Free Online Seminar Thursday February 25th: Mail Merge

Ever wanted to just be guided through how to do a basic mail merge? Here's your chance! I'm going to be testing out my new online seminar tool, and I'd like your help. I'll be hosting a 2-3 hour seminar on how to do mail merges, using a spreadsheet for your data source.

• Creating the data in the proper layout
• Creating a new database based on the spreadsheet
• Creating a letter using fields from the spreadsheet
• Creating labels using fields from the spreadsheet
• Sorting and selecting the records you want to print
• If time permits: envelopes

DimDim is the tool I'm using, and it purports to support Windows, Mac, and Linux.

I'll provide a short downloadable guide to the mail merge process, as well, during the seminar as a reference.

Click on the widget to register. I can have up to 20 participants, and it's first come first served. Please register only if you can attend. It's 10 AM mountain time on Thursday February 25th.

When you register you'll receive an email with the call-in number and URL. You'll need to call in from a phone in a quiet location. The phone call is not free but should be relatively low-cost.

Thanks for helping me out with this test, those who register, and I look forward to clarifying the mail merge process.

Comments

[Tim Bartlett]

I just wonder why a database need to be made from spreadsheet first? I know this happens but I wish it wouldn't. It seems that if some of your spreadsheet contains formula, it is any ones guess whether the final value ends up in the database and then on your final mail merged documents. It seems that some formula is not handled.

I might be wrong but I don't believe MS does this as you are able to select a spreadsheet xls/x as a data source and the first row becomes your tags. No matter what formula you have in the spreadsheet, the final value always ends up in the mail merged document.

So what does 'tools/merge document...' do when using spreadsheet.ods?

[Solveig]

Hi Tim,

It's the same process as connecting to an Access database or any other external data source. You just need to make a little middleman file pointing to the data. It would be cool if there was internal logic that let you point directly from a document to a data source without the .odb file but, as setup steps go, it's pretty easy.

I'm afraid I don't see a Tools > Merge Document option.

Solveig