Microsoft Word 2007
Mail Merge: Filter and Sort Options
Word's Mail Merge feature allows you to customize your 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 the Filter and Sort dialog box.
NOTE: For more information on the data document, refer to Mail Merge: An Overview.
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.
Sorting the Records: QuickSort
-
Open the main document
-
From the Mailings command tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click START MAIL MERGE » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click SELECT RECIPIENTS » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click EDIT RECIPIENT LIST...
The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears. -
Click the heading you want to sort by
HINT: Clicking the same heading again will reverse the order (i.e., ascending or descending) of the sort. -
Click OK
You are returned to your document.
Sorting the Records: Advanced Sort
-
Open the main document
-
From the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click START MAIL MERGE » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click SELECT RECIPIENTS » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click EDIT RECIPIENT LIST...
The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears. -
In the Refine recipient list section, click SORT
The Filter and Sort dialog box appears, with the Sort Records tab displayed.
-
From the Sort by pull-down list, select the appropriate option
-
To set the order in which the records will be sorted, select Ascending or Descending
-
To set up another sort order(s), from the Then by pull-down lists, select the appropriate options
-
To close the Filter and Sort dialog box, click OK
-
Click OK
You are returned to your document.
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.
Establishing a Filter: AutoFilter
-
Open the main document
-
From the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click START MAIL MERGE » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click SELECT RECIPIENTS » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click EDIT RECIPIENT LIST...
The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears -
In the heading that you wish to filter by, click the
» select the desired filter -
Click OK
Only the records meeting the selected criteria will be merged.
Establishing a Filter: Advanced
-
Open the main document
-
From the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click START MAIL MERGE » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click SELECT RECIPIENTS » make the appropriate selection
-
In the Start Mail Merge group, click EDIT RECIPIENT LIST...
The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears -
In the Refine recipient list section, click FILTER
The Filter and Sort dialog box appears, with the Filter Records tab displayed.
-
From the first Field pull-down list, select the field on which you want to base your filter
EXAMPLE: To merge only the records of a specific title, from the Field pull-down list, select 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 to which the information should be compared
EXAMPLE: To finish merging the records of those who are professors, in the Compare to text box, type Dr. -
If you want to set up other criteria for filtering, select And or Or from the pull-down list and repeat steps 7–9 as necessary
-
Click OK
Only the records meeting your criteria will be merged. -
Click OK
