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Chapter 23 Merging Data and Documents
Merging Data to Create Custom Reports
and Letters
Most Word users think of mail merge as a synonym for “form letters” or “junk mail.”
Although it’s true that Word can churn out form letters and bulk mailings until the cows
come home, the term mail merge only hints at what you can do with this capability.
At its most basic, a mail-merge operation consists of two parts—a database and a
document—and the “merge” just brings the two together. The database can contain just
about anything—names and addresses are the most common contents, of course, but you
can also stuff the database with product names, court case citations, ...