Troubleshooting Merge Letter Problems

Following are solutions to some common problems that may occur when merging the data file with the form file.

• Before merging, choose File > Open, and make sure the directory chosen is the one where you stored the data file and letters.
• If you are prompted to convert the data file, select to convert the file as a Windows or Unicode file for Microsoft Word 2000 or as a Windows file for Microsoft Word 2003.
• If you are prompted to specify delimiters, enter | (pipe) as the field delimiter and # (pound sign) as the record delimiter.
• If you start the merge and get error messages about nesting too deeply, the form letter(s) may not be set up correctly. For Attendance and Behavior, start your merge with one document that only has the {INCLUDE- TEXT{MERGEFIELD file_name}} command in it.
• If you receive a message that a record has too few fields, make sure that none of your students have double quotes in names or addresses. Microsoft Word does not interpret double quotes.