Baby Steps

My baby boy was born March 18, and it seems as though time stopped for a while, and I look up and realize I haven't posted a blog entry lately! Watching and caring for a newborn can be trying. Figuring out what they want and need before the wailing overwhelms the calmest of souls. Is he hungry? Does he need his diaper changed? Is he uncomfortable? Is he cold or hot? Does his tummy hurt? Does he just need to be held? Would he benefit from some "exercise"? (i.e., let him cry!) Is he tired of being on his back? Is he tired of being on his tummy? Is he tired of looking at me? When they finally smile at you, and fall asleep on your chest, the joy that follows is overwhelming.

Mail and mail operations can be seen in a similar vein. You have to take the time to watch what's going on, feel the pulse, identify the problems, reward the successes with positive reinforcement, and act quickly if things are going out of control. What takes baby steps is not getting the mail out, but in understanding bit by bit how each and every aspect of your mail operation affects the final outcome. Spend too much money in any one area and you might find yourself out of business in wake of recessionary cutbacks, or fail to modernize and find yourself spending too much on labor, postage and return mail.

Mail can seem overwhelming at first, like a newborn baby, but taking the time to enjoy and learn each and every aspect will make baby and parent grow together, forming an unbreakable bond and everlasting commitment. When you look at your mail operations, you can say "That's my baby!" and you can take it one step at a time......Baby Steps, that is.

I Dare You To Pull The Plug

I Dare You To Pull The Plug on your current address quality, CASS, NCOA, Presort, or mail prep software! Go ahead, start it up and run a job, and in the middle pull the plug on your computer and see what happens. We have heard horror stories of how bad the data gets garbled when the power goes out, a computer freezes, chokes, or something else common happens that plagues every personal computer user.

Now try this with DuoShare. Well, actually you would just be killing a browser window on your PC, Mac, SmartPhone, PDA or whatever you use to get to the Web and access the DuoShare website. But even if you could pull the plug on our servers, you would find that your data doesn't get garbled, and therefore doesn't have to be meticulously checked for problems before you update your source data with our answers.

Why?

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, "The Transaction"!

What is a transaction? A transaction is a term in computer hardware and software that denotes a single logical unit of work. The unit of work may be defined as two operations or thousands of operations, and the duration could be milliseconds to several minutes or even hours. If there is a hiccup along the way, the entire unit of work is "rolled back" as if it never happened. If the unit of work completes without any trouble, then a single bit is "flipped", marking the end of the transaction, and all the work is "Committed" or made permanent.

Transactions enable "Restartability". Since there is no accidental partial work done, we can always treat unprocessed records as clean new work to do. Transactions also enable "Incremental Progress". Much of the work of address quality software involves dealing with a myriad of bad data being read as input as well as bad data that is in the postal data we subscribe to. If there is bad data that causes a software problem, it can simply be "skipped" and the rest of the list can be processed.

If DuoShare lost power at hour 7 during an 8 hour run of a customer list, it would take 1 hour to complete the work once power was restored. If you lose power with most other CASS software, you will need to re-run the entire job....that's 8 hours lost in addition to the power outage time.

For the techies out there, we use an XA compliant two-phase commit in our database. Our application architecture also incorporates transaction boundaries at code method levels that prevent partial results even from our own application programmers.

What you have in the end is an extremely robust architecture, one that you can rely on, that will return consistent results and will never return partial data for any address record or garbage data at the end of your files.

So you can feel safe and secure with DuoShare, and pull the plug on your old worn out software.

Performance, Performance, Performance

So, you want postage discounts, and you have to have CASS, and now you have to have NCOALink, in addition to Presorting, yet your processing window is as tight as it ever was. What do you do now, when every single vendor has either announced, or you discover, that your processing now takes or will take even longer than before?

There are a couple of things to understand with the changes coming down the pike, including CASS requirements, MOVE UPDATE requirements, etc. First, there is more required computing work to be done. Second, there is more required work to be done! If you are a DuoShare customer, you will actually be experiencing faster response times and faster batch turn times. Why?

1) We have always included the "optional" processing as standard.
2) We have been working on code optimizations to improve throughput.

With other vendors, they may have been fast or faster, but it's because THEY DO LESS. Race cars go faster because they sacrifice features that slow the car down. In Address Quality processing as in any race, a balance must be struck between processing speed and capabilities.

Other vendors will have you pay more for additional processing features, so they can talk to you on the phone when you complain about how slow it is now that you paid for the additional processing.

Other vendor software is usually SINGLE USER, allowing only 1 user to submit jobs, fix bad addresses, print labels, etc. That causes processing speed to become more of an important issue than it has to be, because the bottleneck is the user and the software design. Other vendor software also resides on a single PC at work, so while you're at home sleeping, someone else in your company may be needing to validate some addresses.

DuoShare, with it's multi-user native capabilities, allows multiple employees to interact with the software 24x7 at no additional cost, so the list that is ready to be submitted at midnight can be submitted at midnight, rather than at 9am when you drag yourself to work and load it up on behalf of your fellow co-worker. This saves 9 hours of processing time.

Plus, multiple lists can be submitted and processed simultaneously.....YES YOU CAN DIVIDE AND CONQUER since everyone knows that printing presses and mail preparation hardware only run so fast.

So, as postage rates and performance times give you the squeeze, fight back with DuoShare. It's cheaper to use, cheaper to understand, more available, has more features, and can fit neatly into your production schedule by enabling other co-workers, and even your customers, to submit their lists when THEY are ready, not just when you're sitting around waiting on them.

Research and Assembly Required

I have my first baby due March 15, and I've been a bit overwhelmed with all the questions I am getting from helpful friends and family. Is the bag packed for the hospital? Do you have this? Do you have that?

All I want is a baby, and then we will go from there.

Really, Target is less than a mile away and so is the hospital. What more could I need? Why so much advanced purchasing and planning? Okay we did get a car seat because we heard the hospital won't release the baby unless you have a car seat.

As I'm going through the motions, learning, making some decisions, and putting off lots of purchases, I find myself thinking about the whole process at work, mind you, when I'm supposed to be thinking about Address Quality, mailing, and all those good related things.

Then it dawns on me. What I'm going through with this baby thing is not unlike what someone, you maybe, is going through as a first-time mailer. So you draft some content and get it printed, whether that is inhouse on a laser printer, a color printer, or have it printed at the local print shop. Now you slap some address labels on it, some postage, insert into envelopes, seal, etc. Not too hard is it? At least the mail isn't crying loudly out of dissatisfaction. Or is it?

Just as there are many ways to raise a child, there are also many ways to mail. The routes you take in your decision making process can lead you ultimately down very different paths. Some mailers want total control in mail preparation, some want the highest envelope open-rate, while others want to avoid irritating the recipients. I'm not done.....some want the lowest postage rates possible, some want the least returns, some want the greatest coverage of prospects for their dollar, some want to stand out from the crowd, and some only want to mail when they have to.

There is one thing most mailers agree on, and that is the address data must be good before the more expensive processes take place. But, while mailers agree, they don't always do the preparation work necessary to have good data. We at DuoShare have strived to price Address Quality software and services so that good address data is in reach of every mailer, whether it's your first time or if you are a seasoned mailer, and we are striving to provide integrations to other software where the data resides. Got an idea? We'd love to hear from you.

While there are many ways to take care of a baby, it still needs diapers, food and love. So next time you mail, try and make sure you've taken care of the bare necessities, like making sure the addresses are good. Then, relax, and learn as you go, knowing full well that mail, like a newborn baby, is just a part of life.

Inappropriate Uses of USPS terms

LICENSING ANNOUNCEMENTS
January 25, 2008

USPS(r) Licensees,

Below is an announcement regarding use of USPS related terms in product names, domain names, etc.

Inappropriate Uses of USPS terms
As a reminder, Licensees cannot use USPS terms as part of their company names, product names, domain names or any other associated name.

Section 5.4 of both the NCOALink(r) Full and Limited Service License Agreements states:

'With regard to Licensee's Services under this Agreement, Licensee agrees not to use any of the following names or marks nor any derivatives thereof nor any confusingly similar name or mark:

COA
CASS
CASS Certified
COA Link
DPV
DSF2
eLOT
FASTforward
IZ4
LACSLink
LINK
MAC
MAC Gold
MASS
NCOA
NCOALink
ZIP

as or part of Licensee's company name, trade name, product names, domain names, trademarks (including word marks, service marks, logos and slogans).'

Please review your materials and products to ensure you are not in violation of the aforementioned section of the NCOALink License Agreement. If you are, immediately remove any improper use of USPS terms from any of your company's logos, slogans, Web and email addresses, etc.

If you have questions regarding use of USPS terms, submit your concerns to ncoalink@usps.gov.

DPV and DSF2 Announcements

LICENSING ANNOUNCEMENTS
January 25, 2008

USPS(r) DPV(tm) and DSF2(tm) Licensees,

Below are important announcements regarding the DPV Known False Positive files, a DSF2 clarification on False Positive Reporting, and maintenance of False Positive reports.


DPV Known False Positive Files

To assist End Users in bypassing False Positives that have been previously reported and to shorten processing times, optional DPV data files are available via the RIBBS website for Licensees to download. The DPV LPR has been updated to include this new process.

The known False Positive files for Hash and Flat are updated daily and contain only the known False Positives. These files should be used with the appropriate version of the DPV Product. To use these files, Licensees must continue to use the False Positive file provided with the monthly DPV Product.

In cases where a False Positive record is encountered, Licensees software may check the known False Positive file. If the record is found in the known False Positive file, no Stop Processing is required; however the False Positive occurrence must be reported to the USPS. If the record is not found in the file, Stop Processing and False Positive reporting must be performed.

Users of the Hash version of the DPV Product may use the Hash False Positive full replacement file in place of the False Positive file provided with the monthly product.

If you choose to implement this process, no CASS(tm) recertification is required until the next CASS cycle.

For more information on this process, see section 7.12 of the DPV LPR.

DSF2 False Positive Reporting

In response to questions from licensees regarding the need to wait for the USPS to respond to the reporting of a False Positive hit when a seed record is encountered during DSF2 processing, clarifying language has been added to the DSF2 LPR.

If a DSF2 Licensee encounters a False Positive record during processing, the Licensee may return the list to the customer without further notification from the USPS. All False Positive reporting is still required.

For more information on this clarification, see section 7.4.1 of the
DSF2 LPR.

False Positive Reports

To answer recent questions regarding the maintenance of False Positive reports, language has been added to the DPV (section 7.13) and DSF2 (section 7.6) LPRs to specify a timeframe for the maintenance of False Positive reports. The language states that all DPV and DSF2 False Positive reports must be maintained and made available for Postal Service review for a period of five (5) years at Licensee's facility.

Reminders

* If you have personnel changes, please forward an updated Key
Personnel Form to ncoalink@usps.gov or fax it to 901-681-4579.
* For any changes made to the license and supporting documents,
check the Modifications document under the appropriate product name.
* Please forward your questions or concerns to ncoalink@usps.gov.

Call for Topics

While I typically post an entry when I get excited about a topic, or a topic would benefit from some type of discourse, I can also publish information based on requests. So if you would like for me to address a topic, please post a comment here and soon you will see a post in response. Of course, topics should be related to Address Quality, Presorting, Postal Regulations, DuoShare technology, CASS, DPV, NCOALink, LACSLink, RDI, SuiteLink, Z4Change, Direct DPV, eLOT, ZIP Move, Zone Chart Matrix, Labelling Lists, Tray Tags, Palletization, etc. So if you want information on Brittany Spears, why the DOW plunged, or who is going to be the next President, you can ask, but I will have to respectfully decline! Until next time, try not to start a fire in a Las Vegas hotel, like the one that's happening as I type at the Monte Carlo. Thankfully no one has been injured thus far.