Matching Options

Determines which address to use when more than one address is present in the address block.

PreferPOBox

Uses the P.O Box.

PreferBottom

Uses the second line entered. Default. You must select this value if you specify MatchMode=CASS.

PreferStreetAddress

Uses the street address.

Specifies whether to use firm name matching logic to enhance address matching. Firm matching logic matches a business name in the input to recognized business names. The input firm name does not need to be spelled correctly to obtain a match. A soundex algorithm is used to match the firm name. A suite or unit number is not required to make the match.

One of the following:

Always

Always attempt to match using firm name matching. If firm name matching fails, attempt to match using address matching.

OnAddressLineFail

Use firm matching only if a match cannot be determined using address matching.

Never

Do not use firm matching. Default. Note that the firm name may be corrected even if you specify Never if a match can be found using the address line data.

Specifies whether to attempt to obtain a street address when the input address contains a building name with no suite or unit number.

When this option is disabled, the geocoder is able to match to building names only if there is a unit number in the input. For example, if the building search option were disabled and you entered this input:

The street address would be returned:

With this option enabled, the geocoder is also able to obtain a street address when only a building name with no unit number is provided. For example, if you enable this option and provide this address:

You will get the street address:

Y

Use firm name matching logic. Default.

N

Do not use firm name matching logic.

Specifies whether to look for the correct first letter of a street name if the first letter is missing or incorrect. If enabled, the geocoder searches through the alphabet looking for the correct first letter to complete the street address.

Y

Perform first letter search.

N

Do not perform first letter search. Default.

Specifies whether GeocodeUSAddress should match using the street address and input latitiude/longitude coordinates, rather than the traditional street address with lastline input.

Y

Enable Predictive Lastline processing.

N

Disable Predictive Lastline processing. Default.

For more information, see Predictive Lastline.

Specifies whether to process addresses using Delivery Point Validation (DPV). DPV is a United States Postal Service (USPS) technology that validates the accuracy of address information down to the physical delivery point. You must have licensed the optional DPV processing option to use this feature. You must also install the DPV database.

To use DPV, enable this processing option and specify D in OutputRecordType.

Y

Perform DPV.

N

Do not perform DPV. Default.

If you use DPV, multiple matches are automatically resolved.

False-positive addresses, also known as seed records, are addresses the USPS monitors to ensure users are not attempting to create a mailing list from the DPV data. If the geocoder matches an address in your input data to a false-positive address, you receive a message indicating you have encountered a false-positive address. Processing continues to the end of your job, but DPV processing is not available for this job and subsequent jobs until you have reported the false-positive address encounter to technical support and have received a new security key.

Specifies whether to process addresses using LACS^Link.

Y

Perform LACS^Link

N

Do not perform LACS^Link. Default.

If you use LACS^Link, be sure to choose to specify output record types P and Q so that the fields USLACS, USLACS.ReturnCode, and LACSADDRESS are included in the output.

For more information, see Locatable Address Conversion System (LACS).

Specifies whether to prefer candidates that match the input ZIP over candidates that match to input city.

Y

Prefer candidates that match the input ZIP Code.

N

Prefer candidates that match the input city. Default.

For example, consider this input address:

FIND_SEARCH_AREA_DEFAULT

The impact of the FIND_SEARCH_AREA_DEFAULT setting depends on the match mode you're using for matching.

When FIND_SEARCH_AREA_DEFAULT is set and you're matching using either CASS or Relaxed match mode, the search area is determined based on the CentroidPreference setting:

• If CentroidPreference = AllCentroids, the FIND_SEARCH_AREA_CITY search area is used.
• If CentroidPreference is set to either NoCentroids or AddressUnavailable, the FIND_SEARCH_AREA_FINANCE search area is used.

When FIND_SEARCH_AREA_DEFAULT is set and you're matching using any other match mode - Custom, Exact, Close or Interactive - the FIND_SEARCH_AREA_FINANCE search area is used.

FIND_SEARCH_AREA_FINANCE

Searches the entire Finance Area for possible streets.

Note: This option has no effect when performing a ZIP centroid match or a geographic geocode.

FIND_SEARCH_AREA_CITY

Searches the specified city.

FIND_SEARCH_AREA_EXPANDED

Enables the setting of the search radius distance to use when matching. See FIND_SEARCH_AREA_DISTANCE below.

FIND_EXPND_SRCH_LIM_TO_STATE

Limits the search to the state, within the search radius distance. The default search radius is 25 miles.

Select this option to return the list of possible matches when there is more than one possible match for the input address and a single best match cannot be identified.

Y

Return the addresses that are possible matches for the input address. Default.

N

Do not return the ambiguous matches.

Select this option to return candidate addresses whenever the match attempt produces candidates. If you enable this option, the geocoder will return candidates both when the input address matches to a single address and when the input address matches multiple addresses.

This option differs from KeepMultimatch in that the KeepMultimatch option does not return candidates if the input address matches to a single address.

Y

Return candidates for all match attempts.

N

Do not return candidates for all matches. Default.

If you specify KeepCandidates=Y you can choose to return just those candidates that are considered to be a close match. The criteria used to determine whether a candidate is a close match are those you specify in the MatchMode option.

Y

Return close match candidates only. Default.

N

Return all candidates.

Determines the leniency used to find a match. One of the following:

Custom

Allows you to select the specific criteria to use when matching the input address to an address in the postal database.

Exact

Requires a very tight match. This is a restrictive mode that generates the fewest number of match candidates to search, which decreases the time to obtain a match. When using this mode, ensure that your input address list is very clean; free of misspellings and incomplete addresses.

Close

Requires a moderately confident match. Generates a moderate number of match candidates.

Relax

This is the loosest match mode and generates the most match candidates, which increases the processing time and results in more multiple matches. Use this mode if your address list may contain misspellings and incomplete addresses. This mode does not respect the street parity for an address match. Default.

Interactive

Available in single-line address matching only. This mode is designed to better handle the specific matching challenges presented by interactive matching. Interactive mode permits for more flexible matching patterns and may, in some cases, return additional possible matches than relaxed match mode. This mode recognizes and parses two unit numbers on the same address line, for example a building and unit number. This mode does not respect the range parity when making an address match.

Capabilities and restrictions:

• Interactive match mode allows users to break the cardinal rule: If the user enters 123 S Main and there is only 123 N Main, a match is made and a match code is returned that reflects the modified directional.
• Interactive match mode handles cases where users transpose pre-directionals with post-directionals without penalty.
• Interactive match mode ignores the 'Prefer ZIP Code over city' setting. When the city and ZIP Code don't match correctly, the best geocoding result will be returned based on an analysis of all the input address elements.
• When operating in interactive mode, in cases where a point address or interpolated street address result cannot be determined, ZIP-9 or ZIP-7 centroid(s) may be returned.

CASS

Imposes additional rules to ensure compliance with the USPS regulations for CASS. The purpose of this mode is to create a list of mailable addresses. This mode generates a large number of match candidates. This mode deviates from the other modes in its processing. This mode does not perform intersection, building name, or spatial alias (TIGER and TomTom street name alias) matches. It does not match to candidates from data sources that do not have USPS equivalent records. This mode recognizes and parses two unit numbers on the same address line, for example a building and unit number.

Specifies whether to return the Extended Match Code. For more information, see Extended Match Codes.

Y

Yes, return the Extended Match Code.

N

No, do not return the Extended Match Code. Default.

Specifies whether candidates must match all non-blank input fields. For example, if an input address contains a city and postal code, then candidates for this address must match the city and postal code.

Y

Yes, candidates must match all input.

N

No, candidates do not have to match all input. Default.

Specifies whether candidates must match the street name.

Y

Yes, candidates must match the street name.

N

No, candidates do not have to match the street name. Default.

Specifies whether candidates must match the state.

Y

Yes, candidates must match the state.

N

No, candidates do not have to match the state. Default.

Specifies whether candidates must match the house number. If the input house number is not within a range from the street, GeocodeUSAddress selects the nearest range on the street which has the same parity (even or odd house number) as the input address number. GeocodeUSAddress returns one or more of the closest matches inside this range that preserves street parity. This requires GeocodeUSAddress to change the house number. The new house number is equal to one of the range's endpoints, possibly plus or minus one to preserve street parity.

When this option is disabled and no exact matching house number is found, a match code of either E029 (no matching range, single street segment found), or E030 (no matching range, multiple street segment) is returned.

GeocodeUSAddress does not change the house number on the output address. In order to access the inexact address number candidates, you must specify KeepMultimatch=Y. If there are inexact house number candidates returned, the corresponding match codes begin with the letter 'H' indicating that the house number was not matched.

Additionally, even when one or more exact candidates are found, inexact matches to the house number are still on the list of possible candidates, and these can be differentiated from the others by their Hxx match codes. For more information about match codes, see Match Codes.

One of the following:

Y

Yes, candidates must match the house number. Default.

N

No, candidates do not have to match the house number.

Specifies whether candidates must match the city. If you do not require exact matches on city, the geocoder searches on the street address matched to the particular postal code, and considers other cities that do not match the name, but do match the postal code.

Y

Yes, candidates must match the city.

N

No, candidates do not have to match the city. Default.