DocuMatch Application Notes
Checking Your Data before Processing
Missing Data
Checking Your
Data in
SmartMailer for
Windows
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Occasionally you may find that some important data is missing from your database. This may be caused by incomplete data entry or problems importing and exporting the data from other applications. For example, a few records in a large database may be missing last names or street addresses. This can lead to misdirected or undeliverable mail.
It's best to correct any data problems at the source if possible. This will save you having to correct the data each time you use it. However, Pitney Bowes SmartMailer for
Windows and Microsoft Word include several features you can use to help find missing or incorrectly formatted data as a final check. Other applications may support similar features; consult your user documentation.
SmartMailer for Windows does an excellent job of checking for valid addresses and correcting invalid addresses when possible. However, it does not automatically examine any of the other data in your database to make sure that the addresses are complete. For example, SmartMailer will include all the addresses with missing apartment numbers in its error report, but it does not check for missing data in the Last_Name field.
However, you can use SmartMailer’s Address Group feature to find any records that are missing important data.
Once you have imported your data into SmartMailer, you can define a group which includes just the bad records. As an example, suppose you want to review all the records which have missing data in the Last_Name, Street, or City fields. To do this:
1. Select Addresses/Define Group.
2. Click on New.
3. This brings up the Enter a Group Name window, where you can give the group a meaningful name like “Addresses with key data missing.”
DocuMatch TM Integrated Mail System
