What is a custom merge field used in a mailing?

Environment:

Outreach / Feedback, Creating Custom Merge Fields
Oracle B2C Service, All versions

Resolution:

Within Oracle B2C Service Outreach, merge fields allow you to look up contact information and insert the contact-specific field in a document. Several system-defined fields can be used as merge fields when creating documents; first and last names, address fields, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Organization fields cannot be configured as merge fields; incident fields can be used only in February '09 and later releases.  You can also set up custom contact fields that can be used as merge fields. This allows you to define characteristics for your contacts that are specific to your business.

To create a custom merge field, use the steps below:

1. From the Configuration items, select Database > Custom Fields > Contact. 
   
   
2. On the ribbon, click the New button. 
   
   
3. In the right frame, complete the fields as you would for any other custom field. For more information on configuring a custom field, refer to . 
     Answer ID 1131: Configuring Custom Fields.
   
   
4. In the Interface Visibility section, enable the appropriate visibility. Enable the Merge checkbox located under the Outreach & Feedback column. 
   
   
5. Click Save.

Note: You can edit existing contact custom fields to be merge fields by opening the field for editing and enabling the Merge visibility checkbox and clicking Save.

Once you have updated your contact records to set the new field, you can include the merge field in your documents. For more information on including merge fields in documents, refer to Answer ID 1933: Personalizing the content of outbound mailings.