Data Entry Conventions

Since ListMaster is able to accommodate records for both individuals and organizations as well as two people per record there are some basic guidelines for entering information so that mailings and reports display things correctly.

Entering New Accounts

When you are looking at a blank data entry screen you have two options:

1. Search for an existing account to modify or add information to.
2. Enter a new account and potentially add information to it.

If you are viewig an existing record and want to do a search or enter a new record just hit the Clear Screen button

The first option is straight forward, the data entry screen provides some basic look up capabilities so that you don’t have to always go back to the inquire screen to look up records. Simply enter what you are looking for and hit Search you will be taken to the search results screen and can then selec a record, hitt  Account Details to make changes or add information. A Start New Account button is provided if you are checking to see if someone is in the database prior to entering a new record for them.  If you don't see who you are looking for in the results, you can use this button to jump to entering a new record.

The second option is the subject of the rest of this document. The first step in entering a new account is to select the account type of Individual or Business/Org. Once you have done this, hit the Start New Account button. You are now ready to enter the information and hit the Update Account button when you are done. Listmaster produces addresses and greetings for labels, merge files, and mail house files differently for the two account types:

The primary contact for either record type is always listed in the first set of name fields (or the “A” record).

The following describes columns that are provided in merge data files and fields that are provided for HTML Email Merges.

The output format for Business/Orgs has one form.

The company name goes on name line for the inside address or label. If there is a contact for the organization then the first address line will read: “Attn: Contact Name”, if there is no contact then this line will be blank and not printed. The greeting will say either “Dear Contact Name” or Dear (Standard Greeting ) this defaults to “Friends” but organizations using Listmaster can specify whatever they want to appear here (e.g. To Whom it may Concern, Friend of Oregon etc.). Let me know if you want your default greeting changed.

The output format for Individuals is a little more complex because we need to accommodate Married people, unmarried people and single people. Both "formal" and "informal" versions of the greeting is provided.

Married: (Mr./Mrs. in the respective salutations fields and the same last name). In the case where only the husbands name is listed or the both first names are the same, the name and greeting will appear as Mr. & Mrs John Smith.

Unmarried or different names: (Mr./Ms. In salutations and different last names)

Single: Only one person listed.

If you want to address people in another specific way use the Special Salutation field. If this field is not blank it will override the greeting in both record types of Individual or Business/Org. For example if you want to address people you know as “Binki and Pooki” put this in the Special Salutation field and the letters will print Dear Binki & Pooki.

As stated above it is important that you select the account type (Individual or Business/Org.) when starting a new account and the follow these basic conventions to minimized errors in addressing mail.

Address Types The basic address types are as follows but additional/different types can be easily setup.

1 - 1st Home or primary residence or primary business address
2 – 2nd Home or secondary business address
A – Work address of person A
B - Work address of person B
O – Old address (some people like to retain previous addresses for contacts)
P - PO box. (some records have both street and PO box addresses_
V - Vacation Home

There is a drop down list provided to select the address type for each of the 3 addresses. Make sure to include the county that the address is located in so we can search by county.

Primary Address This is selectable via a checkbox next to the address type drop down. The primary address will be used in all reports, mailings, merge file etc.