8 Benefits of Using Monticello’s Mail.dat Software

MAILdb allows you to work with standard Mail.dat data files directly on your Windows PC, saving you time, effort and money. It helps to dramatically reduce or eliminate the cost of printing and shipping USPS Qualification Reports. And, you can more efficiently communicate mailing information between the data processing center and the letter shop.

MAILdb can serve as a convenient tool for organizing and manipulating all mailing information for direct communication with the USPS as the PostalOne! Program. It revolutionizes Postal acceptance procedures. This nearly paperless environment will speed mail acceptance and delivery, improve efficiencies and cut costs.

Benefits

1. Import all the separate Mail.dat files for mailing in a single step.
2. Validate the relational integrity and the mathematical and logical relationships of the data.
3. View your mailing at eight levels for easy analysis.
4. Update the data for greater accuracy in Postal reporting.
5. Report the USPS Qualification information on your PC screen or via modem. Printed reports are also available.
6. Generate container labels automatically: Bag Tags, Tray Labels and Pallet Placards.
7. Export separate flat files or a single ZIP file.
8. Archive to save storage space and allow for easy retrieval.

Import & Export Features

MAILdb allows you to import flat files in the standard Mail.dat format developed by the International Digital Enterprise Alliance (IDEAlliance, formerly the Graphic Communications Association).

You simply select the header (.hdr) record file for the desired mailing and MAILdb locates and gathers all the associated files. Alternatively, you can select a ZIP file containing a single Mail.dat file-set and the system will unzip the file and import all the associated files for a mailing.

MAILdb even recognizes old versions of the Mail.dat standard, and will successfully import Mail.dat files from as far back as Version 97-1. It converts the separate Mail.dat files into tables in a relational database.

You can export separate Mail.dat files or a single ZIP file for the entire mailing, or you can produce updated files for a previously transmitted file.

Validating

As data is imported, MAILdb performs several types of data validation automatically. The relational integrity of the files in the resulting database is ensured.

Mathematical calculations are performed to cross-check information in related fields, and various logical relationships are analyzed. These functions can also be selected and executed at any time to validate the data after editing and updating have occurred.

Viewing/Updating

You can choose from eight database views so you can browse through the details of an entire mailing at the:

• Job Level
• Segment Level
• Container Level
• Package Level
• Component Level
• Container Quantity Level
• Package Quantity Level

The fields in each view are all sortable and can be reordered, allowing you to more efficiently organize the information to meet your specific needs. And the data can be edited so you can provide more accurate information for items such as drop dates, entry points, piece attributes and container status.

Reporting

With MAILdb you can reduce or eliminate the cost of printing and shipping the USPS Qualification Reports.

Instead of printing and shipping boxes of paper, you can send a ZIP file from the data processing center to the letter shop using a modem or floppy disks.

The Qualification Report can then be viewed on a PC screen by USPS personnel for acceptance purposes. As required, portions of the report (or the entire report) can be produced in hard copy format.

Generating Container Labels

MAILdb allows you to produce bag tags, tray labels and pallet placards automatically, right from your PC. Every label is in full compliance with all USPS specifications, including size, content, text placement and barcoding.

You can choose to generate labels for the entire job or any portion of it, right down to the individual container.

The height and width of the bag tags and the tray labels are pre-set to USPS specifications. But you can change the size of any of these labels to fit your specific requirements.

Labels Are Highly Customizable:

You can print bag tags:

• With user information at the top, at the bottom, under the content, or with no user information at all.
• With the mailer name at the bottom or under the content.
• In either North-South or East-West printing sequence.

You can print tray labels:

• With user information at the top, at the bottom, or with no user information at all.
• With your choice of slanted or vertical zebra codes.
• In either North-South or East-West printing sequence.

You can print pallet placards:

• With or without user information.
• With your choice of barcodes (Code 3 of 9, Interleaved 2 of 5, or none at all).
• With extra lines of custom text in large print for high visibility.

Archiving/Unarchiving

MAILdb provides an efficient and convenient way to store and retrieve the information for all of your mailings. The database files are stored as ZIP files to save space. Separate lists are maintained for your active and archived mailings so you can quickly locate and unarchive mailing data as required.

Source: freelancetech.com