Mail Merge

Mail Merge templates define how record data is inserted from Archer into a Microsoft Word® document or PDF file using the Mail Merge functionality. You can use Mail Merge functionality for conducting successive vendor assessments, SOX compliance reviews, and capturing information at a specific point in time.

Mail Merge terminology

The following table defines Mail Merge terminology.

Term	Definition
Alias	A unique name that identifies a field. When you work with a field in the Application Builder, an alias is located to the right of the Field Name.
Exported File	The final output generated from an Export template with data merged from a record.
Export Template	The Microsoft Word document with merge code that is uploaded to the Mail Merge template area from the Administration menu.
Mail Merge	A Microsoft Word feature that is used to create reports.
Mail Merge Template	An entity in Archer that contains the status of the Export Template, the Export Template itself, and access settings about the Export Template.

Available field types for Mail Merge

The following list shows field types that are available for Mail Merge.

Note: To improve performance, it is recommended to limit the data you enter in the text field. While you can paste large volumes of text, keeping entries concise is more effective.

Note: If you insert an unsupported file type into the image field, the Mail Merge output document will not include the image. However, if you're merging a list of image names, the unsupported file type name will still appear in the list.
If you add an unsupported image type to an RTE field in Archer, the output document will show a placeholder for the image, but it will not display any image.

Create a Mail Merge template in Microsoft Word

1. In a Microsoft Word document, click the Insert tab.
2. In the Text section, click Quick Parts > Field.
3. From the Categories drop-down menu, select Mail Merge.
4. From the Field Names list, select MergeField.
5. In the Field Properties panel, in the Field Name field, enter the alias of the Archer field you want.
6. Click OK.

The field is inserted into the Mail Merge template.

7. Adjust the Mail Merge syntax as needed. For more information, see Mail Merge Syntax.
8. Repeat steps 1 to 7 to add additional fields to the Mail Merge template.
9. Add the completed report template to a Mail Merge template in Archer. For more information, see Adding Report Templates to a Mail Merge Template.

Note: You can choose to display either the Mail Merge code itself or the code output. Ensure you update both sides of the code using F9, as noted below.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists keyboard shortcuts you can use to create a Mail Merge template.

Shortcut Keys	Description
Alt+F9	Toggles merge code for the entire document.
Shift+F9	Toggles merge code for selected fields. You can highlight 1 or more fields, and then press Shift+F9 to toggle the merge code for the highlighted fields.
Ctrl+F9	Creates merge code braces for a field. Enter the relevant merge field code within the braces.
F9	Updates the field by committing changes to both sides of the merge field toggle.
Ctrl+Shift+F9	Strips merge code from selected fields.