Total Access Emailer Product Guide

Integrated Email Blaster for Microsoft Access

• Total Access Emailer Overview
  The Problem
  The Solution
• Key Features and Benefits
• Creating Email Blasts
• Previewing Emails
• Sending Emails
• Standard vs. Professional Version
• Programmatic Interface
• General Information
• Pricing and Availability

Additional documentation is included with the Total Access Emailer product, including a printed User’s Guide and context sensitive online help system which is included in the free demo.

Total Access Emailer Overview

The Problem

Being able to easily send regular and special emails to these people would improve communications and service, especially if custom emails could be sent with data and reports from Access for each recipient.

Unfortunately, Access and Office do not make it easy. In Access, sending emails to a list is cumbersome, especially with the limitations Office/MAPI confirming each email. Customizing emails for each recipient is also challenging, and considerable work is required if you want to add attachments, send Access reports, or include data for each recipient.

The Solution

• Total Access Emailer runs within your Access environment and launches as an add-in to support ADP, MDB, and ACCDB (for Access 2007)databases.
• It understands the Access tables, queries/views in your database.
• The user interface is a Wizard that is compatible with the design and behavior of Access.
• Email blast settings are saved automatically in your database so they can be edited, copies, and resent in the future. An unlimited number of email blasts can be created.
• It supports your database security settings automatically. No special login is needed because it runs within your Access environment.
• A programmatic interface in VBA lets you add email blasts to your applications so your users don't even need to know Total Access Emailer is running in the background.

• Your subject and message can reference fields in your data source to customize each email (reference them in brackets like: [FirstName]).
• Use Access reports to design your HTML or text emails and send them. These can be filtered for each recipient and can include totals, calculated fields, sub-reports, etc.
• HTML files sent as emails automatically include embedded graphics which don't need to be sent as separate attachments.
• Embed or attach data from tables and queries, and filter them for each recipient.
• Attachments can be files, data in Excel files, report snapshots, etc. In Access 2007, you can send output in PDF and XPS formats.

• Audit trails can be maintained to update a date field in your table showing when the email was sent, and/or a separate table containing all the emails sent.
• With audit trails, email blasts that stop before completion can be restarted where it stopped.
• Emails can be previewed on screen, in tables, or sent to an email address you specify before you send them to your contacts.
• Multiple email blasts can be sent together.
• Email blasts can be scheduled to be sent at a later time.

To prevent email viruses, Outlook/MAPI makes it  practically impossible to send multiple emails programmatically. Users either have to manually confirm messages or run very slowly.

Total Access Emailer avoids this problem by using SMTP rather than Outlook. This is fast and efficient. You can even specify the FROM email address of your messages, which can be different from your Outlook address.

• SMTP is used to let you send emails without interruption. Total Access Emailer is compatible with any machine or software that has SMTP capabilities, including Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, etc. The product help file includes instructions on configuring your own SMTP server on a computer running Windows 2000 or Windows XP, if you don't already have one set up.
• SSL (Secure Socket Layer) support is included for secure servers

Key Features and Benefits

How it Works

Total Access Emailer is designed specifically for Access and has an intuitive, easy-to-use design. Tightly integrated into Access, it runs as an add-in and includes an interactive, Wizard-like user interface, making it easy to customize your email blasts right in Access. Choose any table or query/view in your database, specify the email field, and you’re ready to contact everyone in your list.

Email blast settings are automatically saved for reuse such as monthly newsletters or late notices. Easily send the email again, or edit it with your latest message. The email blast specifications (not your contact data) is stored in a set of small system tables in your database. Store an unlimited number of email blast settings and share them with your team.

Add-In - Open the database containing the email addresses or a database linked to the tables, and use the wizard-like interface to create email blasts. Total Access Emailer opens as an add-in from the Microsoft Access, Tools, Add-ins menu. In Access 2007, it's under Database Tools, Add-ins ribbon.

Programmatic Interface - The Professional version of Total Access Emailer includes a function to run email blasts programmatically from your database. Easily add the power of email blasts to your Access applications without your users even knowing the program is there.

Redistributable Program - The Professional version of Total Access Emailer includes a small executable (TAERun.exe) that that can be distributed royalty-free to let you include the programmatic interface and distribute it to your users. They'll be able to send the email blasts you've created at the touch of a button or event.

Creating Email Blasts

Runs as an Access Add-in

When Total Access Emailer is launched by the add-in, its Main Menu appears. Use it to set up and manage your email blasts. The grid shows the list of email blasts you have created. Click on a row to select one, or use the right-click menu to sort and filter the list just like any Access datasheet.

User Interface for Access 2003 and earlier

User Interface for Access 2007

From the Main Menu, you can select an email blast and press Send to run it. Use the New button or select an existing email blast and click the Edit button to display the settings editor. The Settings Editor is where you configure your email blast.

Setting Email Blast Specifications

Email blasts are specified in these sections:

• Basics

• Addresses

• Text Header, Body, and Footer

• HTML

• Attachments

• Embedding Objects

• Statistics

Basics Tab

The Basics tab contains the initial settings for the email blast:

• Description: The descriptive text for the email blast. This text is displayed in the list on the Main Menu, and helps you identify this email blast in the future.

• Data Source with Email Addresses: The table, query, or view containing the email addresses. Fields in this data source can also be referenced in the email subject and message to customize each email. The fields can also be used to filter the embedded objects to include data specific to each recipient.
  
  TIP: By creating a query for records with a blank value in an email sent field, this lets you send emails to new records. The Audit feature of Total Access Emailer can fill the sent field with the time the email was sent, so the next time the blast is run, those records are not part of the query.

• Field Containing the Email: The field in the table or query that holds the email addresses. Emails are sent to the email address specified in each record of this field.

• Message Subject: The subject line which can be customized by referencing fields in your data source to give your message a personal touch and sense of importance the first time your recipient sees it.

• Message Format: The format used to send the message: Text Only, HTML Only, or Text and HTML.

• Message Options: The options used to send the message: Priority, Sensitivity, Request a Delivery Receipt, or Request a Read Receipt.

Addresses Tab

The Addresses tab specifies the email address options:

• FROM Address: The FROM address of the email lets the recipient know who sent the email. This can be one email address or it could be in a file that's shared by multiple email blasts so you can just change it in one place, or a field in your data source so each recipient could get a different from address.

• TO Address Options: Emails can be sent individually to each email address or in bulk with one message for many email addresses.  Total Access Emailer also includes a special feature to avoid sending duplicate emails when using the Bulk email options.

• Optional Settings: Regardless of whether you choose Standard or Bulk email, you can optionally include email addresses to receive a Cc or Bcc. For each email that goes out, a copy is sent to the email address specified.

Text Tabs: Header, Body, and Footer

Three tabs are available for creating text messages. There is no specific definition for what should be included in the text header, body, or footer—you can decide what works best for you.

In many cases, you may not need to separate the message into multiple parts, so you only need to use the Text Body, but if you want to use the same header or footer on multiple email blasts, we make it easy for you.

For instance, you may want a legal disclaimer at the end of each message. Rather than specifying it for each message which makes it difficult if you need to modify it, you can point the footer to a text file and control it there.

The message sent is the combination of the text specified across the three tabs.

Text Body

Starting with the Text Body, you can specify the message you want to send.

If you select the Use Field References option, you can refer to fields in your message using syntax like [FirstName], and Total Access Emailer will automatically substitute the value of that field from your data source in that person's email. You can refer to as many fields as you'd like. A Can Shrink option is available if you want references to empty field values to not create blank lines, similar to the way CanShrink works in Access reports.

These options are available for specifying your email text message:

• Text: The text you want to email.

• File: Refer to a text file with the contents for your message.

• Field: Refer to the field in your data source with the message to send. This lets you create specific messages to each recipient.

• Embedded Object: This opens a separate form that lets you specify data from a table, query or report that becomes your message. The data can be filtered on a field or fields in your data source so each recipient gets their own data.

Text Header

The text header is similar to the body, without the embedded object option. This is ideally used when you may want to repeat the same header for multiple email blasts. When the email is sent, the Text Header is the part of the message the proceeds the body and footer.

Text Footer

The text footer is the last part of your message and follows the header and footer. This is ideally used when you may want to repeat the same footer for multiple email blasts.

Note that the three text tabs are not available if the Message Format is set to HTML Only on the Basic tab.

HTML Tab

Total Access Emailer lets you send emails in HTML format to support rich text messages with multiple fonts, styles, and graphics. Provided your recipient can read HTML messages, they'll see very nicely formatted emails. 

Access 2003 and earlier showing HTML code

Access 2007 with the editable HTML format

Similar to the text options, you can use field references in your HTML text to add data from your data source in each message.

These options are available for specifying your HTML email:

• Text: The text you want to email. You can type this in or import it from an existing file. The Preview HTML button lets you preview the message in your browser.

• File: Refer to an HTML file with the contents for your message.

• Field: Refer to the field in your data source with the message to send. This lets you create specific messages to each recipient.

• Embedded Object: This opens a separate form that lets you specify data from a table, query or report that becomes your message. The data can be filtered on a field or fields in your data source so each recipient gets their own data.

Embed Access Reports as your HTML Message

Total Access Emailer lets you embed Access reports as your HTML message. You can literally use the power of Access reports to create your HTML emails.

Simply create an Access report with the complex calculations, totals, sub-reports, etc. that you want. Test it by exporting it to HTML format to verify it works, then embed it in your email. You send the same report to everyone or filter it for each recipient so they only get their own data.

Attachment Tab

Total Access Emailer lets you send emails with as many file attachments as you want. Use the same files for everyone, or send a unique set of files to each recipient:

The Attachment tab offers these options:

• None: Do not include attachments.

• Files: Specify one or more files to attach.

• Field: If you want to send different files to each recipient, your data source can include a field with the list of files to attach.

• Embedded Objects: In addition to attaching files, Total Access Emailer lets you embed Access tables, queries/views, and reports as attachments. These attachments can unfiltered to send every recipient the same embedded object, or filtered to be customized for each recipient (e.g., send recipients only their own invoices). Files can be formatted as text, HTML, RTF, Excel spreadsheets, or report snapshots.

Embedding Objects

• Text Body
• HTML
• Attachments

• No Filter: Every recipient gets the all of the data/object
• One Field: Specify the field in the data source and embedded object that match, similar to the way master and child link fields work for subforms
• Multiple Fields: specify the set of fields which need to match
• Advanced: Specify an expression that links the data source with the embedded data/object.

For Attachments, additional options let you specify the output format which may be in text, HTML, Excel, rich text (RTF), and report snapshot formats. If HTML format is specified, an HTML template file may be used to set the styles, colors, etc.

For Access 2007, if you've configured Office 2007 to support PDF and XPS output formats, Total Access Emailer 2007 can attach Access reports as PDF or XPS files to your emails. Emailing each recipient their own Access report as a PDF file was never easier!

Auditing Tab

Total Access Emailer includes optional auditing features to track when you sent an email to each recipient. Audit information can be stored in a date/time field in the data source or in a separate table:

• Audit Field: The Audit Field is a date/time field in your data source that gets updated when Total Access Emailer sends an email to the record’s email address. If the option to clear this field before the email blast is selected, there is the ability to restart the email blast if it doesn't complete due to a problem such as a power failure, network crash, etc.

• Audit Table: Instead of or in addition to modifying your existing table with an Audit Field, you can store audit information in a separate table. This can include complete details of when the message was sent, to whom, and the message itself.

Statistics Tab

Total Access Emailer automatically tracks statistics of your email blast and displays it on the Statistics tab:

• This Email Blast's Historic Statistics: The overall history of the email blast when it was first sent, the number of times it was used, the total number of messages sent, and the last time it was finished.

• Last Email Blast Statistics: The last time this email blast was sent.

• Creation and Modification Information: The creation and modification time of the email blast settings and who did it.

Previewing Email Blasts

Before sending an email blast to your recipients, it’s critical to test and verify your message. Total Access Emailer includes a powerful Preview feature, which makes it easy to check your email blast before sending:

You can specify the number of emails to preview then where to send it:

• Screen: Emails are displayed on screen.

• Table: Emails are sent to a table you specify.

• Email Address: Emails are sent to a specified email address. This could be your regular email address or your address somewhere else (e.g. Hotmail, gmail, Yahoo, etc.), if you want to see how it appears there.

Verify the emails appear correctly and contain the correct data before you send it to the actual recipients.

Sending Email Blasts
 

After verifying that your messages preview properly and ensuring that your data is up-to-date, you’re ready to send your email blast! To start sending, select the email blast you want from the Main Menu and press the Send button.

By default, an email blast is sent to your entire list. If the email blast has an Audit field that is cleared with every email blast and the last time it ran, it did not finish, you have the option to restart the email blast where it stopped.

The Email Blast Selection form displays a brief description and statistics of your selected email. You can either send the selected email blast, or choose several email blasts to send one after the other. This is ideal if you have email blasts that need to go out consecutively, or use multiple data sources for related email blasts.

You can send the email blast now or schedule it for a later time. When the email blast is complete, you can view the results on screen, or print a report for your records.

Standard vs. Professional Version

Total Access Emailer is available in two versions:

• Standard Version for end users who do not need the programmatic interface or redistribution rights. It includes all the interactive features of Total Access Emailer.
• Professional Version includes the Standard Version, plus a programmatic interface to allow power users and developers to programmatically add email blasts to their applications (for instance, a button that launches an email blast or a system that continuously checks for certain criteria before triggering an email blast). This version also includes a royalty-free Runtime License that allows the distribution of applications with the programmatic interface to send emails to people who do not own Total Access Emailer. Complete details of the Runtime License are included in the License Agreement.

Programmatic Interface

The Professional Version of Total Access Emailer includes a function to run email blasts programmatically from your database. Easily add the power of email blasts to your Access applications and have them run at the touch of a button or event.

Any email blast created by the Settings Editor can be added to your application with a simple function call to our library. This example sends email blast #25:

TotalAccessEmailer(25, False, "", "", True, True)

The function returns the number of emails sent. Many parameters are available to customize your blast:

• lngEmailID: The ID of the email blast to send.

• fRestartBlast: True to restart the email blast if it stopped, or False to start it from the beginning.

• strDisplayType: Choose whether and how to display the progress of the email blast to the user (form or status bar)

• strDisplayTitle: The title for the display form and messages to avoid "Total Access Emailer" from appearing.

• fShowResults: True shows the email blast results in a message box when completed.

• fShowErrors: True displays the errors table if errors are encountered. False still generates the errors table, but does not display them.

Optional parameters let you override the default table names of your email specifications to prevent users from editing them with the Interactive Wizard.

General Information

Total Access Emailer is created by FMS, the world's leading developer of 3rd party products for Access. Total Access Emailer is part of the award-winning family of FMS Access add-ins and the Professional Version is part of the Total Access Ultimate Suite.

Total Access Emailer is available as separate versions for each version of  Microsoft Access.

100% Guarantee

FMS guarantees Total Access Emailer will pay for itself. You'll be delighted with its power and ease of use. Quickly discover how improved email communication with you contacts generates results. If you are not completely satisfied with Total Access Emailer, return it within 30 days for a complete refund.

Pricing and Availability

Total Access Emailer is available now and can be purchased with electronic software download (ESD) and physical delivery of a CD and professionally printed 110 page user manual.

Total Access Emailer Pricing by Access Version:
Licenses		Price	2007	2003	2002	2000	97
Professional Version
Single		$499
5 Seat		$1,499
Standard Version
Single		$299
5 Seat		$899
UPGRADES (within the SAME Access version)
Upgrade from Standard to Professional
Single		$299
5 Seat		$899
UPGRADES (between DIFFERENT Access versions)
Upgrade from prior Access Professional version to Professional
Single		$299					N/A
5 Seat		$899					N/A
Upgrade from prior Access Standard version to Standard
Single		$199		CALL			N/A
5 Seat		$599					N/A
Upgrade from prior Access Standard version to Professional
Single		$399		CALL			N/A
5 Seat		$1199					N/A
SUPPORT
Premium Support Subscription
Single	$299		More Information
5 Seat	$999
Also available as part of
Total Access Ultimate Suite
Runtime/Redistributable Version
The Professional version of Total Access Emailer includes royalty-free redistribution rights. Use is subject to the terms of the license agreement.
Licensing Information
Total Access Emailer is licensed on a per user basis. Each user who runs the program must have a license.