Export Microsoft Outlook Contacts for import into an OpenOffice.org Base database

May 25, 2008 in Specific Computer Information, openoffice.org
Tags: calc, contacts, envelopes, export, forms, mail, mail merge, merge, openoffice.org, outlook, printing, writer

When I say left-click I mean a single left-click. I will specify a double left-click. Right-click always means a single right-click.

Who should read this:

Readers should already have a basic familiarity with the different applications included with OpenOffice.org, Wrtier, Calc, Impress, Math, and Draw. It will help to know how to launch those programs from the Start menu or desktop. You will need to have Contacts stored in Microsoft Outlook 2003 and you should want to use that information with OpenOffice.org 2.4.0 merge features for, at least, printing envelopes and personalized form letters.

• Open Microsoft Outlook.
• Left-click on File.
• Left-click on Import and Export.
• Left-click on Export to a file, under Choose an action to perform:, to highlight it.
• Left-click on Next> to continue exporting.
• Left-click on Microsoft Excel under Create a file of type:.
• Left-click on Next to continue.
• Left-click on Contacts under Select folder to export from:.
• Left-click on Next> to continue.
• Type or Browse to a location where the exported file can be easily retrieved, under Save exported file as:.
• Left-click on Next> to continue.
• Left-click on Map Custom Fields.

• Left-drag the information available in the left column to the list on the right so the Mapped from list contains something like Title, First Name, Last Name, Company, Job Title, Business Street, Business Street 2, Business City, Business State, Business Postal Code, Business Phone, Business Phone 2, Home Phone, Mobile Phone, Categories, E-mail Address, Web Page and Gender in close to that order.
• Make sure everything you want to fill your database in the Value section on the left is listed under the Mapped from column near Field in the right section.
  • Also if you are exporting friends & family instead of business contacts then you should change when I say Business Street to be Home Street, Business Phone 2 to Home Phone 2, etc… Take a note of anything you change in the list I gave you of fields to export. You will need that information later.
• Left-click on OK to continue.
• Left-click on Finish to export your contact list.

• Open OpenOffice.org Base.
• Base should load the Database Wizard at start-up.
• Left-click on the circle in front of it if Create a new database is not the default selection.
• Left-click Next to continue.

• The default settings Yes, register the database for me and Open the database for editing should only be selected.
• Left-click Finish to create an empty database in OpenOffice.org Base.
• Name the file and browse to save the database to a common location and left-click OK.
• Now open the Microsoft Excel file you exported from Microsoft Outlook 2003 in OpenOffice.org Calc.
  • The information we’ve exported from Outlook 2003 so far is only for business contacts & addresses. I collect the Categories information from my Outlook 2003 Contacts so I can sort my exported spreadsheet with Calc. Then I can remove the contacts that don’t belong in my database, like family. I remove their rows so they aren’t included in my business mailings. You could create a business contact database and a home contact database using this category sorting method also.
  • To Sort, you can highlight everything in Calc if you hold Ctrl while pressing and releasing the A key.
  • While holding the Ctrl key down again, left-click on Row 1 to deselect.
  • With everything but the top row highlighted left-click on Data in the top menu.
  • Left-click on Sort…
  • In my exported file the Catergories column is Column O. Find the correct column for you and select it under Sort by from it’s drop down menu near Acending.
  • Choosing Acending is fine.
  • Left-click OK to sort based on the columns you selected.
  • Now you can highlight and delete the rows with old or unneeded contacts.
    • Right-click on the row numbers to the left of the spreadsheet. Left-click Delete Row.
    • Hold the Shift key and use the Arrow keys to select multiple rows to delete all at once.
    • Hold the Ctrl key to left-click on multiple row numbers before deleting the unneeded rows of contact information.
• You need to highlight everything in the OpenOffice.org Calc document by holding the Ctrl key while you press the A key once the businesses/people you want included in your database are the only businesses/people listed.
• To copy everything to the clipboard once everything is highlighted hold down the Ctrl key while you press the C key.
• Switch back to OpenOffice.org Base.
• Left-click on Tables under Database in the left column.
• Right-click on the white space in the middle of the OpenOffice.org Base main window somewhere just below where it says Tables and left-click on Paste to import the contact information you just copied from OpenOffice.org Calc.

• Change the Table name to something you understand like contacts
• Left-click the box in front of Create primary key to select that option if should be checked.
• Leave Name set to ID.
• Left-click next to continue.

• Left-click the double arrows, in the middle, that point to the right, so that everything moves from under Exisiting Columns to the right side for inclusion when you create your new database table.
• Left-click Next to continue.
• The Type formatting window lets you set the names of the columns in your table. To better match what OpenOffice.org is going to be looking for, you should set the proper Field names. You can skip the next step and match the fields manually each time you create a new document if you would rather.
• ID, Title = Remain the same. Put a space between FirstName, LastName and JobTitle. Change Company to Company Name. Change BusinessStreet1 to Address Line 1. Change BusinessStreet2 to Address Line 2. Change BusinessCity1 to City. Change BusinessState1 to State. Change BusinessPostalCode1 to ZIP. Change HomePhone or MobilePhone to Telephone private. Change BusinessPhone1 to Telephone business. Change EmailAddress to E-mail address. Change Gender1 to Gender.
  • If you exported home addresses from Outlook instead of business addresses then you need to match the field changes based on the notes you took.
• Left-click Create to create the new contacts table in your now populated database.
• Close OpenOffice.org Calc.
• Close OpenOffice.org Base and save the database again if prompted.
• You now have a contact database you can use as a source in OpenOffice.org Writer to print envelopes and personalized form letters.

I’ll write more on how to do that later.