RE Mail Conditional Letters

Steve Walsh 3 · July 2016

I've built a simple conditional letter merge using the Word Merge Wizard in Mail. I'm using a query and the only filters I'm using are letter code "one of" 2 letter codes and gifts of LT $250. When I click on merge it has taken 10 minutes so far and is still processing. There are, maybe, a thousand letters in all but I don't see any reason why it is taking so long to process. Any suggestions?

We are hosted.

Steve Walsh

Brenda Heyer · July 2016

Here, I have tried Ctrl Alt Delete to bring
the task manager up. Under applications, I see the mail merge
running and when I double click on the word merge icon, the letters
generate faster than if I wait for RE to finish the task.

If you click on task manager and look under
applications, do you see the mail merge running?

Brenda Heyer
Development
Manager Database and Information

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|
Toll Free: 1.877.399.2333

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Alan French · July 2016

WWhen we run our acknowledgement letters, we often find that it looks as though it's still processing but the letter has actually popped up behind the active window - you might be able to use ALT+TAB to scroll through all the open windows and find your letter.

Cathleen Mai · July 2016

Steve Walsh:

I've built a simple conditional letter merge using the Word Merge Wizard in Mail. I'm using a query and the only filters I'm using are letter code "one of" 2 letter codes and gifts of LT $250. When I click on merge it has taken 10 minutes so far and is still processing. There are, maybe, a thousand letters in all but I don't see any reason why it is taking so long to process. Any suggestions?

We are hosted.

Steve Walsh

Steve, could this be the issue?

https://kb.blackbaud.com/articles/Article/45255
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/825765

John Demarce 2 · July 2016

Are you on hosted or local RE? When my organization switched to hosted RE, we experienced a considerable decline in the speed of letter merges that has never improved. Even a single letter takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Faith Murray · July 2016

Steve Walsh

Wow, we use Conditional merge and it only takes about one minute (max) to open the files. We just began using them, so I haven't tried it with a batch of more than maybe 50 letters (we're in our slow season right now). I could see 1000 letters taking a little while to open - Conditional merge is much slower than actually merging straight from Word from an Excel file - but John's descrip of 5-10 minutes just to open one letter seems tedious. I think at that point I'd switch to a simple mail export and then merge in Word from a merge template. What's the point in using Mail Merge if it slows you down instead of speeding you up?

Kim Roesing · July 2016

We also use conditional mail merge, but with that being said, we have click on the letter, minimize raiser's edge behind, put the open window in the corner, click merge move that window to corner of the screen, click yes/no depending on what you prefer (mark letters acknowledged window), then yes for the next window, we need to do it twice but you might not have to. Then the letters show up. This started a few years ago with one of the upgrades.

Steve Walsh 3 · July 2016

Brenda Heyer:

Here, I have tried Ctrl Alt Delete to bring the task manager up. Under applications, I see the mail merge running and when I double click on the word merge icon, the letters generate faster than if I wait for RE to finish the task.

If you click on task manager and look under applications, do you see the mail merge running?

Brenda Heyer
Development Manager Database and Information

116 Spadina Avenue, Suite 300, Toronto, ON, M5V 2K6 | Tel: 416.323.9521 x259 | Toll Free: 1.877.399.2333

Twitter: envirodefence | Facebook: EnvironmentalDefenceCanada
Defending clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
Check out our new website: EnvironmentalDefence.ca

We are Canada's most effective environmental action organization. We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all.

Help inspire change today! Make a charitable donation in support of Environmental Defence.

Thanks Brenda. I gave it a try but it didn't work for me, it still took a long time to process. The number of letters in the set I was working on was 401 and took 5 - 10 minutes for RE to create.

Steve Walsh

Development System Manager

Capuchin Soup Kitchen

Steve Walsh 3 · July 2016

Cathleen Mai:

Steve Walsh:

I've built a simple conditional letter merge using the Word Merge Wizard in Mail. I'm using a query and the only filters I'm using are letter code "one of" 2 letter codes and gifts of LT $250. When I click on merge it has taken 10 minutes so far and is still processing. There are, maybe, a thousand letters in all but I don't see any reason why it is taking so long to process. Any suggestions?

We are hosted.

Steve Walsh

Steve, could this be the issue?

https://kb.blackbaud.com/articles/Article/45255
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/825765

Cathleen,

No, that doesn't appear to be the problem as that particular message doesn't appear.

Thanks

Steve Walsh

Development System Manager

Capuchin Soup Kitchen

Aimee Snyder · July 2016

Steve,

This happens to us as well - if so many subscribers to RE are having problems, why isn't BB taking steps to remedy the situation?

David Springer · July 2016

Hi Steve!

As Brenda mentioned, conditional mailings tend to take longer to process than simple mailings, so 5-10 minutes for 400 letters may not be too surprising. With that said, a number of different factors determine how long a mailing takes, so if it does seem unusually slow (like 5-10 minutes for one letter), it may be best to reach out to our support team. They can help track down if there's a hidden error or problem with the mailing that can be fixed with a small change.

Here are a few questions I always ask to determine whether the processing speed is normal or not:

If you run the mailing for half the number of letters, does it take half the time to process?
- If not-- for example, if any mailing takes 10 minutes regardless of whether it has 5 or 500 letters-- there may be a problem.
Does the mailing take the same amount of time for all Raiser's Edge users and for all Blackbaud Hosting Services users?
- Sometimes a user's profile needs to be refreshed or reset, so confirming that all users see the same behavior shows it's not a profile problem.
Do other mailings of comparable complexity take the same amount of time to process?
- Occasionally a problem with the mailing parameters will make that mailing slow down or behave unexpectedly. If it's the only one that processes slowly, I'd try recreating it to see if that helps.

RE Mail Conditional Letters

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