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Sending a file
Tips for a successful
database transfer:
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Name
the file with your name or abbreviation and a short detail
about the purpose (i.e. ABC Corp - Fourth of July postcard.xls).
File names like Maillist.dbf or Newsletter.txt are too
generic.
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Whenever possible, export only the fields
required for the mailing. The minimum generally includes
Name, Organization, Address, City, State and ZIP code, but
you may wish to include an identification code, customer
ID, second address line, or other information to be kept
with the records. Adding such information later is time
consuming and will incur additional data processing charges.
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Whenever possible, deliver the database
via FTP upload or email attachment. This allows a quick
preliminary review of the data and eliminates the possibility
of a bad disk, as well as other issues associated with physical
media. Our staff
will get back to you within 48 hours to confirm receipt
and usability of the file(s). For email attachment, send
your file(s) to data@ptp.biz; for FTP transfer, go to our FTP
upload page for further details.
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Do
NOT send files in proprietary database formats. A large
number of proprietary database management software packages
are available and in use and, unless the originating software
is present on our computer system, these files are often
not readable or translatable. Nearly all of these programs
allow export to a standard file format such as comma-delimited.
Consult your software manual for "Export" or "Save
As" for help in preparing a file. You can also call
us for some basic "hand-holding".
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In
your email or on your disk please note the number of records
you expect. An estimate is acceptable if you're not sure.
If the file contains 600 names and your expectation is
6,000, we need to know.
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If
a third party is sending files to Point to Point for
your use, such as a list broker or an organization with
whom you are trading lists, please have them follow these
guidelines as well.
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