DIALOGPOST MANAGER - questions and answers
Here you can find answers and tips regarding DIALOGPOST MANAGER.
Here you can find answers and tips regarding DIALOGPOST MANAGER.
As of Dialogpost Manager Version 9.0, it will be necessary to update all postal routing via an update file. The most current postal routing data file ("Postleidaten 3.2017") can be found on our website under "Downloads". The update is applicable for all Dialogpost Manager functions (routing codes for DHL INFOPOST, address verification, zip code book).
An additional update is necessary only if you are using Datafactory Streetcode; please contact our subsidiary Post Direkt for the data. The Datafactory Streetcode order form can be found here.
Dialogpost Manager recognises a large number of the machine-readable fonts permitted by Deutsche Post and automatically identifies which of these fonts are installed on your system.
In mail merge, you can see a list of fonts classified as machine-readable via Extras (tools) -> Maschinenlesbare Schriften (machine-readable fonts) or in the following file.
This problem can generally be solved by updating the printer driver. To do so, go to the website of your printer manufacturer and download the latest printer driver for your printer and your operating system and install it. Please note the installation instructions of the manufacturer. Please note: in the event of faulty printing, Hewlett-Packard recommends installing the printer driver of an older printer, as new printers are backwards compatible with their predecessors. You can find more information here.
The problem is most often due to an error in Microsoft Word. When importing dBASE files, Microsoft Word expects a file without spaces or special characters - otherwise the import is cancelled with an empty error message. Strangely, spaces are accepted in directory names.
When exporting from Dialogpost Manager in these cases, please ensure that there are no spaces or special characters in file names or simply rename the file before importing it to Microsoft Word. It should then be possible to import dBASE files without problems.
Unfortunately, it is unclear if or when Microsoft will rectify this error.
When importing Microsoft Access tables, error messages may arise if the ADO driver or the jet engine are not installed or are outdated, e.g.:
Error during object creation. Please ensure that the Microsoft Data Access Components 2.1 (or higher) are correctly installed.
This can be the case with old operating systems in which Microsoft Access is not installed.
Note:
Microsoft Access does not have to be installed in order to operate the Dialogpost Manager, particularly when importing Microsoft Access tables; only the above-mentioned drivers are required.
However it is possible to subsequently install this driver without problems. The latest version of the ADO driver is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/data/download_260rtm.htm,
whilst the latest version of Jet Engine is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/data/download_Jet4SP3.htm.
In order to clear the described error, proceed as follows:
First install the current ADO driver. If this alone is not successful, please also install the latest Jet Engine.
In customer administration, you can set each customer as a mailer using the right mouse button.
There are no volume restrictions for postage optimisation including importing and exporting addresses. In practice, orders with more than five million addresses are optimised with the Dialogpost Manager.
When using the form of address check, address verification or duplicate check, the address quality and address structure determine how long a corresponding search lasts. With an address volume > 100,000 addresses, you should expect a search to last a few minutes. However there is no volume restriction here either.
You can enter various IDs under Extras -> Optionen (extras -> options) but cannot activate them for the relevant project. You can select the matching ID for the project under Projekt -> Eigenschaften -> Details (project -> properties -> details). However, the ID selected here will not be printed but instead only transferred to order management at Deutsche Post, where applicable.
Basically, one posting list is required for each routing region. If you prepare posting with Dialogpost Manager, one posting list and the ‘compilation of routing regions’, which is automatically created by Dialogpost Manager, are sufficient. but instead only transferred to order management at Deutsche Post, where applicable.
A negative comparison is required when members of the Robinson list or any group defined by you must not be addressed under any circumstances. All data records that are included in both the Robinson list and your destination file should be deleted.
In order to make it possible to find these data records, Dialogpost Manager offers two functions directly in the Professional version.
1. Robinson comparison
With the Robinson comparison, a negative comparison can be carried out directly against the Robinson list of the German dialogue marketing association (DDV). For this purpose, it is necessary to acquire and install the Robinson file from DDV.
2. Nixie comparison
With the Nixie comparison, you can carry out a direct negative comparison against any file available to you. Here, the structure and format of the negative file are irrelevant.
With both procedures, small typos or name deviations are found due to a ‘fuzzy comparison’ being carried out.
Start Microsoft Windows as an administrator and then open regedt32.exe (Start - Ausführen - regedt32 (Start - Run - regedt32)). Here, change to the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE in the directory Deutsche Post AG - Dialogpost Manager.
Now you can allow full access to this folder for the respective user(s).
This is not a problem with Dialogpost Manager but is connected to the restrictions of the operating system for users (rights management) in Microsoft Windows.
The user has no rights for the Dialogpost Manager directory and its sub-folders. The administrator must assign read/write access for this folder to the user(s).
Approach: right-click on the IPM directory in Explorer and select Freigabe (sharing). Click on Diesen Ordner freigeben (share this folder). Under Sicherheitseinstellungen (security settings), enable full access for users.
You can do this via an address export in conjunction with the accompanying Deutsche Post Premiumadress font.
Detailed instructions are included in the attached document.
Dialogpost Manager uses postcode data to verify and, where necessary, correct address data:
A network version of Dialogpost Manager has been available since version 8.0. If you wish to run Dialogpost Manager on a network, you can install the application for this on a group drive or on a normal computer within your network. The relevant employees must be able to access this installation from their computers. Since Dialogpost Manager is not run as a service on a server, it is sufficient, just as before, to simply create a link to the Dialogpost Manager program file (ipm32.exe) on the computer desktop.
With version 8.0, the following functions have been implemented under the generic term Network capability:
Detailed instructions are available in the Downloads area under Anleitung zur Installation im Netzwerk (instructions on network installation).
When exporting files in prn format, Dialogpost Manager suggests the DOS character set as standard. If you would like files to be exported in prn format with the ANSI character set, please create a corresponding export template once as a standard template. Then all export files will be exported in prn format with the ANSI character set as preset in the standard template.
Procedure:
Please open an existing project which is already optimised for postage so that an address export can be carried out. Go to the Ergebnis (result) menu item, then Adressexport (address export). Now, a new window named Export-Assistent (export wizard) should open.
Here, select Formatierter Text (Leerzeichen getrennt) (*.prn) (formatted text (space delimited) (*.prn)) as the export format. Then click on the adjacent Einstellungen (settings) button and select the character set ANSI. Now click on the Weiter (next) button until you reach Schritt 3 von 3 (step 3 of 3).
At the bottom right corner of this window is the button Vorlage speichern (save template). Please save your template as prn_ANSI. Next, click on the Vorlage laden (load template) button in the bottom left corner of the window and right-click on your previously saved template prn_ANSI. Then select Vorlage als Standardvorlage festlegen (set template as default) in the context menu that opens.
And that’s it. Now, all exports will be exported in prn format with the ANSI character set.
In preparation, an individual Premiumadress ID must be created for each group of recipients (e.g., per retail outlet) in the Premiumadress.de backend (www.premiumadress.de). This specifies, for example, that data are sent to the Munich retail outlet in case of ID 2 whilst with ID 3, it goes to the Cologne retail outlet etc.
The import file should contain one field (column), which contains the retail outlet responsible for the respective recipient. This field can also be created in address management and be populated via multiple changes.
With an address export or mail merge, it is specified in the settings for Premiumadress that a value for a field should be used instead of a fixed ID. In mail merge, this then appears as follows, for example:
Vorbereitend muss dazu im Premiumadress-Backend (www.premiumadress.de) für jede Empfängergruppe eine eigene Premiumadress-ID angelegt werden (z.B. pro Filiale). Damit steuert man dann, dass z.B. bei ID "2" die Daten an "Filiale München" und bei ID "3" die Daten an "Filiale Köln" gehen, usw.
Die Importdatei sollte eine Feld (Spalte) enthalten, in der die für den jeweiligen Empfänger zuständige Filiale enthalten ist. Dieses Feld kann auch in der Adressverwaltung angelegt und per Mehrfachänderung gefüllt werden.
Beim Adressexport bzw. im Seriendruck gibt man dann bei den Einstellungen zu Premiumadress an, dass keine feste ID, sondern ein Wert aus einem Feld verwendet werden soll. Im Seriendruck sieht dies dann bspw. so aus
During the next export, open the desired template as soon as the Export wizard is launched, via the Vorlage laden (load template) button. Navigate to the final Export screen using the Weiter (next) button and start the export - the file structure will correspond with the settings you selected for the template.
Note:
For setting up an export template, it is irrelevant whether you do this via the Ergebnis (result) menu or via address management. If you include fields in your template that will only be filled in after optimisation, these remain empty when exported via address management. If you wish to use a file for a mailshot, always launch the export via the Ergebnis -> Adressenexport (result -> address export) menu item
With the help of the free Deutsche Post Einlieferungslisten Deutsche Post posting lists) tool, you can also directly complete the forms required for your mailshot and attach your mailshot for postal dispatch.
Note:
For printing a stockpile of envelopes or labels, use a project with as many addresses as possible in order to be able to print as many copies as possible in one work step. If you only have a relatively small number of addresses, create an example document and import any address file (e.g., one of the example files provided).
The export and mail merge functions allow the output of many data fields to be adjusted to the individual requirements of the user. Thus the ‘x’ which is output as standard at the start of production mailings and containers cam be replaced with a control sequence adapted for your printer. This can, for example, stopPractical example: to stop a RENA printer, insert a Text positioning frame in the mail merge, insert the field Behälter-Anfang (container start), in which you previously entered %04 in the options, and select a printer font for all of the text in this frame. For every initial shipment of a container, %04 will now be displayed in the preview. These characters will not be output when printing, but will instead stop the printer.
There are three different ways to get to know more about the software functions:
We shall be pleased to advise you or provide you with additional information.
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