Midrange Guru

The Integrated File System (IFS) on my system is filling up and I need to clean house. Is there anything in your bag of Qshell tricks that will tell me which files in an IFS directory have not been used recently?

Yes, Neal, Qshell can handle the job. However, it may not be the best solution. I will show you how to tackle this project with Qshell and then offer an alternative.

Qshell's ls utility lists the contents of a directory. To see all the files in a directory in chronological order--from earliest to latest date of use--use the cd command to change to the directory in question and run the following ls command:

If the listing is too big, you may want to list only a few of the records. You can use the head utility to see the first portion of a file:

The head utility displays only the first fifteen records. However, you only see fourteen file names, because the first record displays the sum of the sizes of the files in the directory:

If you don't want that record, use the sed editor to delete it from the output stream:

The alternative I mentioned is the iSeries Navigator, or Operations Navigator, as it used to be named. When you open an iSeries Navigator connection, you will see a subfolder for File Systems in the navigation pane. Under that is a folder for the IFS. Navigate to and open the desired directory. You'll see columns labeled Changed, Accessed, and Created. Clicking on these column headings will sort the list of file names by the chosen date attribute in either ascending or descending order.

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CASS Certification

What is it? Why do you need it?

CASS stands for "Coding Accuracy Support System." This is a test developed by the U.S. Postal Service to determine whether ZIP Code software can accurately assign ZIP Codes to mailing addresses. CASS-certified software is intended to improve the accuracy of carrier route, 5-digit ZIP, ZIP+4, and delivery point codes.

CASS certified means the software has passed the test. When you use CASS software to update and maintain your mailing file, then your mailing file becomes CASS certified. What does this mean to you?

CASS certification is the first step in qualifying for postage discounts. Look at the mail you receive at home and at work; you will see that a lot of it was mailed for less than the regular 37 cent rate.

Despite all the glitz and glamour of the Internet, email, and such, the wheels of America's economy are lubricated by the ordinary envelope and the U.S. Postal Service.

If your company sends out a lot of mail, there is a good chance CASS certification can cut your postage expense. There are other steps you must perform to get these discounts, but CASS is the first step.

Your mail must be printed, sorted, and then packaged according to postal regulations. It takes some effort, but the potential savings make it worthwhile.

Exactly what happens when you process your mailing files with CASS software? The software breaks the address down into its individual elements: state, city, street name, and so forth. Then the information is compared to the national ZIP+4 database. If a match is found, the ZIP Code, ZIP+4, delivery point, and carrier route are assigned. Also the delivery line is standardized to comply with Postal Service preferences.

If an address can't be matched, no action is taken. This has the positive effect of allowing you to identify addresses in your mailing files which possibly can't be delivered, will be delayed in delivery, or at the very minimum need some minor correction to one of the address elements.

Using CASS certified software has many side benefits. You will be able to identify addresses that are potentially undeliverable. It has been estimated that as much as 30% of all advertising mail is never delivered.

That means the costs of postage, printing, paper, and overhead for undelivered mail are wasted. That means if you spend $100,000 on a direct mail campaign, as much as $30,000 could be completely wasted.

CASS software provides a number of intangible benefits. With CASS certification and bar coding there is a good likelihood that that your mail will be delivered sooner. If your invoices are delivered one day sooner, you may receive payment one day sooner.

If you CASS certify your mailing file, you can move on to the next step which is postal automation. This means applying a POSTNET bar code.

POSTNET is that little row of tall and short bars you see on your mail. POSTNET is a special bar code used by the Postal Service to allow automatic sorting machines to work.

It has been reported that bar code standard class (the old third class) mail gets delivered about as soon as first class, instead of the usual 2 or 3 weeks.

The bottom line is that using CASS software will help you keep your customers' address information in much better shape than they would be otherwise. Your mail may be delivered sooner at less cost and that means more bottom-line dollars for your company.

If you would like more information about CASS and CASS software,
contact your local post office or
call WorksRight Software, Inc., at 601-856-8337.

Are FedEx, United Parcel, and Airborne charges
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PER/ZIP4 can be used in a batch mode to update an entire file or interactively to update individual address one at a time. We provide a search function so that you can search the national ZIP+4 database to verify a specific address.

Visit our Web site www.worksright.com for more information and to order a free, no-hassle, 30-day trial. Or call WorksRight Software, Inc., at 601-856-8337.