This is the online manual of GRCTools, personal name and address management software. Click here for details.
“The different parts of my addresses in my database are all mixed up. How can GRC Tools help me to parse this data into different fields?”
Your data might look something like this:
Data such as the postal code and the postbox address has been entered simply in three fields: address1, address2 and address3. You want to be able to parse the data into different fields so that it is easier to process. The country has already been assigned (this is a requirement for GRC Tools).
For this file you would choose to run these processes:
To run these processes, you need to make sure that your table has fields to which to move the data, so you need to add fields to hold the postal code, the post office box number and the house number:
Run GRC Tools. Specify that the country code is stored in the field country, link the codes to the country concerned, click apply same fields to each process to all countries (because you are running the same processes over the same fields for all countries), and continue.
For each country, choose the four processes locate postal codes, Postal codes - write located, Post office box numbers - parse and building numbers - move or parse.
Repeat for each country.
You know that in your data the postal code can be in the field address2 or the field address3, so choose these fields for the process locate postal codes. Note the name of the file that GRC Tools will automatically create to hold the postal codes found. Add the name of this file to the Postal codes - write located dialogue, along with the name of the field to contain the moved postal code.
Post office boxes are found in your data either in field address1 or field address2, so give these fields in the choose fields to process screen for the Post office box numbers - parse process. In the dialogue provide the name of the field to move the post office box to. The other fields are not required for this case, so you can leave them blank. If you want to retain the word “Post office box” before the number which is moved, click the retain word POSTBOX (in correct translation box.
In your data the house numbers are found in either field address1 or field address2. Specify these fields in the building numbers - move or parse field choice screen. You want to move the numbers to a new field, so specify this at the next dialogue.
Specify the name of the field to which the house number is to be moved, and check the accept lookup table defaults box, which means that GRC Tools will look in the normal place for this country for the number. Repeat for each country.
GRC Tools will now process your data. This is how your data will look at the end of the processing:
You will note that the postal code has in all cases been found and move. The postbox numbers have been found and moved, and the postbox strings have been corrected and standardised. The house numbers have all been moved, except for those which are found at the wrong end of the street address (e.g. rue de la Gare 17 in France). To move these, re-run the building numbers - move or parse process, asking for the program to search from the back of the street address string for France.
“How can GRC Tools help to standardise and format my data to make it more suitable for mailing and to improve the performance of de-duplication and postal validation programs?”
Your data might look something like this:
There are a number of problems with this file:
For this file you would choose to run these processes:
You will not need to change your table structure to run these processes.
Run GRC Tools. Specify that the country code is stored in the field country, link the codes to the country concerned and continue.
For this country, choose the processes Postal code - format, Casing - to upper case, To mixed case - addresses, Thoroughfare strings - standardise, building numbers - move or parse and Place names - standardise.
For each process, specify the field in which the data which is to be processed is in - PC for Format postal code, city for Casing - to upper case, address for To mixed case - addresses, address for Standardise thoroughfare types, address for Move house numbers and city for Standardise town names. For some of these processes you will be asked some additional questions according to your preferences for the data.
GRC Tools will now process your data. This is how your data will look at the end of the processing:
You will note that GRC Tools has correctly cased all strings, that the city names and street types have been standardised, house number position and postal code format have been corrected. This file is now suitable for output as addresses and these changes can massively improve the results of de-duplication and postal validation programs.