NewsCast

Discussion Forums

Have you had a chance to visit our Discussion Forums lately? We’re pleased with the number of new users that have joined recently. We encourage all of our customers to check the Discussion Forums frequently. Who knows – maybe another user has experienced the same issues you are having and has shared their experience on the forums. It’s certainly worth a look.

You can access the new Discussion Forums by visiting the Group 1 Support site at http://www.g1.com/support/ and selecting the Discussion Forums link from the Group 1 Technical Service page. You will need to register as a new user because we are using a brand new forum environment. And, since we want these Discussion Forums to be used only by our customers, we are approving each user individually in order to verify each user’s status as a customer; there may be a slight delay before you have full access (usually the same day).

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Intelligent Mail® Barcode Update

In May 2009, the USPS® will require mailers to use the new Intelligent Mail® Barcode to earn maximum automation discounts on postage. As mentioned in earlier NewsCast issues and other Group 1 communications, the Intelligent Mail Barcode will eventually replace the current POSTNET™ and PLANET™ barcodes. Since the USPS announcement of this impending change, Group 1 has been working to help its customers prepare to work with the Intelligent Mail Barcode mandate in ways that allow them to achieve maximum efficiency improvements, adding value to the mailstream.

Group 1 has set up an online location for Intelligent Mail information: http://www.g1.com/Solutions/Business/Intelligent-Mail-Barcode/ Visit that page for an Intelligent Mail overview, benefits of the new Intelligent Mail Barcode and directions for obtaining an Intelligent Mail Barcode operational assessment, as well as other information and support, from Group 1.

Group 1 will keep you apprised of Intelligent Mail Barcode news. We look forward to continuing to work with you to help you make the most of the opportunities in this upcoming change.

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Customer Conference 2008 Wrap-Up

The first ever combined MapWorld and Group 1 Customer Conference, "Live in Las Vegas," was a huge success! A record attendance of over 800 customers, partners and employees came from around the world. The event began with a fanciful performance from Balagon, featuring acrobats, jugglers and mimes.

There were more than 130 educational sessions offered that touched on our vertical markets, insurance, government, communications, financial services and media, as well as the MapInfo/Group 1 lines of business and products. Attendees could also attend hands-on sessions and real-world case studies presented by their peers (other customers).

We also had a great exhibitor showcase and reception that included over 35 booths. Attendees were able to take advantage of our Resource Center to experience live demonstrations of our most popular products, as well as seek technical expertise on products they currently own.

This year we introduced the Meridian Awards program to traditional Group 1 Software customers. MapInfo customers have been participating for 3 years in this prestigious awards program. We recognized winners from MapInfo and Group 1’s customer base in each of the following categories: technical achievement, organizational impact, unique and unusual, and people’s choice. The results are featured below:

Category: Organizational Impact
Winner from MapInfo: Antoine Burdett, Queensland Police Service
Winner from Group 1: Luo AiPing, ShenZhen Telco
Runner Up from MapInfo: Mike Osbourn, Cumberland County
Runner Up from Group 1: Alan Miller, Distribution Services

Category: Technical Achievement
Winner from MapInfo: Dan Kodesh, Ventera
Winner from Group 1: Gerald Poole, KnowledgeBase Marketing
Runner Up from MapInfo: Scott Amendolaro, Nokia Siemens Networks
Runner Up from Group 1: Tim Tobias, Ceridian

Category: Unique & Unusual
Winner from MapInfo: Jeffrey Hough, City of Tampa
Winner from Group 1: Janel Jensen, Spokane Teachers Credit Union
Runner Up from MapInfo: Al Sylvestre, Connecticut Department of Labor

Category: People's Choice
Overall winner: Tracy Durdle, The Chronicle Herald

Congratulations to all of our winners! And THANK YOU to all that participated in both the 2008 Meridian Awards program and our annual Customer Conference.

If you were unable to attend this year's conference – or if you would like to revisit its events – please visit the Web site http://www.mapinfo.com/promo/mapworld2008/post-conference/. At that site, you can view and download session presentations, keynote speeches, the 2008 Meridian Awards ceremony and other conference highlights. You also can sign up for email alerts for the 2009 Customer Conference.

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Group 1 University Classes

For further information or to register for any of the intensives or other classes listed below, please visit the Group 1 University Web site, http://www.g1.com/Education, and choose Online Registration on the left sidebar. Seating is limited, so register early!

What’s New in StreamWeaver Plus webinar – FREE!

• July 16

CODE-1 Plus

Sept 16 – 17, 2008 in Lanham, MD
October 14 – 15, 2008 in Lanham, MD
November 11 – 12, 2008 in Lanham, MD
December 9 – 10, 2008 in Lanham, MD

In this course, you will learn how CODE-1 Plus improves the address quality of mail, saving you the time and money it takes to reprocess undeliverable mail. Additionally, you will learn mailing concepts and techniques to return a complete standardized address.

Duration: 2 days

Objectives:

• Understand the capabilities and benefits of CODE-1 Plus
• Understand the CODE-1 Plus system flow and relationships
• Understand the CASS™ requirements and the CASS™ report
• Search the CODE-1 Plus database using the Interactive System to answer specific queries
• Define and discuss US Postal Service™ terminology and concepts
• Create and submit a batch job that invokes the CODE-1 Plus driver program, access the matching subroutine and produce reports
• Learn the basic features and functions of supplemental processing options, including EWS, DPV™ and RDI™

DOC1 Series 4 Basic

October 14 – 16, 2008 in Addison, TX

This course concentrates on the DOC1 Designer suite and introduces the DOC1 Generate Production environment. The course covers data and print stream manipulation, document logic control and the use of fonts, images, overlays, lines, text and boxes.

Duration: 2.5 to 3 days

DOC1 Series 5 Basic – "Understanding the Essentials"

August 5 – 7, 2008 in Lanham, MD
September 16 – 18, 2008 in Addison, TX
October 28 – 30, 2008 in Lisle, IL
November 18 – 20, 2008 in Lanham, MD
December 9 – 11, 2008 in Lisle, IL

This complete hands-on training course enables you to master everything from the basic DOC1 Series 5 functions to more complex features. Through exercises designed to simulate real-life applications, this course will be delivered in a step-by-step interactive educational atmosphere.

Duration: 2.5 to 3 days

DOC1 Series 5 Advanced – "Total Knowledge of Solutions"

July 15 – 17, 2008 in Addison, TX
August 26 – 28, 2008 in Addison, TX
October 21 – 23, 2008 in Lanham, MD

This course is different than our traditional instructor-led courses in that it guides students through complex logic and allows them to solidify and apply the information while resolving real business needs. This course is designed for advanced users and will allow students to immediately use the knowledge gained with self-paced skill-building exercises.

Duration: 2.5 to 3 days

Objectives:

• Obtain in-depth exposure to logic techniques
• Use DOC1 Series 5 to build applications that resolve real business requirements

DOC1 Series 5 PCE (Post Composition Engine) – “Modification Scripting Tool”

September 30 – Oct 2, 2008 in Addison, TX
November 4 – 6, 2008 in Lanham, MD

In this course, students will receive comprehensive training in the use of the DOC1 PCE tool. Fundamental techniques and practical exposure through popular post-processing scripts will be the core of this course. This course concentrates solely on handling the requirements of post-processing with hands-on exercises to reemphasize techniques.

Duration: 2.5 to 3 days

Objective:

• Learn about common PCE script operations through self-paced exercises designed to focus on satisfying common business requirements.

List Conversion Plus

December 2, 2008 in Lanham, MD

In this course, you will learn how to convert files to a standard in-house format using List Conversion Plus.

Duration: 1 day

Objectives:

• Be able to describe the List Conversion Plus system and its components
• Identify and use work areas
• Be able to describe the name and address parsing functions
• Create and run a batch job that converts multiple input files to one standard format

MailStream Plus

September 18 – 19, 2008 in Lanham, MD
October 16 – 17, 2008 in Lanham, MD
November 13 – 14, 2008 in Lanham, MD
December 11 – 12, 2008 in Lanham, MD

You will learn how MailStream Plus presorts your mailing file to USPS® specifications. Basic USPS® regulations and possible postal discounts for selected classes of mail will be discussed.

Duration: 1.5 days

Objectives:

• Be able to discuss the MailStream Plus system components and functions
• Understand the USPS® system of pricing tiers and their relationship to worksharing
• Create and submit batch jobs for different mailing classes and types
• Generate and review MailStream Plus reports
• Understand the benefits of a default-driven mail sortation system

Merge/Purge Plus

December 3, 2008 in Lanham, MD

In this course, you will learn how to merge multiple name/address files and delete duplicate records using Merge/Purge Plus.

Duration: 1 day

Objectives:

• Learn about the Merge/Purge Plus features and system components
• Define a duplicate and list the kinds of duplicates that Merge/Purge Plus can identify
• Create and run a batch job
• Analyze and review reports generated by Merge/Purge Plus

Sagent Solution (Data Flow)

July 22 – 24, 2008 in Lanham, MD
December 9 – 11, 2008 in Addison, TX

This course introduces you to the design, customization and creation of business intelligence solutions using the Sagent Platform. You will be guided through the individual components that make up the full Sagent Solution using hands-on labs and exercises.

Duration: 2.5 – 3 days

Objectives – Upon completion, the student will be able to:

• Create and optimize Sagent data load plans to access, analyze and collaborate on data
• Use Sagent Analysis to summarize results by multiple dimensions
• Create and optimize graphical, aggregate and logical views of databases
• Manage DataMart security and administrative environment
• Extract legacy data from a source database and load a target data warehouse
• Configure and use WebLink to access the data warehouse over the Internet

StreamWeaver

July 29 – August 1, 2008 in Lanham, MD
August 19 – 22, 2008 in Lisle, IL
September 9 – 12, 2008 in Lisle, IL
October 7 – 10, 2008 in Lisle, IL
November 18 – 21, 2008 in Lisle, IL

This workshop is appropriate for new technical StreamWeaver users or those who attended training prior to the release of StreamWeaver 4.0.

Duration: 3.5 days

Objectives – Upon completion, the student will be able to code StreamWeaver to perform the following:

• Reorder pages within documents
• Add, delete or modify barcodes for insertion equipment
• Create multiple-document output
• Consolidate documents
• Insert pages into a document
• Create extract files

Advanced StreamWeaver

August 14 – 15, 2008 in Lisle, IL
October 21 – 22, 2008 in Lisle, IL

In this course, you will learn advanced topics in the StreamWeaver environment.

Duration: 1.5 days

Prerequisite for this class: Attendance of the StreamWeaver development workshop or equivalent and a minimum of six months active experience creating and/or maintaining StreamWeaver applications.

Objectives – Upon completion, the student will be able to:

• Make calls to external libraries
• Cleanse addresses and presort documents in accordance with USPS® CASS™ and PAVE™ regulations
• Create indexes that can be used by the StreamWeaver Reprint module as well as creating control files for runs of that module
• Parse data on a record basis, thereby allowing StreamWeaver to handle non-print stream files or nonstandard data
• Use the Variables Tag group to populate data on page layouts

VeriMove

Call for dates. This course is only given onsite.

This course will teach you how to comply with the USPS Move/Update requirement.

Duration: 1 day

Objectives – Upon completion, the student will be able to:

• Describe the Move/Update requirements of the USPS®
• Understand installation and certification requirements for VeriMove and National Change of Address^Link™ (NCOA^Link™)
• Set up the VeriMove software to match your site's requirements
• Set up and run VeriMove batch jobs

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