Mail Merge to multiple documents

[Jennifer Dargis]

This is a rather complex problem.

We have a client who prints several different merged letters each night. From their database, they select which letter is supposed to be printed for each of their customers. (Currently, they are making a separate exported table for each letter and meging each table to it's corresponding document.) What they would like to do is batch print all the letters at the same time, sorted by zip code.

For example:
Customer A gets Letter 1
Customer B gets Letter 1
Customer C gets Letter 2
Customer D gets Letter 2
Customer E gets Letter 1
etc...

Is there a way to merge the db with the 2 letters in a single document? Perhaps using Master / Sub-documents? Or letter 1 is the first page, letter 2 is the 2nd page, etc.?

If yes, is there then a way to sort the merged letters by the Zip Code field?

TIA.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Forget Master/Sub Documents!

How different are the letters?

Can the differences be accommodated by the use of If ... then ... Else
fields that check for the zip code

--
Please post any further questions or followup to the newsgroups for the
benefit of others who may be interested. Unsolicited questions forwarded
directly to me will only be answered on a paid consulting basis.

Hope this helps
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

This is a rather complex problem.

We have a client who prints several different merged letters each night.

From their database, they select which letter is supposed to be printed for
each of their customers. (Currently, they are making a separate exported
table for each letter and meging each table to it's corresponding document.)
What they would like to do is batch print all the letters at the same time,
sorted by zip code.

For example:
Customer A gets Letter 1
Customer B gets Letter 1
Customer C gets Letter 2
Customer D gets Letter 2
Customer E gets Letter 1
etc...

Is there a way to merge the db with the 2 letters in a single document?

Perhaps using Master / Sub-documents? Or letter 1 is the first page, letter
2 is the 2nd page, etc.?

 

[Jennifer Dargis]

There are 7 basic letters - not all of which will be printed every day - with variations in the body of the letter depending on the salesperson/marketer. So I dont think a simple if...then...else statement will work.

Is there a way to do the individual merges, merge to a file without printing, combine all the merged letter files into one file, then sort by zip code, then print?

The crux of what the customer wants is to just have the whole batch of ~2000 letters print in zip code order so they dont have to be manually sorted after printing (for postal discount rate).

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

We would need to know more about the seven letters and what the differences
are to comment on that part of it, but it is certainly possible to sort the
datasource by the zip code field so that the documents that are produced by
the merge are in that order.

--
Please post any further questions or followup to the newsgroups for the
benefit of others who may be interested. Unsolicited questions forwarded
directly to me will only be answered on a paid consulting basis.

Hope this helps
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

There are 7 basic letters - not all of which will be printed every day -

with variations in the body of the letter depending on the
salesperson/marketer. So I dont think a simple if...then...else statement
will work.

Is there a way to do the individual merges, merge to a file without

printing, combine all the merged letter files into one file, then sort by
zip code, then print?

The crux of what the customer wants is to just have the whole batch of

~2000 letters print in zip code order so they dont have to be manually
sorted after printing (for postal discount rate).

 

[Jennifer Dargis]

The letters are different approval/disapproval of application letters, that would vary depending on who the salesperson is. 7 different letters, 15 or so different salespeople, not a set number of each letter printed each time.

Sorting the data source isn't the issue because all the letters will be different. It's the last step that needs to be sorted - just before printing - so that all the assorted 2000+ letters print in one batch in zip code order, so they dont have to be manually sorted by zip code after printing.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

If your client wants to engage me directly, I'll sort it out for them.

--
Please post any further questions or followup to the newsgroups for the
benefit of others who may be interested. Unsolicited questions forwarded
directly to me will only be answered on a paid consulting basis.

Hope this helps
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

The letters are different approval/disapproval of application letters,

that would vary depending on who the salesperson is. 7 different letters,
15 or so different salespeople, not a set number of each letter printed each
time.

Sorting the data source isn't the issue because all the letters will be

different. It's the last step that needs to be sorted - just before
printing - so that all the assorted 2000+ letters print in one batch in zip
code order, so they dont have to be manually sorted by zip code after
printing.