Postal/Zip Codes and F0117

[ssolberg]

Has anyone populated this file and actually use it? I'm aware of basically how it works and would like to get it populated but have not found a decent resource (preferably free...) to get this information from. I only need US info. Our main need for it is to get the County information accurate.

For example, obviously we have tons of addresses in our system already and would like to get this table populated so I could "back fix" (read that as a custom RPG...) the County field in the Address Book from F0117 and keep it updated over time.

Most of the services out there that offer this kind of info seem kind of pricey but you get periodic updates. Do zip code/counties change or get added that often? I'm thinking I just want to get it populated once and then we will keep it updated after that? Any thoughts?

 

[DBohner-(db)]

YES - zipcodes change often.

I have a dealer locator on one of my websites - we get a few calls a
month from folks that can't find their nearest dealer (and it's
usually because they have a new Zip code)...

You might look at GreatCircle - for a free (but dated) list of US
zipcodes. I've found that the Canadian ones cost a premium.

db

 

[John_Dickey]

Sannan,
We do not use the F0117 file, but I can take a stab at your other
questions. Zip code information does not change often, and since zip =
code
is tied more to a city than to a county, the county information should
change even less. But the possibility of a change, though small, is =
there.
And how would you be able to find out about any change that does =
happen?
The question I would have is this - how much would it cost your company =
if
the zip code information became incorrect? The answer to that question
would determine if you want to pay a service to send you updates of =
changes,
or if you are willing to try and maintain on your own.
=20
John Dickey=20
JDE Financial Systems=20
Administrator/Programmer/Analyst=20
White-Rodgers, Division of Emerson=20
St. Louis, MO=20
314-577-1466=20

 

[Philky]

Sannan,=20
=20
You would have to be able to ensure that you are getting the updates =
every month from the particular government office. I am not sure if this =
is done in Washington or at the local level. If you can be certain that =
there is only one email list and you are on it, then you should be good =
to go. This is predicated on getting the zip code file on your own. I am =
not sure if this is possible. Can one purchase this zip code table from =
the USPS?
=20
HTH,=20
Phil

 

[G_Smith]

Do you have Vertex and the GeoCoder files? I have thought about trying to
look into the files that are provided and updated for the GeoCoder system
and they extract the information needed to load the F0117 but have not
developed anything yet. Not completely sure that would work but I do
believe that the information is in those files.

 

[slandess]

Sannan -

Try the US Postal Service...they basically provide this information to all of the other service providers..

 

[Greenm]

WorksRight Software, Inc. provides this information with monthly updates at
a reasonable cost. The program name is ZIP/CITY.

 

[DBohner-(db)]

Actually - the USPS doesn't maintain their own list. I had to
research this a few years ago - they've outsourced it maintenance (too
many employees going postal over the zipcode interference)...

If you obtain the zips from the USPS - you'll pay more than you have
to... other sources are much cheaper ($100-$700 for annual updates)...

db

 

[ssolberg]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I was lucky enough to actually find someone on the net who had posted a (somewhat outdate) file of just what I was looking for. After massaging it and uploading it into F0117, I only have a couple pages of missing zip codes to research. In our case, we don't get "thousands" of new customers each year, just a couple hundred at most and many will be in the zip codes we already have so manually keeping this file updated is not a big deal.

We are really using it to allow the user just to type in a zip code and it populates the AB record with the rest of the info. I'm using it to populate the County field via a weekly update program I have written. It spits out any customers that have blank Counties so I can get them in the file or tell the clerk they have an incorrect zip. If they ever DO want to use JDE to prefill stuff, I've already got the file pretty well populated!