Specify or Create the Mailing List

In the Mail Merge Helper dialog box, click Get Data. (For information on which application you should use to create a new mailing list, see the sidebar at the end of this section.)

  If you already have addresses in your Microsoft Exchange personal address book or other address book, click Use Address Book, select the list you want, and then skip ahead to Insert Merge Fields into the Form Letter.

  If you already have a mailing list in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, or another data source, click Open Data Source, select the mailing list, and then skip ahead to Insert Merge Fields into the Form Letter.

  If you want to create the mailing list from scratch using Word, click Create Data Source.

Customize your mailing list   Don’t limit yourself to using just names and addresses to personalize form letters. You can include other types of customer data, such as phone numbers, products purchased, sales representative’s name, and so on. Need to update the mailing list?   You might want to add the names and addresses of new customers, or add another field, such as fax number or purchase order number. If you’ve stored the mailing list in Word, look up Getting Results - Word Mailing in Help. If you’ve stored the mailing list in your Microsoft Exchange personal address book, Outlook contact list, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft Access, see “Next Steps,” at the end of this topic.

Which Application Is Best for Your Mailing List?

If your list is short and you don’t plan to update it frequently, you might want to create the list in Word (as explained earlier in this section).

For longer lists that require frequent updates, you might want to use your Microsoft Exchange personal address book, Outlook contact list, or Microsoft Excel. For longer lists that require full relational database capabilities, you might want to use Microsoft Access.