Transcript Document
The Mission of the Postal Customer Council is to:
Promote local cooperation and support of Postal Service initiatives Create and maintain a close working relationship between the Postal Service and business mailers Share information and exchange ideas about new and existing Postal Service products, services, programs, and procedures that affect business mailers Help member organizations grow professionally through focused educational programs
Background
Mail.DAT (andMail.XML) were introduced in 2009 as an additional method for mailers to use to submit their documentation electronically. Although Mail.DAT provides an additional method to satisfy the requirements for Full Service mailings, it can be used to submit any mailing electronically.
The Mail.DAT feature is available only for discounted mailings. It allows you to connect to the PostalOne! Web site and transmit information about your presorted mailing to the USPS. Once processed by the USPS, the acceptance procedure (when you bring your mailing to the post office) will be simpler and quicker.
Before using this new feature, you will be required to open an account at the USPS Business Customer Gateway and take a simple test to ensure you are ready to submit a live mailing.
What is a DAT File?
Answer:
A file with the DAT file extension is a Data file. Other types of files that use the DAT extension include VCD video files and some email program file attachments.
How To Open a DAT File:
The easiest way to open a DAT file is to double-click on it and let your PC decide which default application should open the file. If no program opens the DAT file then you probably don't have an application installed that can view and/or edit DAT files.
If the DAT file is actually a generic "data" file, the program that generated the DAT file is your best bet for opening it, but you should try a text editor if that doesn't work (see the Tip a few paragraphs down).
Tip:
Use Notepad or another text editor to open the DAT file. Many files are text-only files meaning no matter the file extension, a text editor may be able to properly display the file's contents. Depending on where the DAT file came from, it could be a generic text-based file so this trick is worth a try.
Warning:
Take great care when opening executable file formats received via email or downloaded from websites you're not familiar with.
What is an XML File?
Answer:
A file with the XML file extension is an Extensible Markup Language file. Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. Many application programming interfaces (APIs) have been developed to aid software developers with processing XML data, and several schema systems exist to aid in the definition of XML-based languages.
The design goals of XML emphasize
Tip:
Since XML files are text-based files, simplicity, generality, and usability over any text editor, including Notepad, will be Internet. It is a textual data format with strong support via Unicode for the able to properly display and edit the XML file's contents. languages of the world. Although the design of XML focuses on documents, it is widely used for the representation of arbitrary data structures, for example in web services.
Procedures Overview
Here is a brief overview of the procedures for setting up and using Mail.DAT 1. Sign up for a USPS Business Customer Gateway account and obtain a Mailer ID and CRID.
2. Obtain and fill out a copy of the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) worksheet.
3. Create a presorted mailing for all classes (First and/or Standard) that you normally use.
4. Submit Mail.DAT to the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) on PostalOne!
5. Collect your test form and evidence of mailing logs and submit the results to PostalOne! for approval.
6. Once approved, you can switch the software to submit Mail.DAT data to the production servers at PostalOne!
You’re now ready to use Mail.DAT for live mailings.
Accessing the Business Customer Gateway
On http://www.usps.com/ click on the Business Customer Gateway link (on the bottom right hand corner of the Web page).
Procedure 1: Sign Up for a USPS Business Customer Gateway Account and Obtain a Mailer ID and CRID
For more detailed information, refer to the User Access to Electronic Mailing Information and Reports Guide (referred to in this document as “Guide”) available on RIBBS® http://ribbs.usps.gov > Intelligent Mail® services > Guides http://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intellmailguides
Procedure 2: Obtain and Fill Out a Copy of the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Worksheet
1. Log on to the Business Customer Gateway.
2. In the Business Customer Gateway, under Mail & Transport, click
Electronic Data Exchange (PostalOne!)
.
3. Under the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) header and in the Mail.xml section, click
Start Testing- Notify Help Desk
.
4. This will create an email to the PostalOne! Help desk. In this email, you must include the following: • Company name • Name of the contact person • Phone number for the contact person • The submission technology type, Mail.XML
• The version number of Mail.XML, which can be found on the Submit Mail.XML to PostalOne! Dialog box. (See Procedure 4, step 4, in this document.) • The Business Customer Gateway will send you an email detailing the steps you need to obtain and complete to pass the testing process.
5. You can get the test form from PostalOne! (https://ribbs.usps.gov/): a. Click the
Intelligent Mail Services
tab and from the drop-down, click
Guides and Specs
.
b. Click the
Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Checklist & Troubleshooting
PDF file.
c. Fill out the worksheet. (See sample worksheet reproduced for your reference in Appendix A of this document.) d. You will need to select specific tests for the type of mailings you are supporting —First Class or Standard. (See Appendix B of this document.)
Procedure 3: Create a Presorted Test Mailing(s) for All Classes (First and/or Standard) That You Normally Use
• This procedure is about creating a test mailing—any kind of discounted mailing. If you plan on doing Full Service mailings, you must select
Full Service Option Using Postal Wizard or Mail.XML
on the Mailing Options screen of Presort Setup.
• You need to do this once for each class of mail that you expect to submit to PostalOne:
Procedure 4: Submit Test Mailing(s) Mail.XML to PostalOne! Test Environment for Mailers (TEM)
1. Get the test form from PostalOne!. (See procedure 2, step 5.) 2. Fill out the test form as shown in the sample TEM worksheet, selecting specific tests for First Class and specific tests for Standard Class.
3. In your software, go to where you usually print paper reports and click the
Mail.XML
button.
Procedure 5: Collect Your Test Form and Evidence of Mailing Logs and Submit the Results to PostalOne! For Approval.
1. Gather the test results from the log file along with the filled-out test form. The filled-out form would need to be in
electronic
format so that you can zip it with the other results. You can do this using any of the following methods: • Create an Adobe Acrobat PDF file and save it.
• Print out a hard copy, fill it out, and scan it.
• Print out a hard copy, fill it out, and fax it.
2. Send this to PostalOne, as directed by their email to you.
3. Wait for approval via email.
Procedure 6: Once Approved, You Can Switch the Software to Submit Mail.XML Data to the Production Servers at PostalOne!
Switch Mail.XML to the Production environment. All mailings sent will now be live maiings processed by PostalOne! production servers.
Customer Collateral
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