Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
How to use Mail Merge to automate Employee Appointment letters:
1) Download the relevant employee appointee word and excel spreadsheet documents from
http://www.montana.edu/hr/Forms.html
2) Both the excel spreadsheet and corresponding word document are required.
3) Open the excel document.
4) Copy/Paste the relevant data into the spreadsheet. Each row of the spreadsheet corresponds to
a single recipient of the letter. Do not change the column names.
5) Save the document. It now contains PII (!)
6) Open the corresponding word document.
7) An error message [may] be presented. Select the No button.
8) Review the prewritten letter.
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Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
9) Under the ‘Mailings’ tab, select under ‘Start Mail Merge’ followed by ‘Step-by-Step Mail Merge
Wizard’.
10) A toolbar will appear on the right side of the screen. Select ‘Letters’ and then hit the Next:
Starting a document
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Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
11) Select the Use the current document toggle and hit Next: Select Recipients
12) Click Browse, navigate to the location of the excel document you edited in step 5, and doubleclick this file.
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Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
13) You will be prompted to select a sheet to use as the database table. Select the first sheet listed.
It should be named to correspond with the word document.
14) Select the recipients whose letters will be created. By default all recipients are selected. Click
OK.
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Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
15) Select the Next: Write your letter button
16) Select the Next: Preview your letters button
17) On the Mailings tab, ‘Preview Results’ Button should be selected.
18) Use the right and left arrow keys to preview each appointee’s letter. Pay close attention to
formatting and confirm that all relevant fields have successfully been merged into the
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Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
document.
19) If you notice an error, open the excel spreadsheet, fix the error, and save the excel document.
Return to the word document. Use the ‘Previous’ button in the wizard toolbar to return to the
‘Select recipients’ step in the wizard (3 out of 6).
20) Click the Select a different list… and follow steps 11 and 12 of this document.
21) Once you have previewed the letters, select the Next: Complete the merge button in the wizard
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Warning: This process involves handling sensitive PII. Ensure that sensitive information is only stored on
an approved MSU secure file-system. For more information, see the Enterprise Data Stewardship Policy
22) You will now be prompted to Print or Edit individual letters… If you are confident that the letters
are properly tailored to each recipient, click Print. Otherwise, select Edit individual letters to
change as needed.
23) Print the letters before deleting PII from excel spreadsheet. Delete any Word documents saved
to unsecure drives. Store excel spreadsheet on approved MSU secured file server OR delete GID
column.
24) Confirm that there is no PII remaining on your local computer.
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