PUB97: Mail Merge Filters and Sorts Sometimes Case-Sensitive

If you use a Microsoft Publisher address list or a Microsoft Access database as the data source for a mail merge, your filtering and sorting will not be case sensitive. If you use a text file, Microsoft Excel worksheet, or most other types of files as a data source, your filtering and sorting WILL be case sensitive.

"Case sensitive" means that lowercase letters are treated differently from uppercase letters (usually, uppercase A-Z followed by lowercase a-z).

In a non-case sensitive sort, both uppercase and lowercase letters are treated in the same way. For example, if you have a list that includes the elements "Cat," "dog," "apple," and "Bat," and you sort it with a case- sensitive sort, it will be sorted as follows: If you sort the same list with a non-case sensitive sort, it will be sorted like this: Both Microsoft Access and Microsoft Publisher's address list tool create files in the Microsoft Database (.mdb) format. This is the format the Mail Merge database engine uses internally. Databases of other formats are converted. Converted formats are case sensitive, .mdb files are not.