TTG, Incorporated: Professional Territory Design Software Since 1988

2011D ZIP Code Map File Release Notes

TTG, Inc.
209 Burlington Rd., Suite 211
Bedford, MA 01730
Phone: 339-970-2002
Fax: 781-538-0544
Email: Contact Support
Internet: http://www.alignstar.com

This file contains information about the 2011D 5-digit ZIP Code map file release for TTG’s AlignStar software. This release is available to all AlignStar Enterprise Edition clients with a current license. This update is also available to clients with a quarterly update subscription.

Last updated 01/25/2012.

Contents:

1. General information
2. Opening AlignStar documents after installing new ZIP Code files
3. Added / Deleted ZIP Codes
4. ZIP Code Statistics *new
5. Download

1) General information-

These map files generally reflect the U.S. Postal Service ZIP Code roster as of Q4, 2011 (ZIP Codes are continually created and eliminated as necessary by the USPS). The 2011D ZIP Code roster and map file set consists of 41,366 ZIP codes.

*Note: Deleted ZIP Codes are maintained in AlignStar's SmartZip table. If the SmartZip feature is enabled, data in linked files will be automatically associated with the new / current ZIP Code. For more information, please look in the AlignStar online help system under "SmartZip".

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2) Opening AlignStar documents after installing new ZIP code files-

The first time you run AlignStar after installing a ZIP Code update, AlignStar may have to rebuild a geographic relationship table, referred to as a cross reference (or xref) table. This process can take anywhere from three to twenty minutes depending on the speed of your computer. AlignStar will only have to perform this function the first time it is opened after the update.

Given the deletions and additions in the ZIP Code roster, there will be both ZIP Codes and associated data which no longer exist as well as new ZIPs which will initially appear as unassigned (gray) on your map. You may assign the new ZIPs to your sales hierarchy as appropriate. A convenient way of assigning units within AlignStar is to use the Auto Align feature found on the Alignment menu. For detailed info on how to use Auto Align, see your AlignStar online help system. Once you’ve taken this step, you will need a way of dealing with the ZIPs and associated data which will no longer link in AlignStar:

• You can contact the U.S. Postal Service to find out what the new ZIPs for those locations are and assign hierarchy info to the new ZIPs as appropriate. (A good way to resolve ZIP Codes via the USPS is by using their website at www.usps.com).
• You can ‘fold’ the data for the old ZIPs into adjacent ZIPs.
• If the SmartZip feature in AlignStar is enabled, most if not all of the data associated with old / deleted ZIPs will automatically be associated with the proper ZIP Code. Please see the AlignStar help system for more information on SmartZip.
• The Save Data Source feature provides a way of exporting a list of records updated by SmartZip. Please see the AlignStar help system for more information on Save Data Source.

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3) Added / Deleted ZIP Codes

Please click here to download a *.csv file that contains information about added / deleted ZIP Codes. Depending on your browser settings, you may need to right-click on the link above and select, "Save As..." or, "Save Link As...". This file contains the following fields:

• Record Number
• Zip5 (ZIP Code)
• Zip5 Name (ZIP Code Name)
• Long (Longitude coordinate for the ZIP Code centroid)
• Lat (Latitude coordinate for the ZIP Code centroid)
• Version (Release in which the ZIP Code was added / deleted)
• Status ("Added" or "Deleted")

This file can be viewed in most spreadsheet programs. You can also view the file using a text editor such as Notepad.

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4) ZIP Code Statistics

Please click here to download a *.csv file that contains state level summary information about the current ZIP Code release. Depending on your browser settings, you may need to right-click on the link above and select, "Save As..." or, "Save Link As...". This file contains the following fields:

• Quarter (ZIP Code Release)
• St_Abbrev (State Abbreviation)
• St_FIPS (2-digit State FIPS code)
• TotalPolyZips (count of polygon ZIP Codes)
• TotalPointZips (count of point ZIP Codes)
• TotalZipCodes (total count of ZIP Codes)
• MinZipCode (lowest ZIP Code in state)
• MaxZipCode (highest ZIP Code in state)
• NewZipCodes (count of new ZIP Codes in this release, compared to last quarter)
• DeletedZipCodes (count of deleted ZIP Codes in this release, compared to last quarter)
• Point->Poly (count of ZIP Codes that were formerly classified as point ZIP Codes, that are now polygons)
• BoundaryChanges (count of ZIP Codes that had boundary changes since last quarter)
• TotalChanges (total number of changes since last quarter)
• MovedPoints (count of point ZIP Codes that have changed location)

This file can be viewed in most spreadsheet programs. You can also view the file using a text editor such as Notepad.

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5) Click here to visit your download page (login required).

Copyright 1990-2012 by TTG Inc., Burlington, MA, All Rights Reserved

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