WD: How to Convert Data in One Column to a Table for Merging

ID: Q188876

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

When you use Word to merge documents, data cannot be located in a single column, as in the following example:

   John Doe
   123 Main Street
   Anytown, US  12345

   Jane Smith
   Microsoft
   456 Elm Street
   Sometown, US  67890

Instead, the information must be laid out in a table or in tab-delimited format, such as the following:

   Name       Company    Address           City/State    ZIP_Code
   John Doe              123 Main Street   Anytown, US   12345
   Jane Smith Microsoft  456 Elm Street    Sometown, US  67890

This article explains how you can change data from being in one column to a format that Word can use.

MORE INFORMATION

Data Documents Created in Other Programs

If you created your data document in a different program, find out whether that program can save the data in a different layout. For example, if the data came from a database program, can it save the file with different field and record delimiters? If it can save the data with tab field delimiters and paragraph mark record delimiters, you can use the file in Word without any further modifications. For information on using a text file as a data document in Word, search in Help under merging and using data sources.

WordPerfect Data Documents

For more information on using WordPerfect data documents with Word, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q72117
   TITLE     : WD: How to Convert WordPerfect Merge Data Documents to Word

Convert Text to Table in Word

If you created the list of addresses in Word, or if you cannot rearrange the data using another program, convert the text to a table, which Word can use for merging. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Save the file containing the list of names with a different file name.

   Modify the version of the file with the new name (this way, if you make
   a mistake, you can start over with your original document).

2. Rearrange the names in the file. The following steps require that each
   address is separated with a blank line (see the example in the "Summary"
   section at the beginning of this article).

      NOTE: This method creates a separate field for each line in each
      address. If you want the information separated further than this, you
      must press the TAB key at the appropriate points. For instance, if
      you have typed a first and last name on the same line, the method
      below creates one field that contains both first and last names. If
      you want the first and last names to be in separate fields, you must
      place the insertion point between each first and last name and press
      the TAB key.
   
      Also, this method puts the lines into the first available field for
      each record, so if the records do not have the same number of lines,
      shorter records will end up with information in different fields
      than the longer records. If you want to perform conditional
      merges, in which a certain type of information is expected in
      certain fields, you need to edit the data file once you have created
      the table.
   
      Part 1: Remove Blank Lines Between Records:
   
      a. On the Edit menu, click Replace.
      
      b. Click in the Find What box.
      
      c. Click Special, and select Paragraph Mark. Do this again, so that
         the Find What box shows "^p^p" (without the quotation marks).
      
      d. If the No Formatting button is available (not shaded), click this
         button to remove any additional Find formatting criteria.
      
      e. Click in the Replace With box.
      
      f. Type three percent signs.
      
      g. If the No Formatting button is available (not shaded), click this
         button to remove any additional Replace formatting criteria.
      
      h. Click Replace All.
   
            The document now shows the beginning of each record next
            to the end of the preceding record, separated by three
            percent symbols:
   
               John Doe
               123 Main Street
               Anytown, US  12345%%%Jane Smith
               Microsoft
               456 Elm Street
               Sometown, US  67890
   
      Part 2: Replace Paragraph Marks with Tab Characters:
   
      a. Click in the Find What box, and delete the existing text.
   
      b. Click the Special button and select Paragraph Mark.
   
         The Find What box now shows ^p.
   
      c. Click in the Replace With box, and delete the existing
         text.
   
      d. Click the Special Button and select Tab Character.
   
         The With box now shows ^t.
   
      e. Click Replace All.
   
         The document shows all records in what appears to be one
         paragraph:
   
            John Doe  123 Main Street  Anytown, US  12345%%%Jane
            Smith     Microsoft        456 Elm Street   Sometown,
            US  67890
   
      NOTE: This method produces one extra field when the final
      paragraph is replaced with a tab. You should delete this final
      tab.
   
      Part 3:
   
      a. Click in the Find What box, and delete the existing text.
         Type three percent signs.
   
      b. Click in the Replace With box, and delete the existing
         text.
   
      c. Click Special and select Paragraph Mark. Click Replace All.
   
      d. Click Close to close the Find And Replace dialog box.
   
      The text is now in the proper format to be converted to a table.

3. On the Edit menu, click Select All.

4. On the Table menu, click Convert Text To Table.

5. In the Separate Text At area, select Tabs.

6. Click OK. The data is now in columns.

7. Click in the first cell of the table. On the Table menu, click

   Insert Rows.

8. In the first row, type a one-word field name for each column.

9. On the File menu, click Save.

NOTE: As previously mentioned, if the data for a specific field is in different columns, you need to move the data for those fields to one column. If a column becomes blank, delete it by following these steps:

1. Place the insertion point into the column.

2. On the Table menu, click Delete Columns.

The data document is now ready to merge with a Word main document.

Additional query words: howto grey convert 8.0 8.00

Keywords          : kbdta winword kbmerge ntword macword word6 word7 word95 
Version           : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a; WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a; WINNT:6.0
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS winnt
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: February 13, 1999