Supplying a database
You can send us data in any format — CSV, Excel, fixed-width text, JSON, SQL exports, whatever your billing or CRM system happens to output. We work with what you have. Cleaning, deduping and DPID address-matching are part of every job; you don't have to prepare anything before sending it.
That said, if you're starting a database from scratch or about to overhaul one, the way you structure it has a real effect on match rates, postage outcomes, and how easy it is to filter and segment for future campaigns. A few principles for getting it right.
Minimum useful structure
To run a basic addressed mail-out, the minimum we need is:
| Name | Address | Suburb, State, Postcode |
Enough to print and lodge. Also enough to limit your match rate, because the address line carries too much information packed into one field.
Better structure
For best DPID matching:
| Name | Address1 | Address2 | Suburb | State | Postcode |
Splitting the address across two lines lets us handle care-of details, building names, levels and unit references without losing structure. Splitting suburb / state / postcode means each one can be validated independently against Australia Post's file.
Best practice
For ongoing campaign work, segmentation, and personalised mail:
| Title | FirstName | LastName | Dear | Address1 | Address2 | Suburb | State | Postcode | Notes |
A few field-by-field notes:
- Title — Even if most people no longer get a "Mr" or "Ms" prefix, Dr, Prof, Mr & Mrs and other prefixes don't fit cleanly into a FirstName field. A separate Title column saves grief later.
- Dear — Often overlooked, frequently essential. If two people share an address, "Dear: John & Mary" is the right salutation; neither FirstName alone nor a Spouse field handles that cleanly.
- Address1 / Address2 — Two address lines beat one. Care-of, building names, levels, and unit details all need somewhere to live.
- Notes — A free-text field for anything you might need to remember about a recipient: campaign opt-outs, contact-method preferences, special handling. Adds long-term value to the database.
- Separate Suburb / State / Postcode — Lets us validate each independently, and lets you filter geographically for future campaigns.
What you don't need to worry about
- Cleaning before you send. We dedupe, validate and DPID-match every database as part of the normal job.
- Format conversion. Send it in whatever your system outputs.
- Casing. We normalise upper / lower / mixed case during processing.
- Encoding curiosities. We handle UTF-8, ANSI, and the various Excel quirks.
The best place to fix data is upstream
If you're collecting addresses through an online form, web checkout, or membership signup, that's the right place to validate them. Adding an address-lookup widget to your form (any of the AMAS-certified providers offer one) means most addresses arrive at your database already DPID-aware. Match rates climb, return mail drops, and you don't have to fix anything downstream.