Customer export formats

If you would like to see the complete file layout for any of the formats listed below, simply click on that format.

Export files with "formatted" addresses contain seven name and address lines, ready for insertion into a mailing label or other printed document. Export files with "unformatted" addresses contain the individual name and address data fields and are most suitable when the file will be subsequently processed by postal presort software. The following examples illustrate the difference:

 

Formatted export file

Field names

Values

 

ADDR1

(key code from customer export screen)

 

ADDR2

Mr. John Smith

 

ADDR3

President

 

ADDR4

Amalgamated Widgets Inc.

 

ADDR5

100 Main St

 

ADDR6

Anytown NY 10001

 

ADDR7

 

 

ZIP

10001

 

Unformatted export file

Field names

Values

 

LNAME

Smith

 

FNAME

John

 

PREFIX

Mr.

 

SUFFIX

 

 

TITLE

President

 

COMPANY

Amalgamated Widgets Inc.

 

DEPT

 

 

STREET1

100 Main St

 

STREET2

 

 

CITY

Anytown

 

STATE

NY

 

ZIP

10001

dBASE file with formatted address
dBASE file with unformatted address

dBASE for National Change of Address Service

This file format is intended for sending to the National Change of Address Service for address correction or addition of Zip+4 codes.

Mail merge with formatted address
Mail merge with unformatted address

These two formats contain the field delimiters you chose on the 'Mail merge' tab of the 'Preferences' screen. If you are using a comma as a field delimiter, the data in any field that happens to contain a comma will be enclosed in quotes (") to show that it is actually a single field. The first record in the file created contains names of the fields in each record.

Comma-delimited with formatted address
Comma-delimited with unformatted address

These two formats are the same as "mail merge," except that commas are placed between the fields instead of the field delimiters you chose on the 'Preferences' screen. If the data in any field happens to contain a comma, then it will be enclosed in quotes (") to show that it is actually a single field. The first record in the file created contains names of the fields in each record.

Fixed length .SDF file with formatted address
Fixed length .SDF file with unformatted address

This file format contains no field separators and each field is the same length in every record.

PostWare/ArcList postal presort

This is a dBase file format that is intended for use with postal presort packages. The file format is the same as that produced by the Label Splitter and by the Issue Label update when you check any of the 'Presort' boxes on the 'Shipping' tab of the publication definition screen, except that the fields relating to subscriptions and orders are omitted.

 

See Also