date box. Excel will import the column as General if the conversion could yield unintended results. For example: If the column contains a mix of formats, such as alphabetical and numeric characters, Excel converts the column to General. If Excel does not convert a column to the desired format, the data may be converted after it is imported. After all columns are defined, click the Finish button. Excel opens the Import Data dialog, asking where to put the results. Select the location and click Ok to import the data. The default is the existing worksheet, starting in Cell A1. To select a cell other than A1 as the location of the data, click on the worksheet icon and then select the cell that will be the leftmost upper corner of the data. Select New Worksheet to use a worksheet other than the current worksheet. Label Data Exported data does not always include descriptive labels for the columns of information. Adding a label row to define or describe the data in a particular column is necessary when the data will be used as a Mail Merge file. When the data file does not contain a label row: 1. Select Row 1 and insert a new row above. This row becomes the LABEL ROW. 2. Enter the appropriate headings to identify the data in the columns. Note: labels should not contain spaces if they are to be used in a Mail Merge. Either remove the space or use an underscore to separate words in the label. Examples: FirstName or First_Name. Change Column and Row Sizing In Excel, column widths or row heights in the worksheets may be changed to improve the readability and appearance of data. Always widen columns that contain cells with truncated text entries or numbers that Excel shows as ###### to verify the correctness of the data. Based on the default 11-point Calibri font, the default column width is 8.43 and the default row height is 15. Manually set a default column width by choosing Format, Standard Width in the Cells group on the Home tab. A default row height cannot be manually set. PWCS SIS OFFICE 6 October 2015

Adjusting Column Widths Select the columns whose widths are to be changed by clicking on the column letter. To adjust a single column, click any cell in that column. To manually change the width of columns, position the mouse pointer on the right boundary of a column heading until it turns into a double-sided arrow. Drag until the column is the desired width. To set a column width to a specific setting, choose Format, Column Width on the Home tab. The default width is 8.43. Type the exact width wanted in the Column Width dialog box; then click OK. To automatically change the column width so it fits the widest entry, use AutoFit. Double-click the boundary on the right side of the column heading or choose Format, AutoFit Column Width on the Home tab. Changing Row Heights Select the rows whose height is to be adjusted. To manually change the row height, position the mouse pointer on the bottom boundary of the row heading until it turns into a double-sided arrow. Drag until the row is the desired height. To set a row height to a specific setting, choose Format, Row Height on the Home tab. The default height is 15. Type the exact height wanted in the Row Height dialog box; then click OK. To automatically change the height of a row so it fits the tallest entry in the row, use AutoFit. Double-click the boundary on the bottom of the row heading or choose Format, AutoFit Row Height on the Home tab. Saving the Converted Excel File Once the file has been converted into a readable Excel format save the file in its converted form. From the Office Button, select Save As. Verify that the location is the Documents folder. You do not have to change the file name in the File Name box unless you wish to save the converted version separately from the original. Use the drop down menu to Save as Type Microsoft Excel Workbook (*xlsx). Click Save. PWCS SIS OFFICE 7 October 2015

CREATING A MAIL MERGE LETTER Open Word on the computer. Start with a new, blank document. Be sure that you know the file name and location of the Excel data file so that you will be able to find it when you are ready to merge data. Begin the Wizard: To begin the Mail Merge, locate and start the Mail Merge Wizard. In Word 2013, go to the Mailings tab and Start Mail Merge. The Mail Merge Wizard is found here. The Mail Merge Wizard will open on the right hand side of the screen in the Help area. Each step is read from top to bottom before moving on to the next step. At the bottom of the wizard pane, the current step is listed with options to click next or back to move between the steps. Until a selection is made on a particular step, you will not be able to move forward. You can always go back. Step 1 of 6: Select the document type. For a Mail Merge Form letter, put the radio button in Letters. Go to the bottom of the screen and Click Next: Starting document. Note: For those who are accustomed to mail merge in previous versions, the Directory selection is equivalent to the Catalog selection. Step 2 of 6: Select the Starting Document Decide whether or not to use the current document, which is whatever was on the screen when the mail merge wizard was selected; to start from a template or start from an existing document. If the screen was blank when the mail merge wizard was started, select Use the Current document. Once the selection is made, go to the bottom of the screen and click Next: Select recipients. PWCS SIS OFFICE 8 October 2015

NOTE: If there is a form letter that has been used in the past, and it is to be used again with the Excel file of new students, choose Start from an existing document. When choosing to start from an existing document, once the radio button is clicked, a selection box will appear with the words (More files) and an OPEN button. Highlight the (More files ) wording in the box. Click on the Open button. If a document is already open, a warning will appear stating that all formatting and content of the current document will be lost. Select okay to continue. From the document listing pop-up window, locate and select the pre-existing file. Step 3 of 6: Select the recipients (Data Source) As we are using an existing Data Source, our Excel table of students, select the Use an existing list radio button. Move a little further down the window and click on Browse. This link will allow navigation to the Excel file. Be sure that you know where you have saved your Working copy and use it as your selection. (Don t click Next yet!) When Browse is selected, Word will prompt to select a Data Source. Word may default to this screen instead of Documents. If the Excel file is saved in the Desktop or Documents folder (the recommended location), click on the icon on the left side of the screen to open the folder and locate the Excel file. PWCS SIS OFFICE 9 October 2015

Highlight the file and click Open. Select the table from the list of choices. Be sure to check the checkbox at the bottom of the screen if the table contains a header row labeling the columns (which it should). Click on OK. The next screen is the BEST feature of the Word s Mail Merge Wizard. Using the checkboxes on the left side of the window, select the student files to be included in this particular Mail Merge. If this particular mailing will be sent to all of the students in the list, leave the checkbox next to the Data Source label checked. If the mailing will be sent to only some of the students in the list, clear all of the checkboxes by removing the check from the checkbox next to the Data Source label. Then select only those students that are receiving the mailing, by putting the check back into the checkbox before each student s name. The columns displayed in the Mail Merge Recipients grid are in the order that they appear in the Excel file. The columns may be rearranged by dragging column labels to a different position. For example, to sort by grade level, use the scroll bar at the bottom of the grid to move and locate the column. Then, select the column label and drag it to the left side of the window so that it is the first column on the screen and easier to reference. This is an optional step. Sorting may be accomplished using any of the columns in the Excel file. FOR EXAMPLE: Scroll to the right until Grade level is found. Click on the down arrow next to the column heading. Choose to sort by all entries, blank entries, non-blank, or some defined value. To sort on one or more fields, chose (Advanced ) PWCS SIS OFFICE 10 October 2015

When the Advanced Filter and Sort is selected, you have the opportunity to further refine the data that is to be selected. You can filter for particular fields: For example, if the student is in grades 10, 11 or 12, and is male (or female). Note that you have the ability to filter up to six fields of data. As with Query, be sure to begin the sort with the most general field and refine to the most specific. For example, grade level, then last name or gender. There is a difference between sorting and filtering. When filtering a database, the records that do not meet the criteria are eliminated (or hidden) from the list. When sorting the database, the records that meet the criteria are presented first, and the remaining items are displayed below in the resulting sort order. Click okay to see the results of the filter or sort. Review the list of selected recipients. Further refine the sort result by unchecking any student record that will not be included. To add a student record, you will have to rerun the filter with fewer criteria or a different filter comparison. If these are the correct recipients, you are ready to move to the next step. The Mail Merge Wizard pane changes after the selection is made. Note the new links under the Use an existing list menu area. These links are useful if you need to make a change to the extracted information or need to use a different file. Once you have made your selection, go to the bottom of the screen and click Next: Write your letter. PWCS SIS OFFICE 11 October 2015

Step 4 of 6: Write Your Letter The Mail Merge Wizard will attempt to match the Column headings in the Excel file with the default mail merge column/address block names. As the field names will not always match, the program will display a window like this: This screen will allow you to match the field names with the program fields. Matching the field names from the Excel file is NOT necessary to complete the mail merge document. When you write the letter, you will be able to select the appropriate fields from a list of the field names in the Excel file that you are using. A typical field name from SMS that will need to be matched in Word is the student s MailAddr. This field may be matched to Address 1 in Word. Once you cancel or complete the matching of fields, close the window to write your letter. Begin typing text until you reach the first field of data that will be entered from the Excel file. Insert the First Merge Field When ready to insert a merge field into the document, click on MORE ITEMS from the mail merge wizard to bring up the Insert Merge Field selection window. Selecting the Database Fields radio button will show you the Column Headings from the database/excel file. Select a field from the list and either double-click it or choose insert to insert it into the letter. When inserting consecutive fields, such as first name and last name, it will be necessary to manually enter spacing between the field names. EXAMPLE: <<First Name>> <<Last Name>> <<Last Names>>, <<First Name>> PWCS SIS OFFICE 12 October 2015

Step 5 of 6: Preview the Letters Once you have completed writing your letter and inserting all of the required fields from the database, Word will preview a single letter. Use the arrows to move through all of the letters, especially if you want to review each letter or make sure that a particular student was included in the list of recipients. Note that you may once again edit the list of recipients if the filter or sort did not give the correct results. Exclude a single recipient from the collection of letters by using the Exclude button. Once the preview has been conducted and needed adjustments are made, go to the bottom of the screen and click Next: Complete the merge. Step 6 of 6: Print the Letters The merge of the data into the letters is ready to be completed. Should any of the individual letters require editing, i.e., further personalization, select Edit Individual letters. Otherwise, select the Print link to send the letters to the printer. A Merge to Printer window will appear. Select ALL to print all of the letters. Select Current Record to print the letter that you are looking at. Select From and To to define the range of pages to be printed if you do not want to print all of the letters. SAVE THE FILE OF COMPLETED LETTERS To save the file of completed letters, click on the Edit Individual letters link. Once the letters have been save to the Documents folder on the hard drive, locate and personalize any letter prior to printing. PWCS SIS OFFICE 13 October 2015

LABELS The Mail merge wizard also assists in creating labels. Step 1 of 6: Select the document type. For a Mail Merge Label, put the radio button in Labels. Go to the bottom of the screen and Click Next: Starting document. Step 2 of 6: Select the Starting Document Decide whether to use the current document, which is whatever was on the screen when you clicked on the mail merge wizard, to change the document layout or start from an existing document. If the screen was blank when you clicked the mail merge wizard, select Change document layout. Once a selection has been made, go to the next section of the wizard and click on the Label options link. Select the Label that will be used for the printout. Select the brand of label from the label products drop down menu. Then select the product number. If your generic labels have an Avery label equivalent, use the Avery standard product and corresponding product number. Click on OK after you have made your selection. PWCS SIS OFFICE 14 October 2015

The screen is now populated with labels. If you do not see the guide lines for the labels, select Table Tools, Layout, View Gridlines. Selecting the button on your Home ribbon will show you the formatting characters that are present within the label format. Go to the bottom of the mail merge wizard screen and click on Next: Select recipients. Step 3 of 6: Select Recipients (Data Source) As we are using an existing Data Source, the Excel table of students, select the Use an existing list radio button. Move a little further down the window and click on Browse. When clicking on Browse, Word will want to select the Data Source. Change the Look In to the correct location. If the Excel file is saved in the Documents folder (the recommended location), simply click on the Documents icon on the left side of the screen to open the folder. Highlight the file and click Open. Select the table from the list of choices. Be sure to check the checkbox at the bottom of the screen if the table contains a header row labeling the columns (which it should). Click on OK. Using the checkboxes on the left side of the window, select the student files that are to be included in this particular Mail Merge. Go to the bottom of the screen and click on Next: Arrange your labels. PWCS SIS OFFICE 15 October 2015

Step 4 of 6: Arrange your labels The wizard will format the layout of the address labels by creating the fields and codes in the first label. Once this layout is arranged, it will be replicated to the remaining labels on the page by selecting the Update all labels button in the middle of the wizard pane. To arrange the label, determine what the label format. Labels includes the option of a standard address block. This option is very useful in that the program will automatically select the needed fields from the Excel file. This will only work if the field names in the Excel file are recognized as meeting the default field formats in the program. You may also include a greeting line, such as TO THE PARENTS OF <LastName> <FirstName> Select the Address Block link. The setup window appears. Select the items to be included in the label. The preview box at the right side of the screen shows what the label will look like. FOR LABELS USING THE EXCEL FILE, YOU WILL NEED TO MATCH THE STREET ADDRESS FIELD TO THE MAILING ADDRESS FIELD. This field is not always recognized by the Excel Program as a mailing address. Click on the Match Field button at the bottom of the Address Block selection screen to verify that the standard form is pulling the correct Excel fields from the Excel database. PWCS SIS OFFICE 16 October 2015

The Standard Address block has been filled in with the student s last name, first name, city, state and zip code. The Address 1 line, representing the street address, is marked as not available. Using the drop-down arrow at the right of the field, select the MAILING ADDRESS field as being the match for Address 1. **If the label is intended to be addressed to the Parent Guardian of the student, you do not want to use the Address block label format. Return to the wizard pane and select More Items to arrange the label using the Parent Guardian information. Once you have selected the More Items link, the Insert Merge Field window will appear. Select Database Fields to see the list of field names from the Excel file. Choose the FIRST field to appear on your label. Click on the Insert button to insert the field into the label. Click on Close. On the label, press the return key to move to the next line, or insert a space or punctuation mark as needed. Place the cursor at the location for the next merge field. Click on More Items. Choose the next merge field from the list. Click on the insert button to insert the field into the label. Click on Close. On the label, press the return key to move to the next line, or insert a space or punctuation mark as needed. Place the cursor at the location for the next merge field. Click on More Items. CONTINUE WITH THIS PROCESS UNTIL ALL THE MERGE FIELDS ARE ON THE LABEL. PWCS SIS OFFICE 17 October 2015

Once the arrangement of the labels is completed, replicate the labels by clicking on the Update all labels button BEFORE clicking on the next link at the bottom of the wizard. This copies the layout of the first label to all other labels on the page. After completing the replication, go to the bottom of the wizard and click Next: Preview your labels Step 5 of 6: Preview your labels Use the arrows to move through all of the labels, especially if you want to review each label or make sure that a particular student was included in the list of recipients. Note that you may once again edit the list of recipients if the filter or sort did not give the correct results. To exclude a student from the list of recipients, choose Edit the recipient list. When a student is removed from the list, the labels will rearrange themselves to not waste any labels. Once the preview has been conducted and any adjustments are made, go to the bottom of the screen and click Next: Complete the merge. Step 6 of 6: Complete the Merge Select the Print link to send the labels to the printer. Choose Edit individual labels to merge to a Word file that will display how many sheets of labels will need to be put in the printer drawer. A Merge to Printer or Merge to New Document window will appear. Select ALL to print all of the labels. Save the File of Completed Labels To save the file of completed labels, click on the Edit Individual labels link. Once the labels have been saved to the Documents folder on the hard drive, locate and personalize any label prior to printing. PWCS SIS OFFICE 18 October 2015

MAIL MERGE FROM THE RIBBON Step 1: Select Start Mail Merge. From the drop down menu, select the type of merge; letters, envelopes, labels, etc. Step 2: Select the Starting Document Use the current document, which is whatever was on the screen when the mail merge was started or close the current document and open a template or other document from the Documents folder. Step 3: Select Recipients (Data Source) Select the Data Source. Change the Look In to the correct location. If the Excel file is saved in the Documents folder (the recommended location), simply click on the Documents icon on the left side of the screen to open the folder. Highlight the file and click Open. Select the table from the list of choices. Check the checkbox at the bottom of the screen if the table contains a header row labeling the columns (which it should). Click on OK. Click on the Edit the recipient List badge to see the list. Using the checkboxes on the left side of the window, select the student files to be included in this particular Mail Merge. Filter or sort the records as needed, using the links in the recipient list window.. Step 4: Write and Insert Fields The document can take several forms. It can be set up to extract address information for each student record (you will have to match fields to get the mailing address) or use the More Items link to pick and choose the fields that will be inserted into the document. Step 5: Preview your document Use the arrows to move through the pages to review the data or ensure that a particular student was included in the list of recipients. The list of recipients may be re-filtered or re-sorted if the filter or sort did not give the correct results. To exclude a student from the list of recipients, Edit the recipient list. Once the preview is complete and adjustments have been made, click Next: Complete the merge. Step 6: Complete the Merge Select the Finish and Merge link on the Mailings Tab to process the data and view the document. Select Edit individual documents to merge the records to a new document (Select All records) or send the document directly to the printer. Step 7: Save and Print the Document File To save the document and print, go to File Save As. Select a Save In location. The file is saved as a WORD document. To Print the document, go to Print in the File menu. PWCS SIS OFFICE 19 October 2015