Merge Form Maintenance
Overview of WP03
In order to generate merged output, forms must be first set up within the system. DDI Client Support will work with you to create the appropriate form, which is then saved to a merge directory created for your organization on the DDI server. Once the form is created and saved to the merge directory, it must be set up within the DDI Connect system.
- From the DDI Connect main menu, double-click Merge Forms System
- Double-click Setup
- Double-click Merge Form Maintenance. You will see a screen similar to this one:
To add a new form, click the Add button. You will now see the fields active for editing:
You have the following fields available to you:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Form Code | The unique code identifying this form. This code can be designated by your organization, and it is a required field |
| Default language | This indicates the language on the merge form. Currently, only English and Spanish are set up within the DDI Connect system |
| Description | A brief, unique description of this form |
| Template File | Select the template file that was set up for this merge. Click the folder icon to select from a list of available templates in your forms directory |
| Additional File | If the form you are setting up requires additional information, such as legal verbiage, that is found in an additional file, you can indicate that here. Click the folder icon to select the file containing this additional information |
| Stock code | Short description for the stock on which to print the merge form. Unless you print on a pre-defined form, most merge forms are configured as LETTER or ENVELOPE |
| # in batch | This sets the number of records to be merged in each batch. For example, if you are setting up a form that could have thousands of documents, you might wish to set the number in each batch to be 100 or 200. That way, the system will merge 100 records at a time until the end of the run is reached. DDI recommends that you set this number no higher than 200, as it allows the system to process large batches more efficiently |
| Key field | This is the number corresponding to the field containing key information. For example, you might use an account number or PIN as the key field. This is not a required field |
| Catalog merge? | This is used when you have multiple forms per page. Selecting this box will cause Microsoft Word to replicate the form as many times as it will fit on a page |
| Email type | If your organization utilizes electronic correspondence and this form will have an email type associated with it, select the email type by clicking on the drop down arrow to select from a list of configured email types. For information on how to set up email types, reference this page: Email Correspondence Maintenance |
| Purge? | This tells the system whether or not to purge data for this form. Answering "Every X days" will open the field #Days before purge. Since forms are retained in the correspondence history for constituents, DDI recommends that this field be set to Never |
Once you have set up the form, click Save to retain your changes.
For information on the fields associated with the form, please contact DDI Client Support for assistance.
Applying Merge Form Emails
To apply a Merge Form Email, highlight the form you would like to apply an Email type to and click “Edit” in the toolbar.
You will now be able to edit the “Email type” field. Use the dropdown to indicate which Email type should be used.
Once you have selected the appropriate email, click Save to retain your changes.
