Using PostalOne! and the Mail.dat Clientreplaceace.com/bcc/wp-content/uploads/Postalone_maildat_client.pdf · Mail.dat Client to transfer electronic documentation. If you are reading

Using PostalOne! and the Mail.dat Client

Overview

This document is intended for PostalOne!® users wanting to know more about using the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client to transfer electronic documentation. If you are reading an electronic version of this document, click an item in the list below to go directly to that topic.

• Prerequisites, page 2

• Purpose of the Mail.dat Client, page 2

• Visiting the Business Customer Gateway, page 3

• Logging On and Off, page 3

• Setting up the Mail.dat Client, page 4

• Transferring Files to the PostalOne! Test Environment for Mailers, page 5

• Validating TEM Mail.dat Files, page 6

• Making Revisions, page 7

• Transferring Files, page 8

• Validating and Uploading Files, page 9

• Reviewing Reports, page 9

• Going Live with PostalOne!, page 10

• Certifying for PostalOne! Using Mail.dat, page 10

• Going Paperless with PostalOne!, page 13

• Getting Support, page 13

This document refers to material from the following sources:

• Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification

• User Access to Electronic Mailing Information and Reports Guide

• Test Process for Full-Service Simple Mail.dat Mailings

Refer to the PostalOne! website available from the Business Customer Gateway for details regarding specific versions released.

Technical Support: 800.624.5234Email: [email protected]

Fax: 585.272.9141 www.bccsoftware.com

http://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intellmailgateway

https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intellmailguides

https://gateway.usps.com/bcg/login.htm

https://ribbs.usps.gov/electronicdoc/documents/tech_guides/TEMProcessSimpleMailingsMaildat.pdf

Using PostalOne! and the Mail.dat Client2

Prerequisites

You must meet the following hardware and software requirements before submitting a mailing to PostalOne! using the Mail.dat Client. The Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification describes these requirements in more detail.

• Business Customer Gateway Login: You must obtain a Login from the Business Customer Gateway in order to log in to the PostalOne! Production and TEM servers. If you do not have a Login, go tohttps://gateway.usps.com/bcg/login.htm and click New User Registration.

• Mailer Identification (MID): You must obtain a Mailer ID to use Intelligent Mail Full Service. Apply online through the Business Customer Gateway.

• Customer Registration Identification (CRID): This is the unique identification code generated by the USPS for each location that obtains a service through the Business Customer Gateway. Your CRID can be located in the Manage Permits area of the Postal One! See “Managing Permits in the Postal One! TEM Server” on page 4.

• User License Code (ULC): You must also obtain an IDEAlliance User License Code (ULC) to generate a valid Mail.dat database. If you have BCC Mail Manager FS, or BCC Mail Manager with the Mail.dat Option, you may obtain a ULC directly from BCC Software at no additional charge. Contact your sales representative or BCC Software customer support. For more information on the specifics of the Mail.dat data interchange standard, or to obtain a ‘vanity’ Mail.dat User License Code, refer to the IDEAlliance website www.idealliance.org..

• Sufficient RAM to process the Mail.dat files: See System Requirements information in the Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification.

• Software to generate, update, and cancel Mail.dat jobs: BCC Software’s Mail.dat Wizard has the capability to update and cancel Mail.dat jobs. To use these features, you must use the Wizard to generate the job, setting Mail.dat file set status on the Setup page to Original. In subsequent sessions, set Mail.dat file set status to Update or Delete.

Purpose of the Mail.dat ClientA Mail.dat file set must be generated before using the Mail.dat Client. Refer to the BCC Mail Manager user manuals for detailed information on creating Mail.dat files.

Mailers implementing Intelligent Mail Full Service MUST use the Mail.dat Client to validate and transfer their Mail.dat file sets to PostalOne!® due to the data structures required to support the data volume. Use of the Mail.dat Client conserves bandwidth without compromising performance.

Note: Alternatives to using the Mail.dat Client include using vendor-certified software, such as Mail.xml, or for mailing jobs with fewer than 10 thousand pieces, the USPS Postal Wizard®.




Using PostalOne! and the Mail.dat Client 3

Visiting the Business Customer GatewayThe first step in obtaining the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client is to visit the Business Customer Gateway.

PostalOne! is part of a group of services accessed online through a common interface, the Business Customer Gateway. Use the following procedure to visit the Business Customer Gateway

1. Go to the USPS Web site, http://www.usps.com/

2. Scroll down until you see the Business Customer Gateway link on the lower right corner.

3. Click Business Customer Gateway.

Note: Alternatively, use the URL https ://gateway.usps.com/bcg/login.htm.

Logging On and OffIt is recommended that mailers planning to transfer Mail.dat jobs to PostalOne! qualify to do so, or use vendor-certified software to produce their output files. Even those who are in full production mode should have their ability to transfer jobs evaluated. Mail.dat users should use the PostalOne! Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) to certify their ability to transfer and edit data files.

To access TEM, log on to the Business Customer Gateway using the following steps:

1. Go to the Business Customer Gateway (See “Visiting the Business Customer Gateway” on page 3.) Enter your User ID and password.

2. Click Sign In. A “Welcome [user_name]” message is displayed.

3. Click Electronic Data Exchange (PostalOne!) from the Design & Prepare group to access the functions that this document discusses. (if you have not yet registered for PostalOne! apply for the “Manage Mailing Activity” service. Retry this step upon approval.)

4. Note the separate areas for TEM and Production. During the first testing phase, you will download and use the Mail.dat Client from the TEM section (Figure 1 on page 6). “You are in the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM)” is displayed at the top of the window when you are on the TEM server. (This document assumes that you are using the Windows version.)

5. Click Sign Out to log off:

Note: If you have forgotten your password, you must call the PostalOne! Help Desk at 1-800-522-9085 to request a reset. You will get a temporary password that you must change after your next logon.




https://gateway.usps.com/bcg/login.htm.

http://www.usps.com/

http://www.usps.com/



Managing Permits in the Postal One! TEM Server

The Manage Permits tab on the Testing Environment for Mailers (TEM) server, as well as on the Production server, allows you to set up the permits needed for testing. If you are planning to run the Periodicals scenario, you will need your Periodical Permit (permit type PE) associated with the Postal One! TEM server.

Important: Permits are maintained separately on each server. You could potentially have different permits on each.

1. From the Manage Mailing Activity heading, click Manage Permits. The Associated Business screen is displayed.

2. Click your company name. The Permit Search Form, with the permits linked to your business, is displayed.

Note: If you do not have a PE permit type listed for your company, contact PostalOne! at 1-800-522-9085 to learn how to get the necessary permits.

Setting up the Mail.dat ClientTransferring Mail.dat file sets requires the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client. Download one version of the Client and PostalOne! environment (Production and TEM). The supported operating system and environment are included in the .zip file’s name (for example, MDRClient-win32-TEM.zip or MDRClient-win32-PROD.zip) as well as in the window bar of the Client.

Client Download and Installation

The Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification contains instructions for installing and configuring the Mail.dat Client. Use the following steps to obtain and load the PostalOne! Mail.dat Client.

1. Create an install folder to house the application. The folder name must not contain any spaces (example: C:\postal1)

2. Sign in to your PostalOne! account.

3. Click Electronic Data Exchange (PostalOne!) from the Design & Prepare group.

4. Click the Download Client Application link appropriate to your PostalOne! account and operating system. Our examples use the TEM Client for Windows.

5. When asked to Run or Save the file, click Save. Save the file to the folder created in Step 1.




6. Extract the.zip file to the same folder.

The following subfolders are created as part of the extract:

• jreversion—Java Runtime Environment (Windows only, Unix users must supply their own Java Runtime Environment)

• lib—PostalOne! Mail.dat Client program files• config—includes mdrsettings.conf file

Note: The extracted files must all remain in, and be run from, the same folder.

Starting the Mail.dat Client

This is one method for starting the interactive version of the Windows Mail.dat Client:

1. Use Windows Explorer to select the folder containing the extracted Mail.dat Client.

2. Double-click run-mdclient.bat.

3. Enter your PostalOne! account name and password.

4. Click Sign In.

Getting Online Help with the Mail.dat Client

To access online Help, click any Help link. These links are located on the top and bottom of most pages. The Mail.dat Client also incorporates a button next to key headings.

Transferring Files to the PostalOne! Test Environment for Mailers

This section describes how to transfer a Mail.dat file set to the TEM. Use the TEM to learn the PostalOne! interface, transfer mailing jobs representative of live data, and become familiar with reporting tools. The TEM is also a good place to learn about the errors that may arise during live data transfer, and the means to resolve them.

Regardless of Mail.dat version, the idea is to use the TEM to become comfortable with PostalOne! and Mail.dat before attempting to transfer production Mail.dat job files.




Figure 1: Electronic Data Exchange-TEM section

Note: This window is updated frequently by the USPS, and the image is current as of this writing. This picture is intended to demonstrate how the window appears, and may appear differently on the TEM site.

Validating TEM Mail.dat FilesThe first part of the process checks Mail.dat file sets for compliance with Mail.dat and PostalOne! standards.

1. Presort a mailing.

2. Generate the Mail.dat files.

3. Using Windows Explorer, browse to the folder housing the TEM Mail.dat Client.

4. Double-click the run-mdclient.bat file.

5. Sign in, using your PostalOne! account name and password.

6. Click Job Validation/Upload. The Job Validation/Upload window opens.

7. Click Add Jobs. An Open dialog box is displayed.

8. Select the Mail.dat job(s) to validate.

The selected file (.hdr or .zip) is displayed in the Job Validation/Upload window, as in Figure 2 on page 7.




Figure 2: Selecting Mail.dat files for validation

9. (Optional) Select Just Validate Job(s) under the Upload Selected Jobs? heading, then click Validate.

The Validation Status window opens to report the results. If there are no errors, proceed to “Transferring Files” on page 8. Otherwise, continue with “Making Revisions” on page 7.

Making Revisions 1. Click View Validation/Upload History.

2. To search for your job, see steps 3 through 6 of “Validating and Uploading Files” on page 9.

3. Click your Job ID to view associated error messages.

4. Review and address the errors. Refer to USPS supporting documentation for detailed information.

5. After correcting the errors, generate a new Mail.dat file set. Then do one of the following:

• If you have logged off and closed the Client, return to Step 3 of “Validating TEM Mail.dat Files” on page 6.

• If you have logged off but the Client is still open, return to Step 5 of “Validating TEM Mail.dat Files” on page 6.

• If you are still signed in, return to Step 6 of “Validating TEM Mail.dat Files” on page 6.




Transferring FilesOnce validation succeeds, you can transfer files to PostalOne!

1. Click the Close button of the Validation Status window to return to the Home page.

2. Click Job Validation/Upload:

3. Click Remove to the left of any jobs that you no longer wish to transfer.

Figure 3: Selecting Mail.dat files for transfer

4. Under Upload Selected Jobs? select Upload after Validation.

5. Click the Validate and Upload button.

6. Accept the agreement.

7. If the transfer fails, return to “Making Revisions” on page 7. Otherwise, continue.

8. Click the Close button of the Validation/Upload Status window to return to the Home page.

9. Follow the instructions in “Validating and Uploading Files” on page 9 to view the job’s progress.

10. Continue submitting to TEM until the files upload successfully.




Note: The USPS Postal Service Mail.dat Technical Specification contains detailed information about configuring and validating Mail.dat files, including descriptions of errors at the segment and file levels, descriptions of mailing cases that Mail.dat does not support, and a discussion of postage payment.

Validating and Uploading FilesThe Mail.dat Client offers two levels of reporting: Validation/Upload History and Upload Metrics. Validation/Upload History supplies details on each job validated or uploaded to a PostalOne!®

account. Upload Metrics provides a more analytical approach, summarizing a period’s activity according to measurements like success ratios and average upload times.

Was your job accepted? When? What was the Job ID? You can learn this and other information on the Mail.dat Client by using the Job Validation/Upload History page.

Once logged in to the Client, get job status information as follows:

1. Click Home.

2. Select the Validation/Upload History tab.

3. Enter the range of dates for which you validated and/or transferred the files. Dates earlier than 90 days before the current date result in an error message.

4. Enter the Job ID, if known.

5. Select the mailing facility CRID from which the job originated, if known. Otherwise, leave all mailing facility CRIDs checked.

6. Click Submit.

The Validation/Upload data is displayed.

Reviewing ReportsIf the job resulted in the generation of a Qualification Report and/or Postage Statements, use the following procedure to view them:

1. Visit the Business Customer Gateway Electronic Data Exchange Go to TEM Dashboard.

2. Display your job on the Dashboard Management System page.

a. Enter an appropriate range for the Submit Date.

b. Unless you know your job status, set Job Statuses to All - Include All Job Statuses.

c. Click Search. Your job should be among the group of those displayed.

• Click the appropriate Postage Statement ID to view a Postage Statement.

• Click the Job ID followed by Qualification Report to view that document.




d. Verify that the forms from PostalOne! match those generated by Mail Manager.

Going Live with PostalOne!

Progressing from the evaluation stage to paperless document submission involves the following steps. Those reading electronic versions of this document can go directly to a step by clicking its heading in the following list.

1. Certifying for PostalOne! Using Mail.dat, page 10

2. Going Paperless with PostalOne!, page 13

Certifying for PostalOne! Using Mail.datThis section describes how to obtain certification at the TEM level. It is the evaluation process that PostalOne! account holders must undergo on the way to going paperless.

Because BCC Software is a USPS approved vendor, Mail Owners and Service Providers that prepare mailings with a single permit, identical weight pieces need only submit one test file to TEM for Full-Service Authorization.

Transferring Mail.dat file sets requires following the procedures described in “Transferring Files to the PostalOne! Test Environment for Mailers” on page 5.

How BCC Software Can Help

BCC Software has enhanced the Mail.dat Wizard to update and delete Mail.dat file sets. Refer to the Mail.dat information in the BCC Mail Manager user guides for detailed information on the use of the Mail.dat Wizard.

ProcedureThe TEM testing process follows this general procedure.




Validating file sets

Before transferring practice files to the TEM, use the Client’s validation tool to evaluate their adherence to Mail.dat standards. (See “Validating TEM Mail.dat Files” on page 6.) When you can produce file sets that consistently pass validation, use the link on the Electronic Data Exchange page to notify the Help Desk that you are ready to do practice transfers.

Informing the Help Desk of test readiness

1. Log in to the Business Customer Gateway.

2. Click Electronic Data Exchange.

3. Download and install the TEM Client for your operating system. (The USPS updates the Client regularly, and recommends frequent updates to maintain compatibility with the system.)

4. Click the Start Testing - Notify Help Desk link that corresponds to your operating system and Mail.dat version. (See Figure 1 on page 6.) An email window opens.

5. Include the following information in the e-mail:

Subject Line: Level of Service (“Full Service” or “eDoc”) “Test Scenario Worksheet” and Class of Mail (Example: “Full Service Test Scenario Worksheet First Class Mail”)

Body:

• Company name• Address• City• State• ZIP Code• CRID• Contact name• Contact phone number• Name of Post Office• File transfer method followed by service level. (Example: Mail.dat versionF for Full Service;

Mail.dat versionE for use with Intelligent Mail Basic or POSTNET.)

Attachment: Test Scenario worksheet

Having a job or jobs evaluated:

1. Presort a mailing.

2. Generate Mail.dat files, noting the .hdr file name and Job ID.

3. If the Help Desk asks you to delete a postage statement or job, you may do so via the methods listed in Table 1 on page 12.




y

.

Table 1: Cancelling Postage Statements or Jobs

Cancelling Postage Statements

Use the PostalOne! interface to cancel postage statements

Use the Mail.dat Wizard to cancel postage statements

Log in to the Business Customer Gateway. Run the presort that contains the corresponding job.

Click Electronic Data Exchange. Start the Wizard.

In the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) section under Mail.dat, click Go to TEM.

Set File set status to Update Mail.dat job.

Click Dashboard. Go to the Containers page.

Submit a query that includes the job number containing the postage statement.

Right-click a group of containers for which you had previouslgenerated a statement.

To view all postage statements, click the + sign that heads the first column.

Click Modify.

Click the link to the postage statement. Set Status to Cancel.

Click Cancel. Complete the Wizard.

Review the statement, scrolling as necessary, until you see the Back and Cancel buttons.

Transfer the file set to PostalOne!

Click the Cancel button at the bottom right of the screen, followed by OK, to confirm.

PostalOne!® displays a Cancellation Response as acknowledgment

Cancelling Jobs

Use the PostalOne! interface to cancel a job Use the Mail.dat Wizard to cancel a job

Log in to the Business Customer Gateway. Run the presort that contains the job.

Click Electronic Data Exchange. Start the Wizard.

In the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) section under Mail.dat, click the Go to TEM.

Set File set status to Delete Mail.dat job.

Click Dashboard. Complete the Wizard.

Search for the job to be canceled. Transfer the file set to PostalOne!

Click Cancel Job. If the transfer is successful, the job is no longer displayed onthe Dashboard Management System page or Mail.dat ClientIf Metrics Search indicates a failure, click Validation/UploadHistory in the Mail.Dat Client and note the error message. Follow the instructions in the error message, then re-transferthe job.




Once you have fulfilled all of the TEM requirements, the next step depends on where your mail is weight verified. Mailers who verify mail weight at the BMEU usually can move into production once the BMEU issues approval. Mailers with other weight verification locations, such as a Detached Mail Unit (DMU) must complete a parallel processing requirement. Business Mail Support (BMS) oversees this phase.

Note: Download, install, and use the production (PROD) version of the Mail.dat Client at this point. Obtain it from the Production (PROD) section of the Electronic Data Exchange page. Use the same Business Customer Gateway URL, User Name, and password that you used to access the TEM.

Going Paperless with PostalOne!Once your BMEU or BMS is satisfied with your electronic documentation capabilities, you are certified for paperless transmission of postal documents via PostalOne! The notification is typically by email; there is no standard PS Form or certificate. Support duties revert to the PostalOne! Help Desk.

Getting Support

This is one of an ongoing series of documents that address issues related to PostalOne! Consult the Technical Documents page on the BCC Software Customer Portal for other materials. Additional assistance is available through PostalOne! Customer Care (1-800-522-9085) or through BCC Software Technical Support.

10/2/14

