WD2000: DMM: Postal Codes Incomplete or Missing When Importing Excel Address List (242419)

SYMPTOMS

When you import a Microsoft Excel worksheet as your address list, one of the following may occur:

Case 1: Postal Codes Missing

Postal codes may be missing on all or part of your mailing list addresses.

Case 2: Incomplete Postal Code

Postal codes that begin with a zero (0) do not include the zero. For example, if your postal code should be 01234, when you import your address list, the postal code may be imported as 1234.

CAUSE

This problem can be caused by any of the following:

Direct Mail Manager (DMM) may not be able to correctly import your postal code field when DMM cannot interpret that the field is formatted as text.

This problem is directly related to a problem in the IISAM drivers that DMM uses to access your information in Excel.

NOTE: IISAM driver files provide data access between Microsoft Jet and the Data Base Management Systems (for example, Microsoft Excel).

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When you typed the postal code in your Excel address list, Excel removed the leading zero. By default, Excel removes a leading zero when it detects that the text is a number.

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When you import a text file that does not enclose the postal code within quotation marks, the leading zero is removed. This problem is also directly related to a problem in the IISAM drivers that DMM uses to access your information in Excel.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods appropriate for your situation:

In Microsoft Excel

To ensure that Direct Mail Manager interprets your postal code fields as text, type an apostrophe (') before the postal code. For example, in Excel when you type the postal code for an address (for example, 98052-6399), type '98052-6399.

NOTE: Be sure to type the apostrophe when you type each address in your Excel address list. In Excel, the apostrophe (single quotation mark) is a formatting code.

For more information about formatting codes, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type apostrophe in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

In a Text Editor

To ensure that Direct Mail Manager interprets your postal code fields correctly when you import a text file (*.txt), make sure to enclose your address fields within quotation marks. For example, in a typical comma-separated (CSV) text file, make sure your address fields are enclosed within quotation marks:

"Name","Address","City","State","PostalCode"