Why am I writing two posts in a row about mail merge data sources? Because they are that important! Some programs let you create a simple data source on the fly and then use it for your mail merge; however, I believe a data source needs more thought.

One data source can drive your mail merges towards success. Not just the mail merge you are working on now, but mail merges in the future. Spend the time and design a data source with an eye on the future.

Make sure that all of your column headings are clearly labeled. This will make adding merge fields easier in the future.

The single most important thing you can do is separate your fields into the smallest piece of data possible. For example, instead of 'Name', use 'First Name' and 'Last Name'. This gives you the flexibility of changing how you address your mailings. You may want to start a form letter as 'Dear Ms. Johnson', but address the envelope as Rebecca Johnson.

The same can be said for 'Address'. What if you decided to send a mailing to customers in a certain town? If you limit your data source to 'Address', you can't. However, if you have columns for 'Address', 'City', 'State', 'Zip', you can filter your data source on 'City'.

My best mail merge advice is spend time on your data source!

A data source, also called a data file, is simply a collection of records that store data. This data is used to populate merge fields in mail merges. These files can be databases from Access, FileMaker Pro,etc. In theory, any Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) database can be used as a data source. They can also be created in spreadsheets like Excel or Quattro Pro. It can be a simple table in a word processing document.

What else can be used as a data source? How about a text file? Or an email contact list? Actually, just about anything that can be organized by category heading, such as First Name, Last Name, Address, etc., can be used as a data source.

Looking to create a mail merge? Read all about it in How to Create a Mail Merge in Word Perfect, Word for Mac 2011, Word 2010, and Word 2007.

It is the official Month of the Mail Merge....official at least in my word processing world! All month I will be working on writing about and updating documents on mail merges. To check out existing information, view Creating Documents With Mail Merge.

This hub of mail merge content contains documents on different software versions, including Creating a Mail Merge with Word for Mac 2011, Word 2010, and Word 2007. There will be more software versions coming soon, so visit often. Also, feel free to leave a comment about which software and version you would like to see mail merge information about!

How many iPad users do we have out there? iPhone? iPod Touch?

I am curious to see how many folks use these devices to work on word processing documents. I just reviewed a handful of highest ranking word processing apps in Word Processing Apps for Your iPad. Some of these apps also work with your iPhone and your iPod Touch. Prior to purchasing and downloading an app, make sure you read the system requirements. It is important for the app to be compatible with your iDevice.

Leave a comment and let me know what app you use on your device for word processing. Also let everyone know what you love about, or, gasp, don't like about the app!