Business objects POSTAL FILE PREPARATION 12-2010 User Manual

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Prep aration User’s Guide

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation 8.00c.01.00

May 2010

© 2010 SAP AG. All rights reserved.SAP , R/3, SAP NetWeaver, Duet, PartnerEdge, ByDesign, SAP Business ByDesign, and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius, and other Business Objects products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. in the United States and in other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company.All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.These materials are subject to change without notice. These materials are provided by SAP AG and its affiliated companies ("SAP Group") for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and SAP Group shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP Group products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Preface.............................................................................................................1

Documentation.................................................................................................2

Contacting Technical Customer Assurance .....................................................3

Chapter 1:

Installation and quick start.......................................................................... 5

Install the software...................................................... .... ..... ............................6

The Setup wizard.................................................................. .... ........................7

Chapter 2:

Mail.dat ........................................................................................................ 11

Import Mail.dat files....................................................................................... 12

Unattended importing.....................................................................................14

Validate Mail.dat files....................................................................................17

Edit Mail.dat fields.........................................................................................18

Correct errors..................................................................................................19

Export Mail.dat files....................................................................................... 20

Archive Mail.dat files............................................................................. ..... ...21

Purge Mail.dat files........................................................................................22

Chapter 3:

PostalOne!®................................................................................................. 23

PostalOne! wizard..........................................................................................24

Permit numbers ..............................................................................................30

Chapter 4:

Planning........................................................................................................ 31

Truck load editing ..........................................................................................32

Assign in-home dates.....................................................................................33

Edit piece attributes........................................................................................34

Chapter 5:

Reports ......................................................................................................... 35

Printing options..............................................................................................36

Reports ...........................................................................................................37

Error reports ...................................................................................................41

Chapter 6:

Flags and tags .............................................................................................. 43

Label setup .....................................................................................................44

Label types .....................................................................................................46

Index..............................................................................................................49

Contents

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Preface

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation is an affordable solution that supports the ability to claim full-service rates.

The software offers:

 Comprehensive validation and editing fea tures for all portio ns of th e Mail.da t  PostalOne! support.  The ability to create multi-stop loads.  Print-on-demand reporting for dif ferent statisti cal reports and mail qual ifying

documentation.

 Creation of flags and tags for trays and sacks.

This document describes the software's features and offers step-by-step instructions. This document is not intended to teach you about you r mail.

If you have questions about rules and regulations regarding mail classes, and so on, read the Mailing Standar ds of the United S tates Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual. You can view this manual online at http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/

dmm300_landing.htm.

Documentation

Use the online help to learn about the windows in the software, and get explanations and helpful tips about the controls in each window . In addition, find steps for performing procedures in the software.

Viewing online help 1. Open SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation.

2. Choose Help > Postal File Preparation Help.

Accessing window-level and field-level help

For window-level help, click the Help button in the desired window. For field-level help, do the following:

1. Click the question mark (?) icon in the upper right corner of the window.

The cursor appears as an arrow with a question mark.

2. Click the desired control.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Contacting Technical Customer Assurance

You can contact Technical Customer Assurance for help with your SAP BusinessObjects product through the SAP Service Market Place (SMP).

1. Go to SAP Service Market Place (http://service.sap.com

2. Click SAP Support Portal.

3. Enter your S-User ID and password, and then click OK.

4. When prompted for a digital certificate, click OK.

5. Enter your S-User ID and password again, and then click OK.

Optional: Setting up your Single Sign-on allows the site to remember your login and not prompt for it so frequently. To do this, click My Profile at the top of the page. Then click Maintain My Single Sign-on Certificate on the left of the page and follow the instructions.

Report a product error 6. In the SAP Support Portal, click the Help & Support tab.

7. Click Report a Product Error. The Report a Product Error - Customer

Messages window appears.

8. Using the SAP Message Wizard, you can log your message in four steps.

Steps Instructions

Step 1: Choose System Select the SAP BusinessObjects system that your

issue relates to.

Step 2: Prepare Solution Search Create a description of your issue that you can

search on.

Step 3: Find Solution Search to see whether your issue has been

addressed already.

Step 4: Enter Message If you don’t find your issue already addressed,

enter your message to create a new error report.

Choose your system 9. In the System Search box, click the drop-dow n arrow next to your inst allation

and select your system.

10. Click Search.

11. Click the BOB link next to your system.

Prepare your solution search

Before you create a new customer message, search for Notes (Knowledge Base articles) about your issue. If your issue has already been ad dressed, you should not need to create another message for Customer Assurance.

12. In the Search Term area, type your question, and then click Continue.

13. Read through the search results to see whether any of them addresses your question.

Enter your message 14. If you do not see any Notes about your question, click Create Message.

15. In the Classification box, choose the component that you want to create a

message for. You do so by clicking the icon next to the Component window to see a drop-down list. (By choosing the correct component, you ensure that your message is logged for the appropriate Technical Customer Assurance team.)

16. To see a more detailed list, click the arrow by BOJ- SAP Business Objects and then click the arrow by BOJ-EIM. The names of your products are listed next to each component.

Code Product s

BOJ-EIM-COM DeskTop Mailer, Business Edition, Presort, PrintForm, Label

Studio

Enter the details of your incident

In the Problem Details area, required fields are flagged with a red asterisk.

17. In the Short Text box, enter a brief description of the question or i ssue.

18. In the Long Text box, enter further detail about what you are seeing or questioning.

19. If needed, attach files to your incident report (be sure to zip your files).

20. When you have finished, you can either send the message or save it.

 If you save the message, the message is not sent to Technical Customer

Assurance. Instead, it remains in the Draft section of your “My Inbox,” from which you can send it later.

 To send your incident report, click Send Message. You can see the

messages you have sent by clicking My Inbox and viewing your sent items. When your question has been answered or your problem solved, open the message and click Close Message to keep your message inbox manageable.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Chapter 1: Installation and quick start

Read the installation and quick start information in this sectio n to get started with SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation.

Chapter 1: Installation and quick start

Install the software

This section includes installation instructions and system requirements.

Operating system requirements

System requirements To install and operate the software, we recommend that your system has the

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation is supported on these Wind ow s operating systems:

 Windows XP Professional (32- and 64-bit)  Windows 2003 Server  Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit)

following amounts of memory and hard disk space:

 A minimum of 128 MB of memory (RAM)  A minimum of 60 MB available hard disk space

Install a single workstation

To install to a single workstation:

1. Download the software from the SMP site.

2. Double-click the .exe file.

3. Follow the installation instructions on the screen.

4. When prompted, click No to install the client utility.

Install a server and client system

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation can be installed on a server system that includes multiple workstations. To do this, you must first install the software onto the server, then set up each wo rk station (client).

Server installation 1. Follow steps 1-3 from the “Install a single workstation” topic above.

2. Click Yes when you are prompted to install the client utility.

Client installation To set up each workstation:

1. Map a network drive to the server location where the software is installed. For example, if the software is installed to a shared Business Objects applications folder on the server machine, each workstation must map a drive to that folder (\\server1\BusinessObjects_applications, for example).

Important: All client workstations must have the same network drive letter

mapped to the drive where the soft ware is installed.

2. Choose Start > Run from the task bar.

3. T ype c:\pw\postalfileprep\client\setup.exe for installing the software (use your own installation drive letter in place of c).

4. Click OK.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

The Setup wizard

The first time that you open the software, the Setup wizard starts automatically. The wizard exists to help you enter important and required information upon opening the software. To edit or add new information after you’ve gone through the wizard, choose System > Setup.

Before you start You should have the following information ready to enter before you start the

software for the first time. The software requires much of this information, such as file paths, to run.

 The IDEAlliance User License Code. See “Enter your IDEAlliance user

license code” on page 7 for more information.

 Your file paths for support folders such as the import and export fol ders. See

“Define file paths” on page 8 for more information.

 The mailers company name, ZIP Code, contact person, phone number, and e-

mail address (these are required). See “Enter Company information” on

page 8 for more information.

 An understanding of what Mail.dat files you’d like the software to create. See

“Choose flags and tags print options” on page 9 for more information.

 The Dun and Bradstreet DUNS number. See “Choose flags and tags print

options” on page 9 for more information.

Enter your IDEAlliance user license code

The User License Code identifies you as a provider of Mail.dat files. When you export a Mail.dat from SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation, you are acting as a Mail.dat provider, and you must have an IDEAlliance User License Code. If you don’t have a user license code yet , enter any fo ur -digit alphanume ric code.

When you receive your code, enter it in the Company Information window. You can get to that window by selecting System > Setup > Company information.

Chapter 1: Installation and quick start

Define file paths Mail.dat uses a specific file-naming convention that prevents different file types

from being in the same folder. Because of this, you must use a different folder in each of these paths.

By default, the software sets up these folders during installation.

Enter Company information

Company information is required. The software won’t let you out of the Setup wizard until you’ve entered your company name, ZIP Code, a contact name, a phone number, and an e-mail address.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Choose Mail.dat import options

In the Mail.dat Optional Files section of th is tab, sele ct the op tional Mail .dat files that you want to include during the import process.

Also in this window, you can choose to assign unique container IDs. Select the Validate for PostalOne! option if you participate in that program and are planning to export to PostalOne!. Also see “Mail.dat” on page 11.

You can change this information at anytime by choosing System > Setup.

Choose flags and tags print options

You can select options that dictate what information the software prints on pallet flags and tray tags.

Also see “Flags and tags” on page 43.

Chapter 1: Installation and quick start

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

With SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation, you can import and export Mail.dat files as well as view, edit, and prepare reports.

In addition, you can archive Mail.dat files that you won’t need for awhile, and purge those that you will never need again.

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

Import Mail.dat files

You can set the default path for the import subd irectory thro ugh the setu p wizard. If you didn’t define your path during setup, do it now by going to System > Setup. The import subdirectory is the default directory that the software points to during the import process.

Before you open or process a Mail.dat, you must first import the file into the software. After you have imported a Mail.dat file, you shouldn’t have to reimport it (see “Re-import Mail.dat files” on page 12 for more information).

To import a Mail.dat file, do the following:

1. Choose File > Import.

2. Select a Mail.dat file and click Import.

3. Assign a customer and permit number to your job. To add or edit customer or

If you need to import from a different directory, click New Directory.

permit information, click Add/Edit Customer. For more information about permit numbers, see “Adding permit numbers”

on page 30 and “Editing permit information” on page 30.

For more information about cre ati ng a new customer, see “Adding or editing

customer information” on page 13.

Re-import Mail.dat files

4. Click OK.

The software validates your Mail.dat and ale r ts y ou to an y errors that exist. After import, you can open the Mail.dat by choosing File > Open Mail.dat.

A sample Mail.dat is available for you to import. You c an find the file s in the sample directory (for example, c:\pw\postalfileprep\sample).

After you import a Mail.dat file, you can re-import it if you need to. You may want to do this to restore it to the original condition (for example, you made too many changes and want to start over).

When you re-import a Mail.dat that has alread y bee n im po rt ed, the one that was imported first is deleted and replaced with the new one. Any changes that you made to the first Mail.dat are lost.

To re-import a Mail.dat:

1. Choose File > Import.

2. Select a Mail.dat and click Import. A message appears telling you that the Mail.dat already exists.

3. Click Yes to overwrite the current Mail.dat.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Retain permit information

When you select a customer in the Customer window that does not have a permit assigned to it, the software queries the Mailer Postage Account (MPA) record.

If the software does find permit information in the MPA record, a message appears asking you if you want to overwrite the current permit information with the information found in the MPA record. Click Yes to overwrite the permit information or click No to keep it.

For more information about permits, see “Adding permit numbers” on page 30 and “Editing permit information” on page 30.

Adding or editing customer information

To add or edit customer information, do the following:

1. In the Assign Customer Code and Permit Number window, choose File >

Add Customers/Permits.

2. In the Customer window, click Add or Edit.

3. Enter the new customer information.

For more information, see “Adding permit numbers” on page 30 and “Editing

permit information” on page 30.

4. Click Save.

5. Click Exit.

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

Unattended importing

You can import and verify multiple Mail.dat files at one time. Because the import and verification process can take a while, this feature lets yo u

select multiple jobs and walk away during the processing.

Importing multiple Mail.dat files

To import multiple Mail.dat files, do the following:

1. Choose File > Unattended Import. If you need to import from a different directory, click New Directory.

2. Select one or more Mail.dat files. To import all the Mail.dat files listed, click Select All.

3. Click Import. The software validates your Mail.dat and alerts you to any errors that exist.

If the software fails to import a Mail.dat file, it will save any errors to a log file and then move on to import the next Mail.dat file.

When the import process is complete, you need to fix the errors listed in the log file and then try to import the corrected Mail.dat file(s) again.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Unattended import log

When you import multiple Mail.dat files, the software generates an import log file that contains the following information:

 The name of all the imported Mail.dat files.  The names of the Mail.dat files that failed to import.  Status messages for each Mail.dat file.

The software automatically displays this log when it is done with the unattended import process.

Opening an Unattended Import log

To open unattended import log, do the following:

1. Choose File > Unattended Import Log.

2. In the Unattended Import Log window, enter a date range.

3. Click Summary List.

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

Deleting an Unattended Import log

To delete an unattended import log, do the following:

1. Choose File > Unattended Import Log.

2. In the Unattended Import Log window, enter a date range.

3. Click Delete Entries.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Validate Mail.dat files

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation automatically checks all Mail.dat files for errors.

In some situations the software automatically validates, or prompts you to validate. You can validate your Mail.dat files at any time by choosing Edit > Validate.

There are three levels of validation:

Validation levels Description

Relational A Mail.dat consists of several records that are related through

Content Some of the fields in the Mail.dat are required. If the provider

Qualification A Mail.dat must be a true representation of the physical mail-

keyed information. The Mail.dat contains errors when there is an incorrect relationship between records. You can fix some relational errors, but some require you to obtain a new Mail.dat from the provider.

did not supply the appropriate information, the corresponding field is marked with an error. In most cases, you can correct errors using the editing tool.

ing. That is, the values entered in the Mail.dat must be correct for the type and class of mail. To verify this, the software compares summary reports and presort totals to other information in the Mail.dat. You can fix some qualification errors, but some require you to obtain a new Mail.dat from the provider.

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

Edit Mail.dat fields

The software provides tools for you to view and edit Mail.dat fields (for instance, to fix errors). Note that there are some fields that you can view, but not change.

To edit a Mail.dat file, do the following:

1. Open the Mail.dat that you want to edit by choosing File > Open Mail.dat.

2. Choose Edit > Edit Mail.dat.

3. Select the record that you want to edit and click OK. The Record Editor window appears for the chosen record.

4. Find the field that contains the error (blue or red).

5. Click Edit.

6. Correct the errors and click Save when you are done.

7. Click Close.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Correct errors

When the software’s verification process detects errors in your Mail.dat, the Mail.dat Validation Error window appears.

This window is also referred to as the Summary Error Report. The Summary Error Report contains the following information:

 The name of the table.  The number of errors in that table.  The number of records in the table that contain errors.

To locate an error within your Mail.dat, use one of the following methods:

 Double-click the table name.  Highlight the error and click Go To.

You cannot export or perform other functions if errors exist in your Mail.dat. Modifying information in one record can impact other records in the Mail.dat.

Therefore, after you finish fixing errors in the Mail.dat, the sofware may require you to re-validate the Mail.dat file. To re-validate a Mail.dat, choose Edit > Validate.

Color-coded errors The software detects the following error types (each is represented by a color):

 Red: Mail.dat errors  Blue: PostalOne! errors

Field names appear in different colors, in bold, or regular weight font to indicate required and key fields. Also, the text area for erroneous fields appears in color.

Text attributes Purpose

Bold black text Required Mail.dat fields. Underlined black text Key fields that are unique identifiers of the record. Bold blue text Required for Blue text A Blue text area A

PostalOne! PostalOne!

PostalOne!

. field. error. The error must be corrected before you

can export to PostalOne.

Red text area A Mail.dat error. The error must be corrected before you can

do any processing.

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

Export Mail.dat files

You can export a Mail.dat so that it’s available for further processing in another program. Exporting let’s you save the Mail.dat with a different name to the Export folder.

If you haven’t already set the path to the Export folder, go to System > Setup. You must set the path before you can export any files.

To export a Mail.dat, do the following:

1. Validate and correct all errors in the Mail.dat. Revalidate to make sure all

2. Choose File > Export > Export to Mail.dat.

3. Enter a unique Mail.dat ID Code and click OK.

Note: If specific errors are present in the Mail.dat, the Export To options are not available.

errors are corrected (see “Correct errors” on page 19 and “Validate Mail.dat

files” on page 17).

A file export progress window appears. When the export is complete, the progress window disappears.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Archive Mail.dat files

If you have Mail.dat files that you don’t need, you can archive them. Archiving conserves space by compressing the Mail.dat files into a single Mail.dat and saving it to a designated directory.

You can also archive multiple Mail.dat files to save space on your hard drive. T o archive Mail.dat files:

1. Choose System > Archive.

2. Select the Mail.dat and click Archive.

3. Select the destination for the archived Mail.dat.

4. The software compresses and saves the Mail.dat in the directory or onto a device that you specify.

The Archive Status indicates that the archive is complete. Click Done.

Restore Mail.dat files After archiving a Mail.dat, you must restore the file before you can open it again.

When restoring an archived Mail.dat, be sure the archive p ath in System > Setup is set to the same path as when you originally archived the file.

Chapter 2: Mail.dat

Purge Mail.dat files

When you are finished with a Mail.dat, and you are sure that you don’t need to access it again, use the software’s purge feature (System > Purge) to delete your archived or active Mail.dat files.

Important: After files have been purged, you cannot restore them.

Purging the Archive folder

Purging active Mail.dat files

1. Choose System > Purge > Archived Mail.dat.

2. Select the Mail.dat that you want to purge and click Delete.

3. The software asks if you are sure you want to Delete the file. Click Yes.

1. Choose System > Purge > Active Mail.dat. The Delete Mail.dat window

opens.

2. Select one or more Mail.dat files that you want to purge.

3. Click Delete.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Chapter 3:

PostalOne!

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation prepares Mail.dat information according to PostalOne! standards. You can set shipping dates, assign permits, and correct errors using the software’s convenient PostalOne! wizard.

PostalOne!

Activate PostalOne! validation

To register for PostalOne!, do the following:

1. Visit the PostalOne! registration page at http://www.usps.com/postalone/

2. Click Learn More under the New Customers heading.

3. Follow the instructions on the PostalOne! web site.

After you register with PostalOne! and they confirm and activate your account, you can send Mail.dat information electronically to the USPS by uploading the information to PostalOne!’s secure web page.

For instructions about uploading Mail.dats to PostalOne!, see the PostalOne! User’s Guide at https://www.usps.com/postalone/guides.htm

Upon installation, the software automatically activates PostalOne! validation.

To change this setting, do the following:

1. Choose System > Setup and select the Import Options tab.

2. Select or deselect Validate for PostalOne!.

3. Click Save.

4. Click Exit Setup.

Chapter 3: PostalOne!®

PostalOne! wizard

The software has a wizard that quickly and easily guides you through all of the necessary steps for exporting PostalOne! files. Start the PostalOne! wizard by choosing Tools > PostalOne.

You must export to PostalOne! using the software before you can upload your files to the PostalOne! web site.

The software saves your files to the directory that you specified in System > Setup > File Paths. The default location is a folder named PostalOne!, which is located in the program’s installation directory.

Here are the wizard windows in the software that you need to complete before you can upload files to PostalOne!.

1. PostalOne! wizard tab 1: Enter Container Information

2. PostalOne! wizard tab 2: Assign customer and permit

3. PostalOne! wizard tab 3: PostalOne! Populate Fields

4. PostalOne! wizard tab 4: PostalOne! Validation Errors

5. PostalOne! wizard tab 5: PostalOne! Create Files

PostalOne! wizard tab 1: Enter Container Information

Use this tab to enter information about the containers in your Mail.dat file. Don’t forget that you can use the handy Fill Down feature to save time (see “Fill down

feature” on page 26).

PostalOne! requires USPS Pick Up information to determine a start the clock measurement for service performance. It is also used to identify whether a customer uses USPS transportation to delivery mail to a USPS plant.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

PostalOne! wizard tab 2: Assign customer and permit

Postage must be paid through a permit or another electronic method. Therefore, you need to select a customer that is responsible for paying the postage for this mailing.

Use a company and permit number that you have already set up, or create a new account in the wizard.

1. Select a customer from the drop-down menu. T o add a customer, see “Adding or editing customer information” on page 13.

To add or edit permit information, see “Adding permit numbers” on page 30 and “Editing permit information” on page 30.

2. If the Mail.dat is for Periodicals, enter the permit’s ZIP+4.

3. Select a CAPS code from the drop-down menu.

4. Click Next.

Chapter 3: PostalOne!®

PostalOne! wizard tab 3: PostalOne! Populate Fields

The most frequently used PostalOne! Mail.dat fields are centrally loca ted so that you can perform a mass update on them.

The Populate Fields window is here so you don’t have to go into each and every record to edit the most frequently used PostalOne! fields. This helps to streamline your processing.

Tip: Use the fill down feature to apply the same value to multiple field s .

Fill down feature If all the information in a column is the same (for example, ship dates and/or

appointment dates), use the fill down feature to save time. To use this feature, do the following:

1. Enter data into a field (for example, a date).

2. Press Tab and then go back to the field that contains the data you’d like to

duplicate.

3. Right-click in the field and select Fill Down.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

PostalOne! wizard tab 4: PostalOne! Validation Errors

After you complete the first three windows of the wizard, the software validates and reports any PostalOne! errors that were found in the Mail.dat.

The error tab is exactly like the validation error window that appears after a Mail.dat validation, but this one contains only PostalOne! errors.

You need to correct any existing errors before you can continue with the wizard .

Validate and correct errors

If there are many errors, you may want to obtain a new Mail.dat from your provider.

If there are no PostalOne! errors in the Mail.dat, or if you’ve correc ted them all, a PostalOne! validation message appears indicating that there are no errors.

To correct PostalOne! errors in the Mail.dat, do the following:

1. Double-click the error or select the table and click Go To.

2. Click Edit. Correct the errors and then click Save and then Close.

3. Click Revalidate. When the Mail.dat passes validation, a message appears. Click OK.

4. Click Next.

Chapter 3: PostalOne!®

PostalOne! wizard tab 5: PostalOne! Create Files

You can do the following in the Create Files tab:

 Export IMR and PDR files.  Export an entire original Mail.dat.  Export an updated Mail.dat based on postage statement mailing dates.  Delete an entire Mail.dat.

The following table describes the options in this window.

Option Description

Export IMR and Export PDR

This option appears only if you are working with a Mail.dat file that has both a PDR and an IMR record. Use this option to choose which record you want to export to

A single Mail.dat job must contain either an Intelligent Mail Range (.imr) file or a Piece Detail Record (.pdr) file, but not both.

Export entire Original Mail.dat

Use this option to ship the entire job on the same date. Note that you need to export the entire Mail.dat before you can upload to

PostalOne!

You also need to choose from one of the following options:



Blank - Not Closed tells PostalOne! to generate a Qualification report, but not an estimated postage statement or UPD.



P- Preliminary Postage Statement tells PostalOne! to generate a preliminary or estimated postage statement with the Qualification report. The file is marked in the ESD stage on the PostalOne! dashboard.



R - Ready To Pay indicates that the container is complete and ready for payment.

PostalOne!

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Option Description

Export Update Mail.dat based on Pstg Stmt Mlg Date

Use to send an updated Mail.dat to

PostalOne!

that consists of a Container Quantity, a Container Summary, and a Header file. You must choose one of the following options:



R - Ready To Pay allows you to send

PostalOne!

updates based on postage statement dates if you’re shipping your job on different dates, and you have already exported and uploaded the initial Mail.dat to



C - Cancel allows you to cancel a

PostalOne!

job (entire or partial). Cancellation marks only specify containers (based on statement dates) for cancellation, while other remaining containers still appear on the postage payment. When you select this option, the software populates the Container Status field in the Container Summary table (.csm) with a “C” for Cancel instead of an “R” for Ready to Pay.

Important:

It is your responsibility to verify that the dates

you enter are valid! The software does not do this for you.

PostalOne!

does, however, verify that your dates are valid

and they reject Mail.dat files with invalid dates



D - Delete marks the containers status as "D" for the containers which are in postage statement mailing date range.



T - Transportation Info Update allows you to update existing F A ST recurring appointments, CSA information, or container barcode information.



X - Previously Closed or Paid allows you to change portions of Mail.dat files you plan to send in the future.

Export Delete Mail.dat The Delete Mail.dat option deletes an entire Mail.dat and

removes the job from the

PostalOne!

database.

The software also exports the Header file (.hdr) and the Segment file (.seg).

In the Header file, the software sets the Record Status field to “N” for None Transmitted and the record count to zero.

In the Segment file, the software sets the Record Status field to “D” for Delete and the Record count to the number of segment records.

Chapter 3: PostalOne!®

Permit numbers

In an effort to standardize the permit number format that users submit to PostalOne!, IDEAlliance has specific format rules.

Adding permit numbers

Permit numbers must contain an 8-digit numeric value (you can pad it with zeros). This number is assigned to you by the USPS.

To add a new permit, do the following:

1. Choose Edit > Edit Customer Info.

2. In the Customer window, click Add Permits.

3. In the Permit Information window, click Edit and add the permit number and

the address of the permit holder.

Editing permit information

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

4. Click Save and exit the window.

Permit numbers must contain an 8-digit numeric value (can be padded with zeros) that is assigned to you by the USPS. If you have a permit number, you must also enter a ZIP+4 code.

To edit the permit holders information, do the following:

1. Choose Edit > Edit Customer Info.

2. In the Customer window, click Edit Permits.

3. In the Permit Information window, click Edit and update the information for

the permit holder.

4. Click Save and exit the window. Note that you can’t edit a permit number because it’s a number that the USPS

provides, but you can delete and add a permit nu mber.

Chapter 4: Planning

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation can use information in your Mail.dat files to help you edit truck load assignments and piece weight and advertising percentages.

Chapter 4: Planning

Truck load editing

Through truck load editing you can:

 Assign truck numbers to pallets, sacks, and trays  Enter dates  Remove containers

If your Mail.dat has a preplan, the software may automatically assign truck numbers (see “Automatic truck number assignment” on page 32).

If your job doesn’t have a preplan, do the following:

1. Choose Edit > Truck Load Editing.

2. In the Select Options for Truck Load Editing window, select one or more

segment IDs to include or click Select All. Click OK.

3 Enter the applicable dates. Use the fill down

feature to apply the same value to multiple fields (“Fill down feature” on page 26).

4. Select a row to view the containers for that entry

point in the Containers On This Drop grid at the bottom of the window.

Automatic truck number assignment

Remove your containers from a drop

5. Remove one or more container from the drop. See “Remove your containers

from a drop” on page 32 for more information

6. Click Print to view a Loading Manifest Detail report or click OK.

If your Mail.dat has a preplan, the software offers to automatically assign truck numbers to pallets.

In the Automatic Load Assignment window:

 Click Assign if you want automatic truck number assignment.  Click Don’t Assign if you want to manually assign truck numbers.

If you want to remove containers from a drop, select the entry point in the top box portion of the Shipment Information Assignment window. The containers within the drop are displayed in the lower box.

Select the container(s) you want to remove from the drop and click Remove From Drop. The software creates a new drop with those containers.

The information that you enter in this window populates the container summary table.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Assign in-home dates

You can enter dates in the software for indicating to the USPS the date ran ge for a particular piece to be delivered.

To assign in-home dates, do the following:

1. Choose Edit > Assign In-Home Dates.

2. In the row of the job or segment that you want to assign, click in the In Home

3. Enter a date in MMDDYYYY format and press the Tab key.

4. Enter a second date in the In Home End column. This date can be up to three

5. Click OK.

Start column.

days later than the In Home Start date.

Tip: If all of the segments or jobs in the Mail.dat use the same date, use the fill-down feature to auto-fill the same date for all.

Chapter 4: Planning

Edit piece attributes

In many cases, the software estimates the piece attributes during the creation of a Mail.dat. You can then generate reports that accurately reflect your mailing.

Piece weight and advertising percentage are the most commonly modified piece attributes. That is why the software provides a convenient location to edit them. You can make minor adjustments to piece weights without having to presort your job again.

To edit information, do the following:

1. Choose Edit > Edit Piece Wt./Ad.

2. Put your cursor in the desired field and update the information.

3. Click OK.

Note that if you change information in this window, the software changes the weight in every file in the Mail.dat.

Perc. A window appears showing you all the versions and their associated piece weight and advertising percentage.

When you have finished editing the piece weight and advertising percentage, the software automatically re-validates the Mail.dat. An error report appears if there are errors.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Chapter 5: Reports

This section introduces you to SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation reports.

From summary reports to audit trails, you can find a report detailing exactly the information you need.

Chapter 5: Reports

Printing options

In the Printing Options window, you can choose how you’d like to view report information.

 Select Screen to view your reports or labels on the computer screen.  Select Printer to print your reports or labels.  Select File to save your reports or labels.

About the report examples

Due to space limitations, report samples are condensed. In some cases, sections are removed from report samples, leading to incorrect sums.

T o see examples of report s, open one of your Mail.dat files in the software and go to the Reports menu to view them on screen.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Reports

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation produces the following reports:

 “Job Summary” on page 37  “Presort Summary” on page 38  “Containerization Summary” on page 38  “Destination Entry Zone Distribution” on page 39  “Mail Content Audit by Container Type by Package” on page 39  “Palletized Content List report” on page 40  “Error reports” on page 41

For information on pallet flags and sack and tray tags, see “Flags and tags” on

page 43.

Job Summary This report provides the total number of copies and the total weight of the job by

segment, as well as the total number of containers by container type. In short, it summarizes the entire job.

To access this report, go to Reports > Summary > Job Summary

Chapter 5: Reports

Presort Summary This report breaks down the total number of copies and pieces for each rate

category within a version. To access this report, go to Reports > Summary > Presort Summary.

Containerization Summary

This report shows the various presort levels contained within the job by container type. It includes the total number of copies, pieces, packages, units, and the total weight for each presort level.

To access this report, go to Reports > Summary > Containerization Summary.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Destination Entry Zone Distribution

This report shows the number of copies in a job that are claiming a destination entry discount or zone rate. It also reports the percent age of c op ies for each entry or zone.

To access this report, go to Reports > Summary > View Zone Distribution.

Mail Content Audit by Container Type by Package

This report subtotals the number of copies for each package within a container. The totals are further broken down by version and presort levels.

To access this report, go to Reports > Summary > Mail Content Audit by Container Type by Package.

Chapter 5: Reports

Palletized Content List report

This is a list of the segments in each pallet including the total number of copies, pounds, and containers on the pallet.

To access this report choose Reports > Palletized Content List.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Error reports

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation’s error reports include:

 Summary Error Report  Mail.dat Error Detail (Detailed Error Report)

Summary Error Report

Mail.dat Error Detail (Detailed Error Report)

There are two ways to view the Summary Error Report. When the software’s verification process detects errors in your Mail.dat, the Mail.dat Validation Error window appears. Or, you can go directly to the report by choosing Reports > Error Reports > Summary Error Report.

The Summary Error Report (Mail.dat Validation Error window) contains the name of the table, the number of errors in that table, and the number of records in the table that contain errors. You can go directly to the error by double-clicking the table name, or highlighting the error and clicking Go To.

The Summary Error Report has a Detailed Report button that opens the report. You have the option to view it on screen, print it, or save it to a file.

You can also access the Detailed Error Report by choo sin g Reports > Error Reports > Detailed Error Report.

The Detailed Error Report provides a listing of each Mail.dat error within a record and gives tips on how to correct the error.

Chapter 5: Reports

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Chapter 6: Flags and tags

Generate and print your pallet flags, sack tags, and tray tags easily with SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation passed the USPS label certification process for Intelligent Mail tray labels. Go to https://ribbs.usps.gov/vendor_info/

documents/tech_guides/VENDOR_INFO_ALL_OTHER/IMTLVEND.pdf to

view a list of certified vendors. T o get ce rtified, a vendor must send 10-digit and 24-digit la bels to the U SPS. The

USPS then runs tests on the labels to make sure the vendor is using valid USPSdefined formats.

What does this certification mean to you? You can have peace-of-mind knowing that SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation adheres to these USPS standards when creating labels:

 Intelligent Mail tray label design specifications.  Technical barcode requirements for the tray barcodes.  Placement of the barcode and human-readable data elements on the label as

well as the ability to generate accurate label content.

For more information about this certification, visit the RIBBS website at http://

www.ribbs.usps.gov.

Chapter 6: Flags and t ags

Label setup

Print based on a specific range

When printing flags and tags, you can print all of the labels or a range of labels. The software warns you if there are no flags or tags t o print in the spec ified range.

To begin printing your labels:

1. Choose Reports > Flags and Tags > label type.

2. Select a print range. You can choose to print all the labels or those within a range.

3. Enter the number of columns your labels have (see “Two-up sack and tray

label printing” on page 44). Click OK.

4. Select the printing option (screen, printer, or file) and click OK.

Two-up sack and tray label printing

If you specify two or more columns in the Number of Label Columns in the Print Range window , you must select a printing direction in the Sack/Tray Label Print window.

East to west print direction

North to south print direction

To set printing directions for sack and tray tags that are two up or more:

1. Choose Reports > Flags and Tags > label type.

2. Select a print range if applicable (All Containers, or Container Range).

3. Enter 2 (or more) for the number of columns based on your labels. Click OK.

4. Select East/West if you want your printer to print each row of tags from left to right, row by row or select North/South if you want your printer to print each column from top to bottom, column by column.

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Print origin and destination information

You can print both entry point and origin information on your sack tags and only entry point information on pallet flags when you select the appropriate options in System > Setup > Flags and Tags Print Options.

Chapter 6: Flags and tags

Label types

Sack and tray labels contain information that explains where a sack or tray is destined, its contents, and where it originated. Automa tion-rate mailings require a barcode. The USPS mandates the appearance and placement of most elements on these label types.

Note: If you want to take advantage of full-service rates the USPS requires you to use either the pure 24 or 10/24 tags on your mailings.

You can control what elements appear on your pallet flags by choosing System > Setup > Flags and Tags Print Options and selecting the options you want.

Select from these types of labels in the software:

 10-digit sack tag  24-digit IM sack tag  10-digit tray tags  24-digit IM tray tag  Pallet flags

10-digit sack tag Sack tags provide necessary mail processing and customer related information.

24-digit IM sack tag The Intelligent Mail® barcode for tray tags is a 24 character CODE 128 barcode .

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

10-digit tray tags Tray tags provide necessary mail processing and customer related information.

24-digit IM tray tag The Intelligent Ma il® barco de for tray tags is a 24 character CODE 128 barcode.

Pallet flags A pallet flag (also referred to as the Intelligent Mail® container label) displays a

barcode only if you’re running an Intelligent Mail barcode jo b. Fo r jobs tha t are not presorted as Intelligent Mail barcode compliant, the software does not print the barcode.

Chapter 6: Flags and tags

SAP BusinessObjects Postal File Preparation User’s Guide

Index

activate PostalOne! validation, 23 add

customer information, 13 permit number, 30

Business objects POSTAL FILE PREPARATION 12-2010 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Table of Contents

Preface

Operating system requirements

System requirements To install and operate the software, we recommend that your system has the

Install a single workstation

Install a server and client system

The Setup wizard

Before you start You should have the following information ready to enter before you start the

Enter your IDEAlliance user license code

Define file paths Mail.dat uses a specific file-naming convention that prevents different file types

Enter Company information

Choose Mail.dat import options

Choose flags and tags print options

Permit numbers

Print based on a specific range

Index