About filtering and sorting in mail and catalog merge

Filtering allows you to merge a subset of records from your total data source. This differs from sorting, which allows you to merge your data in a particular order.

Filtering

You can use a filter in two ways:

• To print, preview, or merge only a portion of the records in your data source. For example, print labels with a postal code within the range you specify.
• To view only a portion of the entries in your Microsoft Publisher address list. For example, to update entries in your address list that don't have postal codes, apply a filter that displays only entries with an empty ZIP code field.

Sorting

Sort to change the following:

• The order in which your merged publications are printed or previewed. For example, sort your labels by the City field to view them alphabetically by City.
• The order in which entries appear in your Publisher address list. Entries in your Publisher address list occur in the same order that you entered them, but you can reorder them. For example, to reorder alphabetically, sort the entries by the Last Name field.

Note  The filters and sort orders do not permanently change your data source, mail merge, or catalog merge.