Multiple Data Merge - Problem Resolve... Sort Of

I've researched this issue all morning and found issues dating back to 2012 regarding the problems with Indesign's Multiple Record Data Merge. Many of the issues are answered with the basic set up. Create a new page as a single page and non facing page document. It appears that an earlier bug was resolved that caused data merge documents to be placed off center when produced. The issue that I was experiencing was similar to what I had seen but not covered or not answered when it appeared someone was posting a question about it.
I started with a single page document, non-facing page, no initial text box, and sized to 8.5'' x 11''. I'm layout out name badges 10-up on a page. I had a previous template that had some graphics in the background for alignment purposes. I created a blank master page and a record holder for the name badge then loaded my data source, placed my data entries, and styled accordingly. Upon creating a data merge I selected Multiple Record and then previewed the data merge and positioned the elements on the page using the data merge controls top, left and column placement commands.
The preview looked perfect. The problem came when I finished the final data merge. The resulting page was not correct and looked nothing like the preview. Records were strewn about the page and excessive amounts of pages were created. I spent 4 hours trouble shooting this, far more than this project was billed. At this point it was a mission. In a reply dated back around 2013 I found that someone had removed a layer from their document. I had no layers. The only thing that was not a part of the actual data merge was the graphics that I had on the page for positioning that were not tied to the data merge at all.
I decided to delete these graphics and try to apply the data merge again. The results were perfect. I'm deducing from this experiment that the data merge needs to be done on a blank page. Which is counter productive to the Indesign mater page template. Any elements on the page need to exist as a a part of your data entry group and no other elements on the page. You only create one data entry group in the top corner of the page then use the data merge panel to position and duplicate. Otherwise, you will get a single page for each record you have with each record set 10-up in my case.
Recap:
Create a single non-facing page document with no intial text box. (if you have more than one page the Multiple Records option will be grayed out)
Only have 1 layer in this document
Set a single data entry set/group on the master page.
Do not include any other graphics. Put them in after the data merge.
Click the Create Merged Document button in the data merge panel
Select "Multiple Records" from the drop down list
Click the Multiple Record Layout tab at the top of the Data Merge panel
Click "Preview Multiple Record Layout" at the bottom of the Data Merge panel so you can see the Entry Sets with the data in place
Use the Margins and Layout or Records inputs to position the elements on the document (see note below)
Click OK when everything is in place the way you like it.
After the data merge is complete you will have a new document that should look like you want it to. Now you can go into this document and start adding your design elements.
NOTE: Positioning the content without the base graphics can be tough if not impossible. What I did in this situation is placed my positioning guides on the page then went through Steps 1-9 to set up the document for merge. Once my settings were set I then clicked "Cancel" and deleted my positioning guides and graphics. The problem I was having was due to these elements being on the page. Once I created the document I then pasted my template guides back into the final data merged master page for production.
Request to ADOBE: Fix this issue so we can design our layouts and position our data merge elements without having to backtrack.

If you insist in multi-record data merge, you can have static/variable graphic and text components work. But, create a 3.5 x 2 frame (3.75 x 2.25 card w/bleed) around all of these components, and make sure nothing extends beyond this bounding frame. If the composition prevents you from enclosing all components, then make a PDF of content that is imported in as one graphic.
Another suggestion: don't combine the functions of variable data merge with imposition.
Create a 1up layout of business card to data merge the variable info.
From this file, export to PDF.
Then impose the individual cards with: an imposition app, PDF plug-in, Indesign script, or even manual placement into another document.

Similar Messages

IDCS3: Data Merge Problems

I have to admit, this is the first time I've tried the Data Merge function in InDesign. I have a pile of name badges that I need to get the names and departments on, but I've been running into some fun problems.
I have a tab-delimited and a comma-separated version of my data from Excel (just an FYI, both versions do the same thing). I have my three columns, "FirstName", "LastName" and "Department". The layout in my InDesign document should be set up correctly. I have just one instance of my badge on the page.
Where the problem is coming in is here. When I go to the "Create Merged Document..." option in the Data Merge palette, I have the "Records per Document Page" set to "Multiple Records." I then check the "Preview Multiple Record Layout" check box and the page populates with 8 of my name badges on the page. In the preview, all the names populate correctly on the preview page. Cool, that's what I need. But when I click "OK" and it begins the actual merge and creates the new document, what I get is the right number of name badges, but it's populated the text spaces with the information from line 16 of my data source on the entire document. It doesn't matter which version of the source I use or what information is on line 16. It always comes out with a complete document of just line 16's info on all the badges.
I have screen shots of the three steps and what I'm seeing:
http://www.insanityarts.com/tmp/01-Setup.jpg
http://www.insanityarts.com/tmp/02-Preview.jpg
http://www.insanityarts.com/tmp/03-MergeError.jpg
Is there something wrong that I'm missing? Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
--Tim--

Tim, you have taken all the proper steps for a Data Merge to work properly. You could try placing either of your tab-delimited or comma-separated files into another Indesign document, and then show hidden characters to reveal any unusual characters that might be lurking around line 16. If you do discover any abnormalities, you can clean it up, and then export a text file to be used as your data source.

Cs3 indesign data merge problem

usung csv from mac numbers spread sheet
it has 2 columns @photo and numbers ( this column has sequential numbers)
i create the datamerge no problem at all except
some of the panels have no photos but do have the number
how can i delete the data that has no photo
i have tried going to my csv filea nd deleting the row that has no photo or there was something wrong with the image
same problem
i have tried deleting the file row --that is the row that numbers created--same problem
any help is appreciated
peter

made one more attempt and it is obvious i am missing a crucial step-- bear
with me
all done on desktop so no path is needed
i go to iphoto and drag 12 photos into my spreadsheet ( mac numbers)
in column a called @photo--i have left a few rows on top blank and called
the column @photo
i created column b and entered sequentially the number of the row which
corresponds to the photo column
data saved in csv format
i go to id
create a new document
create 8 x 11 inch document
create guides 2 rows 2 columns
in row1 column 1 i create a box and below it in the same panel another box
i start data merge
select data--data csv file is found
i select one of the boxes and select @photo
and in the other box number
i select in datamerge options
multiple records per page
and select ok
numbers show up but not photos
i have gone thru tutorial and others on this--- i know i am doing something
right as my other attempts semi work
hope i am not being a pia but it is a pain--i understand about the path but
i keep all my images and data in the same directory so i understand no path
is needed
i keep wondering do the blank rows on top of the column create this problem?
take care
peter

Multiple data merge results on one page

Good morning everyone,
I am trying to set-up the menus for my upcoming wedding, where everyone has already chosen what they are having. I have created a .csv file with four columns - Name, Starter, Main, Dessert.
As I am printing these off at home, I want them to be half A4 size (105mm x 297mm), with two menus per page.
However, by doing the normal Data Merge, I end up with having the same menu twice on each page. So both menus on the page are for the same person.
How do I set it up so that I can have two different menus, the next entries in the .csv file, on the same page?
Thanks in advance.
Simon

Sounds like you tried to put two menus onthe page and run a multi-record merge.
To merge multiple records you use only one set of placeholders on your page. Put it in the upper left position. ID will duplicate it as many timeas as will fit using the spacing parameters you specify. It's often helpful to use an empty frame with no stroke to define the area to make setting the sapcing easier. Group it with your text frame(s).

Master page spread - data merge problem

ok - I prematurely posted b4 that I could successfully do this but am stuck with one problem that is a show stopper.
I have a master page spread [left and right pages] which has several fields which I populate on over 200 pages with data merge. I got this to work ok but teh snag is that the merge only works on teh first master page - and since InDesig automatically starts with a right hand page - this would be teh 2nd page of my spread - I can get both pages to merge data correclty but I wind up with a starting right hand page - then a left hand page facing a right hand page which is not for hte same record but the record below it. Is tehre any way aroudn this? Is tehre any way I can force inDesign to start with a left hand page?

whohee - it worked - thanks a bunch - you guys in this forum are gre
at!

Multiple data merges on one page

I have created a postcard that I need to be sent out to clients. To save money, we have put three postcards on one 12 x 18 sheet of paper. I am trying to put three data merges on each sheet for customers addresses. Is this possible? I can provide an image if necessary.

Hi ryaniscreative,
This is absolutely possible, I do this often for variable data nametags on Avery labels. However, our printer should be able to automatically get this done for you if you are printing this digitally. Our Cannon printers have the capability position files (front and back) 2-up, 3-up, etc. I am sure this is the case for most digital printers on the market. Ask your printer and they should do this automatically, in which case you would build the file at full-size and Data Merge as normal.
Never-the-less, here is how to do it manually:
1. Create your 12" x 18" document in InDesign CC(2014).
2. Drag your postcard art into the 12" x 18" document and create Crop Marks manually for this postcard template art.
3. Position this postcard template art to the upper left corner of the document.
4. Map all of your variables as normal to this one postcard template art on both pages to your .CSV file.
5. In your Data Merge Palette, and in the Drop Down Menu in the Upper Right Corner, select Create Merged Document.
6. Under the Records for Document Page section, select Multiple Records and then at the bottom of the dialog box select Preview Multiple Record Layout.
7. Click on the Multiple Record Layout tab.
8. Adjust the margins and column spacing in the dialog boxes according to your intent of positioning and the specs of the design.
9. Hit OK to have InDesign begin creating a merged document out of all of your list variables.**
**If you want to simply generate a PDF then in Step 5, instead of selecting Create Merged Document, hit Export to PDF.
NOTE: This can only be done with a one-sided design. If you need to print graphics on the other side of the postcard (for mailing purposes of course) you will have to do this process again exactly the same way, in a separate InDesign document and then manually create new pages between the existing front side pages and paste in place, from one InDesign document to the other.

Data Merge - Problem with multi paragraph text

Hi. Does anyone know how to use Data Merge for automating say a newsletter. The reason I ask is that when I produce a .csv file that contains stories with paragraphs, data merge reads the para returns as the next row/record of data. I have contained the story within " " marks and it reads OK into a demo of easy catalog, but data merge just gets all confused. Is anyone using data merge to automate newsletters / catalogues that have lots of text with para returns etc. I read in the adobe online manual that there cannot be any para returns in text because that's how data merge recognises a new record. Just thought someone might know a trick at the data source stage to get around this. Might be a stupid question but had to ask because it's annoying the hec out of me!
Thanks in advance.

wouldn't use data merge for this kind of automation, but rather XML, which is a bigger learning curve but worth the effort. a book by james maivald called
A Designer Guide to Adobe InDesign and XML.
data merge is great when the data being replaced is the same size, shape and position on each page, but with a newsletter, thats not normally the case and there is no way of threading the merged stories. i'd also imagine that having the stories within a CSV would limit characters which could be used such as " , and tabs (anything which separates the fields). as you say in your post, indesign doesn't have what a lesser program (word) DOES have, which is the "next record" field, allowing text to thread from one story to the next.
an alternative would be to use a word file with styles and use the mail merge (catalogue merge) which allows the "next record" field, merge it in word, and then bring the word file in. it's a yucky alternative but it does work.

InDesign Data Merge problem with field names

Hi to all.
I am trying to create a sales catalog with data merge. I have product name, description, old price, new price and image. However, when I select my .csv file as data source, InDesign recognizes different fields as one and puts them all together. I tried copying and pasting to new spreadsheet, retyping the info myself, saving as tab delimited and as comma delimited file. To better illustrate, here are exemplary screenshoots:
Please help, I don't understand what I am doing wrong. I'm a regular InDesign user for almost a decade, but I haven't used DataMerge until now, never needed it. I have basic knowledge in Excel, so if I did something wrong there please inform me (do I have to tell it somehow to "split" them into fields?).
Thank you in advance!

I would recommend to test with different export types in Excel like:
Tab-Divided txt files instead of csv or with different decoding.
When you have learned which is working fine, you can select this always in the future.
(There is also a possibility inside InDesign to change the type between tab separated text and CSV. In my experience it depends very much on the Excel version which would work. Microtrash has a bad history in localizing their programs, e.g. here in German, in numbers we write coma instead of a point, a point of a coma, so decided MS to exchange it every where on the Mac version with the outcome, that CSV files are not coma separated but dot separated and are not working on any data base import. So I can only use tab separated files.)

Multiple data display problem

Hi ,
I have one problem regarding NLS_LANG, please advice.
I have a table on source machine which stores the data in different language (German, Danish, Russian Cyrillic) but these data shows as "???????" on command prompt as well as on Toad when access it from client machine.
I know that displaying any kind of data depends on local NLS_LANG but what NLS_LANG I have to set so that it can display different language together. I am able to display data separately for German, Danish and Russian Cyrillic when I change NLS_LANG and location in client accordingly but unable to display all language together.
Default setting for NLS_LANG on client machine is AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8MSWIN1252.
Please advise common NLS_LANG for all three language (German, Danish, Russian Cyrillic).
Thanking You

Similar issue has been discussed in the below thread :
NLS_LANG setting for a client with multiple Oracle servers
Re: how to insert multi language data to oracle database
You can use iSQL*Plus which have Multiple Language Support.
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14357/ch11.htm#i1026151
You can write the question in Globalization Support forum too at :
Globalization Support
Regards
Girish Sharma

Indesign 10.1.0.71 - data merge crashes.

Oh woe, oh woe and thrice WOE!!! I thought that Adobe had fixed the 'crash on data merge' problem but nope, there it is again in InDesign 10.1.0.71 (fully up to date) on a Mac desktop (Yosemite 10.10.1).
We use data merge all the time (and it is one of the main reasons we have InDesign).
There has been a fix in the past where the files in the Library preference and cache folders are deleted. Deleting those files used to work (but took away all preferences (yawn)) but it isn't working this morning and this awful problem has come back to haunt me.
There was another fix where the Adobe chap had me create a new User ID on my
Moaning probably won't do any good but I do have to ask why Adobe can't seem to fix this problem once and for all.
PLEASE Adobe, help me fix this problem.
Richard

ME version means Middle East Version, it is the general term for all RTL versions. Until CS6 it was sold as separate version. Since CC it is included without any additional cost starting fro CS6 up to the latest version which is now CC 2014.
Follow these steps as I have written before:
Wilhelm Georg Adelberger 26.01.2015 16:04 (als Antwort auf: mariakaskillustration)
You have installed Swedish InDesign, it is ok, leave it, don't uninstall it.
Open the Creative Cloud Application.
Opent the preferences and in the Apps change the language to English with Arabic support.
Install InDesign
Now are additional plugins installed which add new functionality to your Swedish version.
You can switch back to your language in the CC app.
This works with any other language system the very same. Each install will add plug ins to extends the functionality.
InDesign chooses the same language as your OS.

Multiple records in Indesign Data merge

When I select the option for multiple records in InDesign Date Merge, I still only get one record on a page in preview. When I ask it to create a merged document, each item from the excell file is put on a separate page. Why is this happening, I want 4 items on a page.

Message was edited by: p_lue
I figured out the problem. The margins would have to be smaller for the page to accomodate multiple records. Thanks for offering to help.

Multiple Records Data Merge issue

Hi all, could really use some help here, I've been trying to solve this for hours now:
Made 3 different designs for labels that I'm printing based off of Avery label templates for InDesign. When I go ahead to do my data merge on any of them, I select "Multiple Records" under Records per Document Page, but the preview and the actual creation just spit out a single unique label onto each new page. For example, I'm using 2x4" labels on 2 of these, so it should print 10 per page, but instead of putting 10 unique labels on a page, it puts each new label on a new page. Therefore, instead of 100 pages for the 1,000 labels I'm printing, I end up with 1,000 pages.
I know to double check the size constraints on the text box and make sure it fits when duplicated, and to my understanding, that is looking like it's fine. I'm also fairly certain that the CSV files I'm using are in the right format, too. I'm pretty stuck at this point as to what I need to do to fix this problem, any guidance would be awesome. Below are screenshots of what I'm looking at, please let me know if there's anything else I can provide that would help diagnose the problem.

I thinnk the easiest way to deal with this would be to make sure all the template information from Avery is on the master page. Leave it active while you do the layout in the upper left position ON THE DOCUMENT PAGE, then assign the None master to leave nothing showing but your placholders and added art.
Reassign the template master after the merge.

Tip for Data Merge with Multiple Records (labels, etc.)

I have seen many InDesign Data Merge questions about how to create sheets of mailing labels, especially the problem of getting only one label per page, when you need 30 or more.
Adobe's instructions are poor and incomplete in that InDesign doesn't step out the records from a data source - it steps out the FRAMES that contain the data field placeholders.
That is why you only need to place a text or image frame once on a single page - during the datamerge, InDesign will create the additional FRAMES for each record, and it will create the pages required to hold them.
You do have to set the desired spacing on the
If you create the frame on a Master page, ID allows you to update the data source (when it changes) in the Data Merge tool panel.
These are very nice and robust features, but the documentation for them is confusing to many people.
You will find more great in-depth help for Data Merge, with screen captures and attachments, here in the forum.

For a multiple record merge you need one set of placeholders, then set the margins and spacing in the merge options so the positioning is correct.
Warning: Using Preview in a multiple record merge will corrupt the file. If you press the preview button, Undo after looking at the preview, then merge without using preview.

Data merge - can you insert multiple fields at once?

Hi,
I'm using InDesign CS4.
I'm automating a series of reports using Data Merge from a CSV file. Each row in the CSV file holds the data for each individual report - 135 reports in total.
The thing is, each report contains a text comments from some research interviews - but some reports have maybe 10 or so comments, others have over 600! The fields are called comment001, comment002 ... right up to comment620 (or so).
InDesign only seems to let me insert fields from the Data Merge one at a time - it won't let me Shift-select a range of fields ... the alternative is to manually insert about 620 fields one click at a time!! Ouch...
Does anyone know of a way around this?
(Hope I've explained the problem properly!)
Cheers,
F13

We see a few Adobe employees from time to time, notably Dov Isaacs and occasionally Matthew Laun (from the InDesign development team), but they are here on their own time and in an unofficial capacity, though they are extremely helpful when they do drop in. Employees are encouraged, at least on the ID team, to monitor the forums, but not necessarily to participate, so they probably do see most of the reported problems, but their jobs are to do development, not provide tech support, and I for one would rather they spend their time fixing bugs and developing new features than have them actively engaging in these threads.
And rest assured that Adobe appreciates the work that the user community is doing here. It's no secret that we are far better than the free telephone tech support, largely becasue we work with the programs every day while the suppot contractor only has relatively untrained folks reading from the knowledebase unless you can get escalated very high up the chain.
As for the feature request, by all means file it. I think you are correct that it would be nice, though I can see some issues, too, like how do you decide how multiple fields will be strung together (one after another would be the same as your concatenation problem and using separate lines might not be approprtiate in all cases, either). The place to file is Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

CS3 hangs on multiple document data merge

I am using data merge to create documents for high school graduation issues for two different high schools for the newspaper I work for.
For each school, I have created a single document data merge to print proofs of the individual students. For the first and largest school,
I've done a successful test run of a multiple document data merge of all the students. I then used the Excel .txt file from high school #1 to create the .txt file for high school #2. We have successfully done the individual data merges for proofs for each of the students in high school #2.
However, when I try to run the multiple document data merge for high school #2, InDesign gives me the spinning wheel of death. Forever.
I cand run or preview a single item, but it hangs up if I try to run them all or a range (even just 1-2).
I am stumped as to why in what are basically the same documents one works and the other does not. Can anyone help?

Brainstorming with a co-worker solved the problem. A graphic I was using was too large for InDesign to handle on the multiple document data merge. So I reducd the file size, and that did the trick.

Multiple Data Merge - Problem Resolve... Sort Of

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