Master File
The master file includes properties for five main file types.
1. Individuals
2. Organizations
3. Customers
4. Vendors
5. Employees
6. Prospects
(On political systems, only Individuals, Organizations and Vendors are activated.)
The main difference between each type is the layout of fields. For example, the Individuals section contains features for Primary and Secondary addresses, (which can be designated as Home, Work or Mail), while the Organization includes fields for a 70-space organization name and two main contacts.
The Vendor section should be reserved for those whom the name describes: commercial entities with a non-political relationship to your organization. (In other words, they're not involved except as vendors.) However, Individuals should always be entered in the Individuals section, even if their relationship is only as a vendor.
Here are some of the special-entry features
Nixies and No Mails
A mail piece is returned by the post office, it will have pasted to it a yellow sticker describing the reason for the reason for the return. This is known as a Nixie code.
To apply a nixie code to a master file record, check either the Primary or Secondary checkbox in the Nixie section of the master file entry screen. This will open up a field over the selected address where the nixie code can be added. Use the up and down arrows, or hit F3 to see a list of available nixie codes. (Your Filpac system comes pre-loaded with the most common nixie codes, which can be edited in the support codes section.)
No Mail codes are substantially the same as nixie codes. Check the No Mail box in the lower-left section of the master file entry screen. That will open up a field where you can enter the reason for the No Mail designation. The Filpac system comes pre-loaded with common No Mail designations (such as "Deceased") which can be edited in the support codes section.
When a list is generated by the File Search system, records with Nixie and No Mail designations are skipped by default. That option can be skipped by default, it's a good idea to never use output generated from the File Search system for accounting reports -- it might not include everything. For those reports go to the Accounting system instead.
Seasonal addresses
If you generate mass mailings to a list heavy with retirees or seasonal residents, here's a feature that enables you to make sure that any mail is sent to the right address, depending on the date.
To activate this feature, the primary address must first be marked as a Home address. Then, when you enter Home in the secondary address section, the Seasonal Home dates will appear in the lower-left section of the Supporting Info tab window. If the dates are entered as "Oct 15" to "Apr 15", any list or mail-merge generated from File Search between those dates will reflect the secondary address.