Early Warning System (EWS)

The Early Warning System (EWS) provides current address information for new and recently changed addresses that have not yet been added to the monthly USPS database. EWS helps prevent address records from being miscoded due to delays in postal data updates reaching the USPS® databases.

The older your U.S. Postal Database is, the greater the risk of miscoding addresses. If a valid address is miscoded because the closest match in the U.S. Postal Database is not exact, it can result in a broken address.

EWS data includes partial address details, such as the ZIP Code™, street name, predirectional, postdirectional, and suffix. An address record is eligible for EWS if it is not found in the most recent monthly production U.S. Postal Database.

The USPS® updates the EWS file every week. You can download the EWS file from the USPS® website and rename the file to EWS.txt.

Important:
If you are using EWS, complete the following steps before creating the Spectrum Database for CASS:
  1. Import all five datasets required for CASS.
  2. Add the EWS.txt file from the USPS® website to the following path: 
    "<location of installed folder>\USA-USPS_<vintage>\USA-EGM-USPS-STREET-EN-KUS\"
  3. Follow the instructions on the Cass Certification page to add the CASS database.
Important:
If you have already created the Spectrum Database for CASS, follow these steps:
  1. Add EWS.txt file from the USPS® website to the following path: 
    "<location of installed folder>\USA-USPS_<vintage>\USA-EGM-USPS-STREET-EN-KUS\"
  2. Re-register the CASS database by following the steps in the Cass Certification page.