As an editor for a few newsletters, I write to readers who write or complete feedback surveys. One of the newsletters gets several hundreds of responses with every issue. If that sounds overwhelming, the first issue alone got over 1000 responses! I use a few methods for handling large email jobs and use whichever depending on the mood. This one covers Word merge.

Anyone who has used Word’s merge features for letters and envelopes can do this using the same method by choose "E-mail messages" as the document type instead of the others. It works seamlessly with Outlook. Although, the help file indicates email merge works with any MAPI-compatible email program.

Information on merging Word docs with other email apps such as Eudora, Mozilla, and Pegasus is non-existent. If you know something, please comment.

Here are the steps for mail merge with Word, Excel, and Outlook done in Office XP (2002):

Create a basic letter template with the standard elements found in every letter. Such as the introduction, closing, and maybe a paragraph. We’ll call this Template.doc.

Also, most surveys have first and last name in the same column rather than as two separate columns. If this is the case as it is in this example, you can split it up with this trick. Insert five blank columns after the Name column. Select the Name column > Data > Text to Columns > Delimited > Next > Untick ‘Tab’ and Tick ‘Space’ > Next > Finish > OK (to replace columns).

We enter five blank columns because some people put names like John J. R. Doe, Jr., which takes up five columns. Better safe. After it’s done, you can delete the extra columns. Give the columns the correct heading names (FirstName, LastName).

Open new Word document (yes, you could use an existing document, but I’d rather mess up a fresh one than an existing one).

Tools > Letters and Mailings > Mail Merge Wizard

In Select document type, check "E-mail messages"Click "Next: Starting document."In Select starting document, check "Start from existing document."

Select the generic letter template aka Template.doc. If this is not in the list, select "(More files…)" to find the document.

Click "Next: Select receipients."

In Select receipients, check "Use an existing list." In Use an existing list, select "Browse." Browse for the Excel file with the data > click on the file > Open. Click OK > OK (you can select data like blank lines to omit from the mail merge). Note: Make sure Excel has only one tab in use (worksheet) otherwise it gets messy.

Click "Next: Write your letter." Add the fields into the letter. In this case, we’ll use "FirstName." Add it from the Mail Merge toolbar - it’s the icon to the left of "Insert Word Field." To get the toolbar, click Tools > Letters and Mailings > Show Mail Merge Toolbar.

Click "Next: Preview your letter." Follow the steps based on your needs. Here is where you can personalize each letter. OR, you can do what I do. I have Outlook set so that it won’t automatically send anything. In this case, all the emails go in the OUTBOX. I move them into DRAFTS where I personalize each one and hit send so they go back into the OUTBOX ready to go.

Click "Next: Complete the merge." (With preview) Here you can test to make sure messages show up correctly by clicking "Editing individual letters."

Click "Next: Complete the merge." (Without preview and send the email). Warning - when you start this process, it sends the emails right away. It does NOT wait till you click Send. Click on "Merge to E-mail" icon (second from the right in the Mail Merge toolbar).

It’ll ask for the subject line (see notes below) and you enter the info. From the "Mail format" drop-down, select "Plain text" or "HTML." [Note: If nothing happens… No error message… The emails don’t go out… then try selecting "Plain text." Also, Outlook should be your default email app.

When using "Plain Text," you may get popups saying "A program is trying to automatically send e-mail on your behalf…" for every email sent.] You can prevent Outlook from sending the emails by going to Tools > Options > Mail Setup > Untick "Send immediately when connected." If you can do this, then you can customize each email by going into the Outbox and editing the emails. If you can’t do this, go to the next paragraph.

If you cancel in the middle of the process, it will still send the emails you’ve done anyway even the canceled one. Cancel has no meaning in the process.

It isn’t a pretty process, but there are other options that work better.

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl’s notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn’t wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.

It is a well known fact that Java as a programming language set off a new paradigm in the software industry. Suddenly, every software programmer worth his salt was amidst software jargons like ‘Platform-Independence’, ‘Cross-Platform-Deployment’ and ‘The Java Virtual Machine’. In fact, it did not take long for Java to usurp the ‘most sought after status’ from many software languages, and become the most preferred tool for creating software; especially software for the web. As the recent trends in the industry show, Java is set to achieve an undeniable position as the most preferred software programming language for a long time to come. It is indeed Java’s credit that many prominent vendors who tried to emulate the capacities of Java, failed miserably in the endeavor.

The importance of Java in the software scenario has led to another major trend. Software vendors are either rewriting their existing products in Java, or are creating new products exclusively or partially in Java. This has led many analysts to question the need to port already existing applications to Java. While the prospects of porting small or medium sized software to Java may not attract concern, it assumes significance when we consider porting existing databases that could be handling millions of sensitive blocks of information. Similarly, experts also have to decide between deploying reputed databases, and new databases that have been entirely developed in Java, in their organizations. Analysts have to answer many pertinent questions like: What are the advantages of a Java RDBMS that would compel my company to switch to it? Would it be cost effective to change to an RDBMS that has all the advantages of Java? Would the costs involved in porting millions of existing records justify the perceived performance and scalability features of the Java RDBMS? How secure would be the new RDBMS? What is the learning curve that has to be tackled by the staff who may be assigned to this database? In fact, there are a host of questions that a concerned technical head may ask himself before taking that all important decision to switch to a Java RDBMS. Let’s try finding out some of the answers.

What are the advantages of a Java RDBMS?
OK, so we all know that Java is set to capture, or has already captured a sizeable chunk of the software market. However, how does that justify the use of a Java Database? After all, is not Java theoretically capable of integrating with any database? What advantages can be afforded by a Java RDBMS?

Well the answer is quite simple. Java RDBMS has, or supports, the much sought after qualities of Java, which is the most important reason to switch to it. Some of the Java RDBMS already available in the markets answers the immediate concerns of the Technical Lead in the most persuasive manner. For example, Daffodil DB, an RDBMS written in Java, considers the following as its core strengths:

Multiple Platform Portability
Small Size
Java Stored Procedures
Transparent to End User
Zero Administration Efforts

Some of these features are worth a second look.

One RDBMS, multiple avatars
Java RDBMS not only offers the advantages of Java, but also introduces new concepts that can revolutionize database programming techniques. For a start, the much famed portability of Java is the core strength of a Java RDBMS. Now, you don’t have to buy different RDBMS for different platforms within the same enterprise. Other than the cost factors, the biggest advantage such an arrangement can give is that in-house code need not be redesigned for different platforms. By standardizing the database that is used, programs working across platforms can interact transparently and effectively. Project managers would vouch that portability, synchronization and customization effort for software running on different platforms are some of the most time consuming and tension filled activities in the office. Now all these activities can be easily implemented with the Java RDBMS in its rightful place.

Store and use those procedures with abandon
Security buffs within the enterprise would always throw a tantrum when dealing with stored procedures. Traditionally, the implementation of stored procedures had been the responsibility of the specific application vendor, and most of them could crash the whole database due to internal errors, rendering precious time and money waste. Java stored procedures with its inbuilt security features is the new fad of security administrators who are finding it powerful, fast, and very safe. Java does not implement Pointers, and so is a safe bet for developers to write secure code and procedures. In addition, with the JVM overlooking all the activities (the sandbox approach), there is no scope for external access that could jeopardize mission critical enterprise applications.

Transparent to End User
Java technologies have always been in the forefront to give us seamless transparent applications with inbuilt security features being given the utmost importance. In a Java RDBMS, database components can be embedded in applications, and they can perform complex tasks without user intervention. In addition, the user need not know the complexities of the database because the embedded database components will do all the work for him without him even knowing about it. This allows the user to concentrate on his tasks rather than configuring databases, which is an auxiliary requirement. In addition, other routine activities like starting the server and repetitive configuring of the database can also be avoided. Perhaps the biggest advantage that Java RDBMS offers is that the user need not weigh the pros and cons about choosing a database vendor. This is because Java RDBMS being extremely portable can seamlessly integrate with almost all platforms, and the embedded components will handle all the chores of integrating with different vendor software. Java RDBMS can also be seamlessly operated across multiple platforms without the need to configure the database for each and every operating system.

Zero Administration Efforts
Java RDBMS comes in with zero administration efforts, which means that once installed and configured, your clients need not change their settings to suit new changes that you make in your database. Java RDBMS also does away with, or considerably reduces, the role of the Database Administrator because of its self-managed features, and its extremely scalable mode of operation.

If you have not thought of it yet, it is a good time to think about Java RDBMS. The time is not far away when the databases industry will be greatly influenced by the power and functionality of Java RDBMS.

About the Author:

This article has been contributed by (Mr.) Parveen Aggarwal, Technical Consultant to DSL India. With more than 6 years of industry experience in Java and allied technologies, he has an in-depth understanding of J2EE, J2ME and database management systems. Parveen is currently working on the concept of data-archiving in embedded databases. He can be contacted at parveenaggarwal@hotmail.com