About filtering and sorting in Mail Merge
Filtering allows you to merge a subset of records from your
total data source. This differs from sorting, which allows you to merge your
data in a particular order.
Filtering
You can use a filter in two ways:
- To print or preview only a portion of the results of your Mail Merge. For
example: Print labels with a postal code within the range you specify.
- To view only a portion of the entries in your Microsoft Publisher address list. For
example, to update entries in your address list that don't have postal
codes, apply a filter that displays only entries with an empty ZIP code field.
The filter that you apply to the results of your mail merge doesn't affect your Publisher address
list, nor does a filter you apply to your Publisher address list affect the results of your mail merge.
Sorting
Sort to change the following:
- The order in which your merged publications are printed or previewed. For
example, sort your labels by the City field to view them alphabetically by City.
- The order in which entries appear in your Publisher address list. Entries in your Publisher address list occur in the same order that you entered them,
but
you can reorder them.
For example, to reorder alphabetically, sort the entries by the Last Name field.
Note The filters and sort orders do not permanently change
your data source or mail merge.