Mail Merge master class: How to import, set up, and manage your Outlook contacts in Excel - skeltonsonters

Office Two of this ternion-part article covers how to import your Outlook contact list—the CSV charge—into Surpass, then how to down, maintain, and manage that database so, in Part 3, you can meld information technology with your custom Word documents for distribution. This is the easiest, most efficient method acting for so much a Job, especially if your distribution tasks are iterative and innumerable. Also, because Excel is so wanton to use, and you can consider your databases on a single screen, this method is much preferable. Understand Part One for book of instructions connected how to export Outlook contacts to Excel for data management.

When you need a real database

Ahead we start, let's talk about when not to use Stand out for mail immix information management. Even though Excel put up accommodate 1,048,576 records, I recommend using a relational database such as Microsoft Admittance if your database has more than 100,000 records. That's because 100,000 records (even if each record has only few fields) control so very much data, the handling of such a huge database would be slow and infelicitous (founded on how much memory your system has and how that memory is allocated). Merging that much data, at i time, with a Word text file would also exist long-play and inapt.

If you don't have access to another database programme, you rump notwithstandin use Excel, simply you'll possess to break up your database into workable sections (either separate sheets or, possibly, separate worksheet files) such as, for instance, last name calling A through H in one worksheet charge; I through P in a second worksheet file, and Q through Z in the last file. Remember, 50,000 records (rows) with four fields (columns) is actually much smaller (computer memory and file away sizing) than 25,000 records (rows) with 12 fields (columns). Little databases (or sections of a single database) are much easier to manage and manipulate than one huge database file.

You can also create relational databases in Excel, with the overcome database in extraordinary file cabinet and the related databases in other files. But that's another complex process for a proximo clause.

1. On that point are several ways to import your CSV file into Excel. The easiest way is to fair-and-square locate the file and double-cluck the filename. If Stand out resides on your system, the file opens in the Excel program. If, however, you have more than one version of Stand out and/surgery more than one spreadsheet program, it's better to open Surpass first, locate the lodge, then click File > Open > Figurer > Browsing, browse to the file's location, quality the charge, and click Open.

2. Surpass places each contact field in its own column, and the records run vertically down the rows rootage at A2. The Outlook field names are distributed across the first row rootage with A1.

1 import open outlook contacts csv file in excel — Figure 1: Import-Assailable Outlook contacts CSV file in Excel.

3. If you have maintained your Outlook liaison list and unbroken all the fields up-to-date, your CSV file in Excel should take care like the spreadsheet in Figure2a. Notice, however, that because this database is mold-related, you won't motivation all the fields that consult to Home such as Home Address, Home Metropolis, Home Earpiece, etc. You North Korean won't need the initiatory column/field either (Title).

4. To off these fields and all the information in them, hold down the Ctrl key and click the column letters above the "Home…" field columns. Once complete the Home field columns are elite, property your cursor on any of the column letters or on whatever newspaper column in the elite field, right-dawn, and select Delete from the dropdown menu—operating room blue-ribbon Delete > Delete Sheet Columns from the Ribbon menu. Browse across the top row of your spreadsheet to review the fields you imported. Use this synoptic procedure to remove any/all unnecessary fields that aren't necessary for this dispersion list.

2 remove unnecessary unwanted columns fields — Figure 2: Remove unneeded or unwanted columns/fields.

5. Your field names in Excel don't have to match the Outlook field names just, because you can map fields to whichever field name you'd alike in Outlook before you export the data. Find Share I for book of instructions on how to export Outlook contacts to Excel for information management. Durable theatre of operations names are a pain—they use too much space and get forever to type—so shorten them.

E.g., change Business ZIP code to bZipCode and Business Street to bStreet. You'll have got to change these field/column name calling anyway because, in more or less versions of Word, you cannot use spaces, quotation marks, apostrophes, or hyphens in the field/column names when merged.

Note: In Office 2022, Word replaces the spaces between playing area names with an underscore.

6. Side by side, adjust the column widths so you tail see the information in each field. The quickest, well-nig businesslike way is to high spot the entire spreadsheet, so (under the Home check) take Initialise > AutoFit Column Breadth. All the columns adjust in one second. Notice that the width of each column adjusts to accommodate the longest book in to each one chromatography column field.

Note: This is your "master" database, which means it contains the basic information for each of your contacts. Typically, the schoolmaster database contains the customers/clients and/or the mailing list records because on that point is only one of each—that is, to each one contact is a unparalleled record. Slave or child databases are contiguous to the master through this unique record; however, because names are frequently entered differently (based on the person typing in the information (e.g., Robert Smith, Robert J Smith, Rob Captain John Smith, etc.), most database administrators assign each client/liaison a unique ID telephone number, which results in less errors.

7. Move your cursor to the Home position—that is, attend A1 (or press Ctrl+Home). Select Insert > Insert Sheet Column. Enter the field list in cell A1; IDnum. In cell A2 and A3, respectively, enter 101 and 102. Highlight some cells (A1:A2), then position your cursor on the flyspeck green box up the bottom-reactionary corner of cell A2 (cursor turns into a plus sign). Hold mastered the left mouse clitoris and drag the plus sign (with highlight) downcast to the last record in the database and release the mouse. The column fills with consecutive numbers following 101 and 102; that is, 103, 104, etc. Now the clients have ID numbers.

3 adjust column widths insert column add id numbers — Figure3: Adjust column widths, insert a column, and minimal brain dysfunction unique Touch Idaho numbers pool.

Note: In a relational database, extra fields are placed in a furcate spreadsheet or lodge, which would require a unusual field so much As I.D. Numbers. This function will Be covered advanced, in another article. In this exercise, the additional Fields for your distribution list are added in this "master" spreadsheet. The distribution papers for this database contains three "customised" W. C. Fields: Expertise, Innovations, and Fees.

8. To supply these new Fields, press Ctrl+Home to act upon your cursor to cell A1. Next, press the End Florida key, then press the Right Pointer key twice. This repositions the cursor to the first blank column at the end of the current database (for example, column L). Move into the field name Expertise in L1, enter Innovations in M1, and Fees in N1. Next, enter the applicable data in to each one column.

9. Next, sort the entire database by Nothing codification soh your merged letters and envelopes comply with the United States Postal Services' rules for Volume Mail discounts.

4 add new custom fields data and sort by zip code — Figure 4: Add new, made-to-order Fields, data, and sort out by zip code.

10. The database is ready to merge with your letters. Check again soon for the next column clause with instructions regarding how to merge your Excel database with your Microsoft Word letters.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/427717/mail-merge-master-class-how-to-import-set-up-and-manage-your-outlook-contacts-in-excel.html

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