
The IF field only looks complex, but its purpose is simple: In this case, we’re using the following nested IF fields: In a nutshell, they’re pre-programmed codes similar to the merge fields you inserted earlier.

This next bit might feel like unchartered waters if you’re not familiar with Word fields. If you run the merge as is, the membership type merge field will return F, Fr, and I, which you’ll probably want to avoid. So, let’s replace that merge field with an IF field that can turn that meaningless data into something the members understand. However, the membership details in the Excel workbook–F, Fr, and I–might not mean anything to the new members. You can get around the lack of a pre-defined mapping field by inserting an unmapped merge field–so don’t forget to insert both of those fields before you continue.Īt this point, all of the merge fields are in place, and you could run the merge. The pre-defined map is a shortcut that you’ll want to take advantage of when possible, but it won’t always have every field you need. There are no pre-defined fields for the membership number and membership type, but don’t worry about that. You can add spaces and commas as you would with regular text. Continue replacing the text placeholders with the appropriate merge fields until you’re done ( Figure C).Click Insert merge Field in the Write & Insert Fields group and choose M_1st_First_Name from the resulting list.Select in the first line of the address element.Now you’re ready to insert the mapped fields into the actual document. Use Figure B as a guideline for completing the mapping process. Word will match a few of the items for you: City, State, and Zip. To do so, click Match Fields in the Write & Insert Field groups. Now that Word knows what type of merge you’re running and where the details are coming from, it’s time to map Word placeholders to Excel fields. Then, identify the recipients: Click Select Recipients, choose Use an Existing List, identify the data source (the Excel workbook file), click Open, identify the appropriate sheet, and click OK. Identifying the type of merge is the first step: Click the Mailings tab, in the Start Mail Merge group, click the Start Mail Merge, and choose Letters. The characters in the Word document ( Figure A) denote spots where the mail merge will insert values from the Excel workbook. Specifically, we’ll convert F, Fr, and I into family, friends, and individual, respectively. The membership type field contains the conditional data. We’re going to merge new membership details from the Excel sheet into the letter (a Word document).
#DATA MERGE WORD AND EXCEL UPDATE#
SEE: System update policy template download (Tech Pro Research) The piecesĪny merge requires a Word document and information. Mail merge isn’t supported by Word’s online version. You can also work with your own data or download the demonstration files. I’m using Office 365 Excel and Word (desktop), but you can work with earlier versions.
#DATA MERGE WORD AND EXCEL HOW TO#
How to return first and last times from timestamps in Microsoft ExcelĬhecklist: Microsoft 365 app and services deployments on Macs Get Microsoft Office Pro and lifetime access to 5 top apps for $59.99 We’ll use the same demonstration files (with minor updates). If you need basic information about the mail merge, read How to use Word mail-merge.

Instructions for setting up the mail merge are minimum because that’s not the focus of this article. In this article, we’ll quickly work through a simple mail merge and then add an IF field to handle membership types–family, friends, and individual–in the body of the letter. All of the above and more can be tackled by combining Word fields with a mail merge. Perhaps you want to use gender-specific pronouns such as he/she, his/her, and so on. Or, you might store state abbreviations and want to use the entire state name in the address. You might use them to clean up an address by suppressing unwanted spaces or adding commas at the right spot. For more info, visit our Terms of Use page.Įven the simplest mail merge task can benefit from conditional statements. This may influence how and where their products appear on our site, but vendors cannot pay to influence the content of our reviews. We may be compensated by vendors who appear on this page through methods such as affiliate links or sponsored partnerships. When a simple mail merge isn't enough, consider adding conditional fields to clarify data and even make decisions. How to use conditional fields in a Word mail merge
