Software and Database Management

1. Software and Database Management Presented By: Michael Lloyd UNC Wilmington March 31, 2008

2. How to Select Mailing Software • The objective when purchasing mailing software is to save time by eliminating preparation through automatically sorting mail and producing all proper marking and postal reports, and to save money by obtaining the lowest allowable postage rates that only mailing software can achieve.

3. What should Mailing Software Do ? • Eliminates manual work for you! • Automate Addresses for Discounts • Certified your Address Lists • “Cleanses” Address Lists • Barcode Mailing • Eliminates Duplicates • Prepare required mail reports • SAVE YOU MONEY

4. What I need to Know? • Many software products promise to help you achieve your goals. • They all seem similar, at least based on an overview of their product literature. • Their prices vary, and sometimes greatly.

5. How much should it cost? • That's a key question for most new users, and it's more complicated than the software's "sticker price" might suggest.

6. Mailing software is typically available as a subscription for a specified period, usually annually. • This is because mail preparation requirements are constantly changing to meet the requirements of the United States Postal Service. • To keep up with those changing requirements, mailing software developers must continually modify the software.

7. Weighting the Cost? • Some mailing software vendors offer different mailing programs to support different levels of need, usually classified as low end and high end. • The low-end (also low-cost) programs can minimize your investment risk, allowing you to get your feet wet without full immersion.

8. But you should make sure the transition from the low end to high end is simple and straight forward and without penalty. • In some cases, that transition is equivalent to changing software vendors because there is no commonality between the low-cost and high-cost offerings

9. Stability • Stability of the Software—There are a lot of programs in this industry that frustrate users with glitches, crashing and erratic behavior. • You won't read about this in the product literature. Research the product with those whom current utilize the product.

10. Subscription for Software • Subscription costs for subsequent years are typically substantially lower than first-year costs. That makes the original selection of the right software for you, all the more important. • You surely want to avoid paying that first year premium again, simply because your first software choice did not meet, or could not grow with, your needs.

11. Software and Data Topics • Reports and Terminology • Standardization • Address correction • Merge/purge processing • Presorting • Custom printing options • Exporting and Importing • Database management

12. CASS stands for Coding Accuracy Support System • CASS certified software cleans up, corrects, and standardizes a mailing list. • It will add missing ZIP+4 zip codes, Carrier Route codes, Delivery Point Numbers, Line of Travel information as well as correct any invalid address, city, state, or zip code information. • It will also put the address into the post office recommend standard format such as using the two letter abbreviation for state names. • CASS software has nothing to do with sorting a mailing list or printing the mailing labels. That is done by PAVE certified software.

13. PAVE stands for Presort Accuracy Validation and Evaluation • PAVE certified software is bulk mail presort software that has been tested and certified by the post office for accuracy in doing different types of sorts and producing various types of postal documents. • Presort software sorts your mailing list according to all of the rules and regulations of the post office and produces, among other things, the barcoded mailing labels, barcoded tray and sack tags, Qualification Reports, Postage Statements, and Setup Reports

14. What is DPV and LACSLink • DPV stands for Delivery Point Validation. This is a method by which a specific address is validated. • In the general CASS processing an address is considered valid as long as it falls within the range of addresses listed in the CASS database.

15. Delivery Point Bar Code

16. For instance, the CASS database may give the range of valid addresses for Main Street in zip code 77002 as being from 1000 to 1090. • If you have an address in your mailing list of 1020 Main Street 77002, then the general CASS processing will consider this a valid address and assign it a Delivery Point Number even though there is a possibility that no such address really exists. • DPV will double check that Delivery Point Number against another database to verify that 1020 Main Street 77002 is actually a valid address. If so, the CASS matching stands. If not, the address is not considered a CASS match and return a code to let you know why the address was not matched

17. What is eLOT ? • eLOT stands for enhanced Line of Travel. • eLOT Product was developed to give mailers the ability to sort their mailings in approximate carrier-casing sequence • eLOT data is only used when doing Non-Automation (ECR Basic Carrier Route sorting) • ECR mail can be for either Letter or Non-Letter (Flat) sized pieces and is sorted not only by the Carrier Route number but also by the eLOT number which puts the mail more or less into the same order that the Postal Carrier travels when delivering the mail.

19. What Reports will be Needed? • Cass Form • Pave Form • Mail Sort list • USPS Qualification Form • Summary Information • Job Summary

21. Good Quality Software Allows User To? • Import Data • Correct Address • Find Duplicates • Sort Mailing • Export Data • Print Reports • Print Labels

22. Import Data

23. Sample Formatted Address List

28. Address Correction • Standardize an address, it give you back a complete form of that address. • At the same time it should code for postal automation.

29. Merge/Purge and Duplicate Detection Software • Tool for finding and removing duplicates. • Search and match on many identifying information such as: • personal name • address • company name • account number etc • Ability to work with multiple lists at one time as well as suppression list options.

32. Sorting mail and preparing it in container so that it can be transported though the postal system. Presorting Mailing

35. Export data • To transport data for use with media types (cd, flash, zip, variable data for example)

39. Printing Label and Tags • You should be design files • Use templates • Order to print • Design toolbox • Customization of labels • Easy set up

46. Merlin - Mailing Evaluation Readability Lookup Instrument: VERIFIES • Presort Mail Makeup • Weight / Piece Count • Barcode Readability • Tray Label Accuracy / Paperwork • Meter ID and Date / Permit Imprint • Address / Barcode Accuracy • Endorsements & Rate Markings • Mail Piece Dimensions

47. List Maintenance Features • Delete record • Modify Selected Records • Filtering of records • List Back Up • Create Subsists • define indexes. • Identify duplicates • Prints reports of duplicate records. • Hide and Unhide

48. Popular Mailing Software • AccuMail • ArcList • Bulk Mailer 5 Pro &Standard • MailRoom Toolkit • Mail Manager • PostalSoft Professional Suite • PostalSoft Business Edition • PostalSoft DeskTop Mailer • ProSort • SmartAddresser 2020