Data service provider Peachtree Data has acquired a DSF2 license from the U.S. Postal Service.
The DSF2 file (Delivery Sequence File Second Generation) is a USPS service made available to mailers through nonexclusive license agreements with private companies. The DSF is a computerized file that contains all delivery point addresses serviced by the USPS, with the exception of general delivery. On the file, each delivery point is a separate record that conforms to all USPS addressing standards. Each record contains the ZIP+4 code, carrier route code, delivery sequence, delivery type, and seasonal delivery information.
The nonexclusive licensees offer this service to the mailing industry by comparing a mailer’s address list against the DSF using USPS-approved Coding Accuracy Support System address-matching software. The results of a match or no-match situation are conveyed via a series of footnote codes.
With access to the USPS DSF 2 data, Duluth, GA-based Peachtree Data said it is able to gain valuable insight into every delivery point served by the USPS. Databases can be validated against the DSF 2 data to identity invalid and undeliverable addresses. Additional address level attributes obtained from the DSF 2 product can help mailers make better decisions about which records to omit from a mail campaign. For example, mailers can identify addresses that are vacant, seasonal or destined for an educational/college campus.
The DSF 2 product also gives users the opportunity to qualify for lower postage rates. During DSF 2 processing the mailing list is arranged in the USPS delivery-sequence. This allows some mailers to take advantage of lower postage rates by qualifying at the high density or saturation rates.
