Merge into same document using different data sources

[Heather, Frustrated Merger]

I have a template file that I use as a mailer. Each week I set up my merge
fields and merge from an excel data file. The following week I want
everything to look exactly the same but want to merge from a different excel
list. I open the publication, tell it to proceed without connection to the
datasource (my old list), choose tools, mail merge, use an existing list ...
and all of my perfectly placed merge fields disappear! So every time I want
to use another list I have to put my merge fields in again. My headers are
the same in every excel file so mapping should not be a problem. I've tried
adding my merge fields into a master page and saving my file as a template.
How can I preserve my mail merge fields?

 

[LVTravel]

While I don't do this with Excel I do it regularly with Word. The simplest
way is to copy one of the excel files and rename it to MERGEDATA or
something like that. Create your template file using that file. The second
time simply copy the new data file to MERGEDATA and overwrite the old
mergedata file. This should preserve the merge information in your
template.

Let us know if this is as successful with Excel as it is with Word.


"Heather, Frustrated Merger" <Heather, Frustrated
(e-mail address removed)> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

 

[LVTravel]

OOPS wrong NG. Still should work with Excel data and Publisher as the
template. The file that gets copied is the Excel file, not the Publisher
template file.

Again, let us know if the copy to file works.