Sharepoint mail merge

SharePoint Mail Merge!

SharePoint Mail Merge is a powerful feature that allows you to merge data from a SharePoint list or library with a template document, such as a Word document or an email, to create personalized and dynamic content. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Prerequisites:

  1. SharePoint 2013 or later version
  2. Microsoft Office 2013 or later version (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
  3. SharePoint Designer 2013 or later version (optional)

Step 1: Prepare your data

  1. Create a SharePoint list or library with the data you want to use for the mail merge.
  2. Ensure the list or library has a unique identifier column (e.g., "ID" or "Title").

Step 2: Create a template document

  1. Create a Word document or an email template with placeholders for the data you want to merge.
  2. Use the "Insert Merge Field" feature in Word to insert placeholders for the data. For example, if you want to insert the "Name" field, type "{Name}" and then select "Insert Merge Field" from the "Mailings" tab.

Step 3: Configure the mail merge

  1. Open SharePoint Designer and connect to your SharePoint site.
  2. Go to "Site Actions" > "Site Settings" > "Site Administration" > "Mail Merge".
  3. Click "New Mail Merge" and select the template document you created.
  4. Choose the SharePoint list or library as the data source.
  5. Map the columns in the list or library to the placeholders in the template document.

Step 4: Run the mail merge

  1. Click "Run Mail Merge" to start the process.
  2. SharePoint will merge the data with the template document, creating a new document for each record in the list or library.
  3. You can customize the output by specifying a file name, folder, or email address.

Tips and Variations:

  1. Use SharePoint's built-in "Data Sources" feature to connect to external data sources, such as SQL Server or Excel files.
  2. Use SharePoint Designer's "Workflows" feature to automate the mail merge process and send the merged documents via email.
  3. Use Microsoft Flow (now known as Power Automate) to automate the mail merge process and integrate with other Microsoft services, such as Outlook or Dynamics.
  4. Use SharePoint's "Content Search" feature to search for and retrieve data from multiple lists or libraries.

Common Use Cases:

  1. Creating personalized reports or documents for employees or customers.
  2. Sending targeted marketing campaigns or newsletters.
  3. Generating custom invoices or receipts.
  4. Creating dynamic dashboards or reports for business intelligence.

By following these steps and tips, you can leverage SharePoint Mail Merge to automate and personalize your document creation processes, saving time and increasing efficiency.