2. How can ZP4 help me? ZP4 adds ZIP + 4 codes and mail carrier route numbers to your address files so you can qualify for bulk mail postage discounts and pay much less postage to send your mail. ZP4 will also correct and standardize addresses, so you can confirm and validate addresses, avoid undeliverable addresses, and easily find duplicates within your list.
3. How does ZP4 work? ZP4 can be used three different ways:
In batch mode, ZP4 can process a database of any size, automatically correcting and standardizing every address in the file. ZP4 can process address lists in dBase, FoxPro, Access, Excel, FileMaker, Oracle, SQL Server, fixed-field text, delimited text, and other file formats.
Any program can also pass addresses directly to ZP4 in memory, and ZP4 will pass the corrected and standardized address records back to the program, so any database or application can be given built-in interactive address correction capabilities. The ZP4 disc includes templates and demo programs with source code showing how to send and receive address records from a variety of popular databases and programming environments, including C, Delphi, FileMaker, FoxPro, and Visual Basic.
ZP4 also provides an excellent user interface. To manually find an individual address, just type in a name to make ZP4 instantly find a city or street. Or, click on a state listed in ZP4's first window, and ZP4 immediately displays all the state's cities in an adjacent window. Click on a city, and ZP4 instantly lists every street in that city. Click on a street, and ZP4 displays the house number ranges, apartment number ranges, ZIP + 4 codes, and carrier route numbers for that street.
4. What are carrier route numbers? Carrier route numbers identify the route each mail carrier follows when delivering mail. You can probably find carrier route numbers prefixed with "CAR-RT" in the upper right hand corner of labels on some mail you currently receive. Using carrier route numbers allows you to send mail at rates even lower than barcoded ZIP + 4 rates, although you must have ten or more pieces to the same carrier route number for the pieces to qualify for that rate.
5. Does ZP4 print mailing labels and barcodes? An inexpensive optional companion CD-ROM contains the necessary software for sorting and printing barcoded "standard automation" mail, including the generation of the required forms and reports so your mail qualifies for certain bulk mail discounts.
The ZP4 DVD-ROM also includes a barcode font that can be used by any database or application program to print a postal barcode. Once ZP4 has coded an address, a postal bar code can be output by any program by printing the barcode number for an address using the bar code font. For example, 950035007074 is a barcode number. The correct barcode number for any address can be automatically determined by ZP4 and saved in your address records, just like a phone number, Social Security number, ZIP + 4 code, or any other number. If a program prints the barcode number on mailing labels using a typical Roman font such as Helvetica or Courier, the barcode number appears as digits. But if a database or mailing list program prints the barcode number using ZP4's barcode font, the number appears on your mailing label as bars.
6. Will ZP4 find duplicates in my address list? The ZP4 DVD-ROM includes "duplicate detector" tools for finding and marking or deleting duplicates within an address list. Note that once you use ZP4 to scrub your address list, non-standard addresses are automatically converted to the same form (for example, BOX 1, P.O. Box 1, and Post Ofc Box 1 all become the preferred PO BOX 1), and just about any database can then easily find duplicates.
7. What's the best database or program for maintaining address lists? Our customers use many, many different brands of software for maintaining their address lists, and each customer has different reasons for preferring the system they use. ZP4 is designed to be a convenient address correction tool regardless of where an address list is actually stored.
8. How long does it take to automatically process my address list? Processing speed will vary with your hardware configuration, and mostly depends on the type of disk drive where the ZP4 database is located. A slow machine, reading the ZP4 database directly from DVD-ROM, will usually not run faster than a few thousand records per hour. A fast machine, reading the ZP4 database from hard disk, can easily run at much higher speeds. Configurations tuned to minimize disk reads have been clocked at many millions of records per hour.
Processing time can vary greatly, depending on how geographically dispersed your addresses are from each other and how much address correction ZP4 has to do. Once an address list is corrected and standardized by ZP4, subsequent processing of the same list will be much faster. In general, users with larger lists have faster computers, and speed is never an issue. ZP4 also includes a time limit option allowing you to specify the maximum number of milliseconds you're willing to wait for any address record to be scrubbed.
9. Do I need a fast DVD-ROM drive? No, because you can install ZP4 on your hard disk. The more expensive DVD-ROM drives have a faster seek time and therefore provide better performance, but even the fastest DVD drives are slow compared to hard disk drives. Because hard disks are now so inexpensive, the standard installation procedure is to use your DVD-ROM drive just to copy ZP4 to hard disk, then use the hard disk instead of the DVD-ROM drive for the best possible speed. Also, the more RAM you have, the more ZP4 will be able to cache results in memory and avoid disk, thereby speeding up processing even more.
10. How large is the ZP4 database? The over 40 million records that make up the entire United States ZIP + 4 database occupy about 600 megabytes. The ZP4 DVD-ROM also includes numerous programs, tools, sample source code, utilities, documentation, and support databases, such as the "Z5" database that identifies all five-digit ZIP Code™ values and cross-references them with city and county names, and the one-gigabyte DPV database for identifying known delivery points.
11. Can other programs directly access the ZP4 database files? For distribution purposes, ZP4 keeps most of its database partially compressed in a proprietary format accessible by the ZP4 application program. However, ZP4 can export any city, state, or ZIP Code range of the ZIP + 4 database to an uncompressed tab-separated text file, if you want to directly manipulate the data yourself. (DPV, LACSLink, SuiteLink, and DirectDPV databases are kept encrypted by the Postal Service™ and aren't exportable.) There's lots of data, and searching it can be extremely complicated because of the way the Postal Service organizes address records. It's usually easiest to let the ZP4 application do the job of searching for an address. Your custom applications can also access arbitrary ZIP + 4 database records through ZP4's programming interfaces.
12. Does the ZP4 database include personal names with addresses? No. ZP4 is not a list of addresses, but a tool to correct existing address lists. Many individual addresses are listed in the ZP4 database, but most of the records identify groups of low and high house numbers, or low and high apartment numbers, because if an address is within a given range, the corresponding ZIP + 4 code can then be determined. Individual building addresses are usually identified when the building contains apartments or commercial suites. Personal names are never identified. However, ZP4 does list individual addresses, including company names, for organizations that have been assigned unique ZIP + 4 codes by the Postal Service.
If you're trying to acquire a list of addresses, look under "Mailing lists" in your Yellow Pages for vendors who sell address lists. Once you have a list of addresses, you can use ZP4 to validate, scrub, and standardize your list.
13. What if my address lists contain errors? ZP4 will detect all address errors and automatically correct most of them, including spelling errors and dozens of other kinds of errors. For any address that can't be automatically corrected, ZP4 will assign applicable error codes, which can be saved in the database you're updating.
14. How long has ZP4 been available? The first version of ZP4 began shipping in 1990. ZP4 superseded carrier route and five-digit ZIP® databases, which shipped in 1989, when Semaphore became a licensee of the Postal Service. Semaphore Corporation was founded in January 1982.
15. Is ZP4 CASS Certified? What is CASS? Yes, ZP4 is CASS Certified, and has been regularly recertified, ever since CASS regulations became mandatory in 1991.
CASS is the Postal Service certification program designed to improve the accuracy of ZIP + 4 codes, five-digit ZIP codes, and carrier route codes that appear on addresses. (Postal Service advertising guidelines prohibit revealing the "text representation" from which a trademarked product name like "CASS" was originally derived, although it can still be found in Domestic Mail Manual 708.3.1 and numerous other Postal Service documents.)
CASS Certified software are programs like ZP4 that have been tested and certified by the Postal Service CASS department as meeting their minimum requirements for "scrubbing", correcting, and validating address lists. CASS certification consists of a test administered annually: a large list of addresses of various types from around the country are selected by the Postal Service. The addresses may or may not have correct data fields (address, city, state, ZIP, and so on). The software product being certified must match the address list to the ZIP + 4, DPV, and LACSLink databases, and correct and standardize the various data fields. The corrected address list is then submitted to the Postal Service for scoring.
The Postal Service computes what percentage of the software's standardized output addresses are correct. To become CASS Certified, software must achieve a 98.5% or higher match rate for ZIP + 4 codes and carrier route numbers, and 100% for delivery point bar code extension numbers. (Although these percentages sound high, most addresses in a CASS test are easier to correct than typical addresses found in real mailing lists. For that reason, ZP4 also recognizes and corrects numerous additional common errors found in typical address lists, but not found in the CASS test and not properly corrected by other brands of "certified" software.)
Nowadays, the Postal Service considers the phrase CASS Certified addresses improper usage, and that people should instead say CASS processed addresses when discussing a list that has been corrected and standardized with CASS Certified software (because it's the software that's certified, and the list is then processed by the certified software). However, "CASS Certified addresses" has been widely used in the industry since long before the Postal Service began making the distinction, so it is now essentially a generic term.
ZP4 (with LACSLink) can automatically fill out and print CASS postal form 3553 when processing an address list, to document that your list has been processed with CASS Certified software. Form 3553 is required when obtaining certain bulk mail postage discounts.
16. How often is ZP4 updated? The Postal Service maintains and updates the master copies of their postal databases, which continuously undergo surprisingly large numbers of additions, changes, and deletions. New editions of the ZP4 database are built from Postal Service files and issued every month, so customers can use the latest available data. Using ZP4 for postal discounts, or for access by multiple users, is prohibited after the database bimonthly expiration date. A single ZP4 user may use an expired database for address processing that doesn't require CASS form 3553, although the database will be considered obsolete.
17. How often do I have to update the ZP4 DVD-ROM? You only have to purchase a current unexpired ZP4 disc if you want to generate CASS form 3553 (which also requires purchasing LACSLink), or if you require multiuser access. Since any monthly ZP4 DVD-ROM edition actually expires after two months, purchasing only six editions per year (every other month) along with LACSLink allows unlimited CASS form generation and continuous multiuser access, year round. However, with careful planning, many mailers can update ZP4 even less frequently. That's because once an address list is processed by ZP4, that particular list will qualify for ZIP + 4 postage discounts for 180 days (or for carrier route discounts for 90 days) before having to be reprocessed, assuming you don't add, change, or delete records in the list. In theory, you can use a current ZP4 DVD-ROM, clean your list, print a CASS form, and mail for 180 days (or 90 days if using carrier routes) using the same CASS form for each mailing before you have to reprocess your list with ZP4 again. In reality, you'll probably constantly add, change, and delete records in your list (which obsoletes the CASS form), so you typically need to reclean and reprocess before each mailing in order to generate an accurate CASS form. At the time you clean and process your list, you must use an unexpired edition of the ZIP + 4 database. A new database is available every month, but is considered expired by the Postal Service after two months, so you need to use a ZP4 DVD-ROM that covers the two-month period in which you clean your list and print a CASS form. Using a database to assign ZIP + 4 codes or carrier route numbers for postal discounts is prohibited after a database expires. DPV, LACSLink, DirectDPV, SuiteLink, eLOT, and Geo outputs can't be generated with an expired disc edition.
18. What are DPV, LACSLink, DirectDPV, SuiteLink, eLOT, and Geo? DPV is a Postal Service database included on the ZP4 DVD-ROM and used to enhance address validation. Without DPV, ZP4 can only determine a candidate ZIP + 4 code for an address. With DPV, ZP4 can also determine whether the address is a valid location where mail is actually delivered. For more details, see this description of DPV. ZP4 is the first product ever certified by the Postal Service for DPV processing.
LACSLink is the Postal Service database distributed on a separate CD-ROM that allows ZP4 to automatically perform conversions from one address style to another, typically from a rural-style box number to a street name (for example, RR 1 BOX 127A is converted to 17255 SCENIC RD). House and Post Office box renumbering and street renaming are also handled by LACSLink.
Both DPV and LACSLink (not just the ZIP + 4 database) must be used to determine the proper CASS generated ZIP + 4 code for an address.
DirectDPV is the Postal Service database distributed on a separate disc that lets ZP4 perform fast lookups of barcode numbers, thereby skipping ZIP + 4 database searches when reprocessing a previously CASS processed address list. As a result, updating lists with DirectDPV allows standardizing and revalidating addresses at very high speeds. ZP4 is the first product ever certified by the Postal Service for DirectDPV processing. DirectDPV discs expire monthly.
SuiteLink is the Postal Service database on a separate CD-ROM that allows ZP4 to add secondary (suite) address information to business addresses. SuiteLink discs expire monthly.
eLOT is a Postal Service database available on a separate CD-ROM that allows ZP4 to automatically find line of travel numbers that allows mail to qualify for certain presort discounts.
Geo is the optional geographic database on a separate CD-ROM that allows ZP4 to automatically determine the latitude and longitude, and Census Bureau tract and block numbers, for ZIP + 4 codes. Geo discs expire monthly.
19. Can ZP4 distinguish between residence and business addresses? Yes, if you purchase the RDI™ database from the Postal Service. ZP4 automatically uses any installed RDI database to determine if an address is a residence or a business.
20. Can I use ZP4 on more than one computer? The database from a single ZP4 DVD-ROM can only be installed and used on one computer. However, until the database expires, any number of employees can process addresses against that single copy of the database over a network. That means you can provide unlimited address scrubbing for any number of employees sharing one installed database by simply updating the database every two months.
The ZP4 database itself, or extracted portions thereof, may be moved from machine to machine, but you are not allowed to maintain multiple copies of the same data for simultaneous use on multiple disks or by multiple users. Instead, you must purchase additional original master data discs for each user if you cannot share one copy of the data. Multi-user access always requires the current, unexpired database.
21. Can I let people access the ZP4 database on my web site? Yes, if the site is restricted to your employees, and you're using the current, unexpired database. No, if your web site is providing access to the database or ZP4 results to anyone outside of your company, or if the database has expired. Only the company or organization that purchased the database may use ZP4, and the current unexpired database is required for multi-user access. Using ZP4 to scrub incoming addresses captured at a web site (such as during order entry) is allowed, if scrubbing is accomplished without granting your customers (or the public) access to arbitrary use of the ZP4 database (such as scrubbing multiple addresses, or returning ZP4 "answers" to the web browser). Service bureaus that wish to provide ZP4 output to their clients via the web can do so by purchasing a current ZP4 database for each client being serviced.
22. Can I include the ZP4 database in a product I am selling? No, but you can make your product call ZP4's interfaces. If your customers then install the ZP4 database after purchasing a ZP4 DVD-ROM from you or from Semaphore, your product will automatically offer complete address scrubbing capabilities to your customers. Note that ZP4 discs are sold only at retail, and ZP4's standard license and restrictions on use apply to all ZP4 end users.
23. Can I use ZP4 to clean address lists for my clients? Yes, if you're accepting their addresses in a one-way data transaction for purposes of providing some subsequent service or product, such as performing a bulk mailing which you deposit at a Post Office for your client, and ZP4's "answers" aren't being returned to your client. No, if you're scrubbing or validating addresses and then distributing some or all of ZP4's results to your clients, thereby making it unnecessary for them to purchase ZP4 (whether or not they are being required to purchase your product or service). Service bureaus and address list vendors that wish to provide ZP4 output to their clients can do so by purchasing a current ZP4 database for each client being serviced.
24. What platforms does ZP4 run on? Windows. The only hardware requirement is a DVD-ROM drive (or a CD-ROM drive if you don't require DPV).
25. How do I order ZP4 and what does it cost? See our online order options. Each ZP4 DVD-ROM is $99 plus shipping, shipped prepaid from Semaphore Corporation. A single ZP4 disc contains all ZP4 software plus all ZIP + 4 and DPV data for the entire United States.
26. Can I download ZP4? No, the product is distributed only on DVD-ROM (with DPV) and on CD-ROM (without DPV).
27. What if I have a question not answered above? Email, write, or call Semaphore Corporation. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have.