Custom Forms Using Side by Side Extract and Mail Merge

You can use the Side by Side Comparison report to create your own forms in conjunction with Microsoft Word's Mail Merge functionality.

Generating the Data Source

To start, you will need to generate an Excel file that contains your tracked changes by following these steps:

1   In OrgPlus Premium, turn on Track Changes and make changes in the org chart.

2   On the Track Changes panel, select the Excel Report icon.

3   Click Side by Side Comparison.

4   Check the Prepare for Mailmerge box. You have the choice of exporting all changes, or just those for a specific transaction.

5   Go to the Select Fields tab.

6   Select the fields that you want to include on your PAN report.

7   Click OK.

8   By default, the file saves to the Track Changes subfolder of your My Charts folder (or directly into the My Charts folder if no Track Changes subfolder exists). Note the file name or save the Excel report where you can easily find it (i.e., your computer’s desktop). Click Save.

Creating the Form

You can create a form from scratch in Microsoft Word, or use one of the sample PANs, located in the PAN Samples folder under your OrgPlus Premium installation (most likely C:\Program Files\HumanConcepts\OrgPlus 9\PANSamples). If you are using a sample form, the default fields may not be the same as the fields you would like to include. Adjust the fields by following the steps below. You can also use your company’s existing form if it is in a Microsoft Word format.

Once you have created your form:

In Microsoft Office Word 2007

1    Open Microsoft Office Word 2007. Click on the Mailings tab.

2   Click on Select Recipients.

3    Choose Use Existing List.

4   Select the Excel document you exported from OrgPlus Premium (see Generating the Data Source for more information).

5   A dialogue box appears asking if you should use Sheet1$ and if the first row contains headers (keep this box checked). Click OK.

6   Highlight where you want a data field to appear, click Insert Merge Field, and select the desired field. Click Insert.

7   You can see what your form will look like by clicking Preview Results. Use the arrows next to Preview Results to cycle through the individuals in your Excel file.

8   When you are finished, click Finish & Merge and choose the desired option: Edit Individual Documents, Print Documents or Send E-mail Messages.

In Microsoft Office Word 2003

1   Open Microsoft Office Word 2003. Click on the Tools menu, select Letters and Mailings and then Mail Merge.

2   A Mail Merge pane appears on the right side of your screen.

3   Select Letters and click Next: Starting document.

4   Select User Current Document and click Next: Select Recipients.

5   Click Use an existing list and click Next: Write Your Letter.

6   Select the Excel document you exported from OrgPlus Premium (see “Generating the Data Source” section).

7   A dialogue box appears, asking if you should use Sheet1$ and if the first row contains headers (keep this box checked). Click OK.

8   A list of all the individuals included in your Excel document appears. All individuals are checked by default. Uncheck to exclude any individuals. Click OK.

9   Click Next: Write Your Letter.

10 Highlight that area where you want a data field to appear, and choose More items on the Mail Merge pane. A list of your fields appears. Choose the field you would like to insert.

11 Click Next: Preview your letters when you have added all of the fields you would like to include.

12 Microsoft Word displays a preview of your report. In the Mail Merge pane, click the arrows to cycle through the individuals in your Excel file.

13 Click Next: Complete the merge.

14 On the Mail Merge pane, select Print or Edit individual letters to finalize your documents.

Reusing the Form

Once you have created your form you can re-use it as often as needed without having to go through all the above steps. When you first open your form, Microsoft Word will ask you if it is okay to run a SQL command to load the data. Click OK. When you export your data from OrgPlus Premium, you can save over the existing Excel form or save the new Excel file with a new name. If you save over the existing form, you will be able to preview your results immediately. If you create a new file, you will first have to point Microsoft Word to the new Excel file.