About mail merge data sources

You can think of a data source as a table. Each column in the data source corresponds to a category of information, or data field— for example, first name, last name, street address, and postal code.

The name of each data field is listed in the first row of cells, which is called the header record. Each subsequent row contains one data record, which is a complete set of related information— for example, the name and address of a single recipient.

When you complete the merge, individual recipient information is mapped to the fields you included in your main document.

By default, you connect to data sources in the Select Data Source dialog box. If you already have a data source to use (such as a Microsoft Outlook Contact List or Microsoft Access database), you can connect to it directly from the Mail Merge task pane.

If you don't have an existing data source, you can also create one directly from the task pane. If you only want a simple address list, the Mail Merge task pane guides you through the process of creating a Microsoft Office Address List. Or you can create a more complex one from within the Select Data Source dialog box.

Once you connect to your data source, the recipient information appears in the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, where you can select exactly which recipients to include in the merge.

For example, if you want to target customers in specific postal code areas, you can select only those customers. You can also use this dialog box to perform more advanced filtering and sorting operations.