Microsoft Word 2008
Mail Merge: Filter and Sort Options
Word's Merge feature allows you to customize the actual merge. For example, you can have the records sorted to print out in a specific order or you can create a filter so you only merge records that meet specific criteria. These options are selected through Query Options in the Data Merge Manager. Sections of this document include:
Sorting the Records
By selecting a sort order, you can determine the order in which your records are merged and subsequently printed. For example, you could print letters in numerical order by zip code or alphabetically by last name.
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Open the main document
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From the Tools menu, select Mail Merge Manager
The Mail Merge Manager palette appears. -
In the Select Document Type section, from the Create New pull-down menu, select the appropriate document type
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In the Select Recipients List section, from the Get List pull-down menu, select the appropriate option
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From the Insert Placeholders section, insert the desired fields
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In the Filter Recipients section, click OPTIONS...
The Query Options dialog box appears.
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Select the Sort Records tab
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From the Sort by pull-down list, select the appropriate field
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To set the order in which the records will be sorted, select Ascending or Descending
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OPTIONAL: To set additional sort criteria, from the Then by list(s), select the appropriate field(s)
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Click OK
Establishing a Filter
By establishing a filter, you determine specific records to be merged and printed according to the criteria you select. For example, you may want to send letters only to personnel from a specific department.
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Open the main document
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From the Tools menu, select Mail Merge Manager
The Mail Merge Manager palette appears. -
In the Select Document Type section, from the Create New pull-down menu, select the appropriate document type
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In the Select Recipients List section, from the Get List pull-down menu, select the appropriate option
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From the Insert Placeholders section, insert the desired fields
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In the Filter Recipients section, click OPTIONS...
The Query Options dialog box opens. -
Select the Filter Records tab
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From the first Field pull-down list, select the field that you want to base your filter on
EXAMPLE: To merge only the records of a specific job title, from the Field pull-down list, select Job Title -
From the Comparison pull-down list, select the type of comparison
EXAMPLE: To continue merging only the records of those who have a certain job title, from the Comparison pull-down list, select Equal to -
In the Compare to text box, type the value/text that the information should be compared to
EXAMPLE: To finish merging the records of those who have a certain job title, in the Compare to text box, type Professor -
OPTIONAL: To set up additional criteria for filtering, select And or Or from the pull-down list and repeat steps 8-10 as necessary
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Click OK
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Finish merging your document
Only the records which meet your criteria will be merged.
