Frequently asked questions

SUPPORT

How do I combine columns (of data) in Excel?

If you have a database in which the street address is broken up into two fields (e.g., "street number" and "street name"), then you will not be able to import it properly into any of our software. You will need to combine the two fields into one data field. This can be done in Excel:

Open the file in Excel.
Are there field headers (e.g., "NAME", "ADDRESS") in the first row of your database?
    a. If so, continue to step 3.
    b. If not, you will need to create field headers.
        i. Click on cell A1.
        ii. On the menu bar, select Insert then Rows.
        iii. Type in a field header for each column that describes the data contained in that particular column.
           NOTE: DO NOT USE SPACES IN YOUR FIELD HEADERS. USE UNDERSCORES INSTEAD.
In the top row (row 1), click on the cell immediately to the right of the two fields (columns) you wish to combine.
Example: "Street Number" is in column K; "Street Address" is in column L; click on cell M1 (the cell immediately to the right of both columns).
On the menu bar, click on Insert then Columns. A new, empty column will be created.
In the top cell of the empty column (row 1, where the field header would be), type in an equal sign (=) to mark this as a formula.
After the equal sign, type in the column letter of the first field you wish to combine, followed by the number 1 for the first row. At this point, you'll have something which looks like this (from the example above): =K1
After the number 1, type in an ampersand (&), which is the concatenate symbol.
Type in a quotation mark ("), then a space, and then another quotation mark (").
Type in an ampersand.
Type in the column letter of the second field you wish to combine, followed by the number 1. You should now have a line which looks like this (from the example above): =K1&" "&L1
Hit Enter. The contents of that cell should change. The highlight box should now be on the second row.
Select (highlight) the cell in the new column again (the cell you just typed the formula into).
Move your mouse pointer to the bottom-right corner of that cell. When the mouse pointer turns into a black plus sign (+), click and drag down the entire column (using the left mouse button), down to the end of your database. (The column should be getting highlighted as you move down.) When you release the mouse button, the entire column should now be filled with new data.
Hit CTRL + A to highlight all of the cells in the spreadsheet.
On the menu bar, select Format, Column, AutoFit Selection. The contents of every cell should now be fully displayed.
Click on cell A1. Make sure that everything is no longer highlighted.
The new column that you created in the steps above should now contain both of the data from the other two fields combined.
Example (from above): If column K was "1234" and column L "Main Street", column M would now read "1234 Main Street"
Do you have a ZIP Code column? If so, do the following:
a. Click on the column letter (in the gray box at the top) of the Zip Code column. The entire column will be highlighted.
b. On the menu bar, click on Format then Cells. Under Category, select "Text".
Finally, select File, then Save As. Be sure to note where the file is being saved (in the "Save In" field, at the top).
a. If you are importing this file into DAZzle Express, save this file as an Excel spreadsheet (not workbook; .XLS file).
b. For Alpha Mailer, Envelope Manager, DAZzle Designer, and DAZzle Plus, save this file as a DBF 4 (.DBF).

If you are still having problems merging the two fields, then please contact Technical Support.