Xls mail merge
A classic!
XLS (Excel) mail merge is a process that combines data from an Excel spreadsheet with a template document to create multiple output documents, such as letters, labels, or reports. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
Prerequisites:
- Microsoft Excel (2007 or later)
- Microsoft Word (2007 or later)
- A template document (e.g., a Word document or a PDF file)
Step 1: Prepare your data
- Create an Excel spreadsheet with the data you want to use for the mail merge. This data should include the fields you want to use in your output documents.
- Make sure the data is organized in a table format, with each row representing a single record and each column representing a field.
Step 2: Create a mail merge template
- Open your template document (e.g., a Word document or a PDF file) and prepare it for mail merge.
- Identify the areas where you want to insert the data from your Excel spreadsheet. These areas will be replaced with the actual data during the mail merge process.
- Use Word's built-in mail merge features to create a mail merge main document. To do this:
- Go to the "Mailings" tab in Word.
- Click on "Start Mail Merge" and select "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard."
- Follow the wizard's prompts to create a new main document.
Step 3: Link your Excel data to the mail merge template
- Open your Excel spreadsheet and go to the "Data" tab.
- Click on "From Other Sources" and then select "From Microsoft Query."
- In the "Query Wizard," select "Excel Files" as the data source and choose your Excel spreadsheet.
- In the "Available Fields" list, select the fields you want to use in your mail merge. These fields will be linked to the corresponding fields in your template document.
- Click "Finish" to create the query.
Step 4: Merge your data with the template
- Go back to your Word document and click on the "Mailings" tab.
- Click on "Finish & Merge" and select "Edit Individual Documents."
- In the "Merge to Document" dialog box, select the Excel query you created earlier as the data source.
- Choose the output format (e.g., Word document, PDF, or email).
- Click "OK" to start the mail merge process.
Step 5: Review and refine your output
- Review the output documents to ensure they contain the correct data and formatting.
- Refine the output documents as needed by making changes to the template or the Excel data.
That's it! With these steps, you should be able to perform a successful XLS mail merge.