Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 4, 2017)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you plan on printing documents that merge information from a data file, such as form letters, you will need to create the data file in such a way that Word knows how to process it. This data can be in a database program, in the Excel spreadsheet program, or directly in Word. If you are creating a simple, one-time mail merge document, chances are good that you will be using data that you put in a Word document.
Basically, the Word data file must have a header record and as many data records as you desire. The header record indicates the field names to be assigned to the fields in each record. The names in this header record correspond to the field names used in your master document. Each field in each data record of the file must correspond to one of the header fields. For instance, consider the following excerpt from a data file.
| title | first | middle | last | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John | Q. | Public | ||||
| Jean | R. | Smith | ||||
| Wilma | Davis | |||||
| Walter | T. | Avery |
The first record indicates the field names; it is the header record. The other four records are the data records. Notice, also, that the third data record does not list any data corresponding to the data field named middle. As you create these data files, you can place the information in a Word table so the data is easier to visualize and work with. Each record will occupy a row of the table, and each field will occupy a cell in the row.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1369) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
If you are filtering a mail merge in Excel, and you get blank labels in the printout in Word, chances are good that ...
Discover MoreWhen you merge information into a document, Word provides two different ways you can create your output. Here's an ...
Discover MoreWhen creating a mail-merge document, you may want to include some special characters, such as check-marked boxes, in the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2017-11-04 12:05:53
In the mail merge section using a Word document the data example columns under the heading line are not lined up with their respective headings.
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2023 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments