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"How-To?": (The following two messages were an exchange on HelpNet's helpnet-list mailing list.)
Hello Folks, I have a question on the easiest program to manage an address list. I have Windows98 and Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Edition. I want to be able to manage an address list (200-300 names) and print labels. Is purchasing Access 2000 ($75) the best way or can it be done with Word or a shareware program easier? I'm no pro on the computer. Thanks for any help,
Hi Dennis, Simplest way with MS Office is to keep the addresses in Excel, 1 record per line, and generate the labels with Word using the Excel file as the data. Access can be used for the data source as well and has some advantages but takes a bit more experience to get good results. It is trivial to import Excel data into Access later on when you're ready to move up. In your Excel spreadsheet, use the first row as field headings such as lastname, firstname, title, company, address1, address2, city, state, zip, phone, 800phone, fax, email and whatever other information you need for this contact. Use short single-word field names. Then enter a line (row) of data for each contact in the appropriate fields (i.e. columns). The Excel spreadsheet can be sorted as needed to get a list alphabetical by last name, company, etc. or for mailing to a specific zip code, etc., etc. To sort select Data | Sort and apply the sequence of fieldnames as desired.When you sort be sure to select the header row option. Close the Excel file before you proceed to the Word Merge steps below. To print the labels, open Word, select Tools | Mail Merge, then create a new document. (There is a Mail Merge Helper icon on the taskbar that will bring you back to this menu whenever necessary.) Next select Data Source from the Helper menu and use the path to the Excel file created earlier. The Mail Merge tool will allow you to select which fields you wish to print and what sort of labels (Avery mostly) you want to use. When the Word merge document is ready, select Merge from the Helper menu. It is simplest to merge directly to your printer. This same method can be used to print form letters, to insert boilerplate text into documents, etc., etc. Microsoft documentation on this stuff is somewhat confusing and don't be surprised if it takes some experimentation to get the hang of the merging process. Hope that helps and good luck. Mike McDade
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