How To Setup Letter Service File Format - Not Ontario Format
Collect! gives you the ability to output letter service
using something other than Ontario format. This Help
topic is intended to provide technical information
for implementing, using and supporting the Letter Service
functionality.
The Letter Service module produces files in the "Ontario" file
format, by default. To have it produce a CSV file in
Non-Ontario format, follow the menu path "System\ Preferences\
Reports and Printing\ Report and Printer Setup" and check the
box beside the option "Don't use Ontario format".
Within Collect!, letters are stored with codes that
represent database information and other aspects to
be printed. When a letter is being sent to a letter
service, Collect! only outputs the data itself,
plus a letter number to identify which letter template
the data is to be inserted into.
You can set up your letter reports to output CSV text by
manually inserting commas and quotes around your data output
field names in the report body.
An example letter body might have the following
codes, with quotes and commas.
"@de.na<","@de.ad<","@de.a1<","@de.ci<","@de.st<","@de.zi<"
File Format Output
When the Letter Service is performed through the
Letter Service module, the system will write three CSV
columns before outputting letter data to your
Letter Service file.
The first column contains a "D" plus the Debtor File Number to
indicate that this will be regarding a debtor letter to a debtor
address, or a "C" plus the Debtor File Number when generating a
letter to a Cosigner on the debtor account.
The next column contains either ' OK' to indicate a Change
of Address request is not required. Or it contains 'COA' to
indicate a Change Of Address search is requested.
NCOA preference setting is set in the Report "Options"
for each letter that you have set up to generate
in Letter Service batch.
Open up each letter template designated for Letter Service from
" Print\ Customize Printing\ Edit Report Templates", then select the
individual letter to be reviewed. After opening up the Report Body,
click the "Options" button and check the NCOA (National Change of
Address) setting. Checked means it is turned on for this letter
and blank means it is switched OFF for this letter.
The third column contains the letter number ID that has been
designated for this letter form in the same "Options" screen.
This ID needs to match the template number that your letter
service provider has set up for each of your letters.
The output file would look like the following:
"D1400","OK","1","Aubin, Kevin","1101-703 Eastwood Crescent","","Princeton","California","98975-0016"
"C1400","OK","1","Wilson, Gordon","45 17th Street","","Verndale","AZ","44593-6473"
"C1400","COA","1","Test, Joe","","","","",""
"D1287","COA","2","Balford, Allen","345965 Gable Road","","Neward","New Jersey","27856"
See Also
- Letter Service Topics
- NCOA Topics
| 
Was this page helpful? Do you have any comments on this document? Can we make it better? If so how may we improve this page.
Please click this link to send us your comments: helpinfo@collect.org