Workflow Sample: Be Accurate in Inputting Address! (Zip code data utilization)

There are many occasions to write "Address data" in business.

Step of "Inputting mailing address of invoice" in Billing Process
Step of "Inputting answer data" in Questionnaire aggregation Process
Step of "Inputting the location where inspection was conducted" in Elevator maintenance Process

etc... Staffs in a variety of sections are inputting "address data" in their day-to-day business.

The following Workflow definition is a Business process for databasing "collected Name cards / Questionnaire paper". A large amount of business cards and questionnaires paper that have been acquired at exhibitions or events, etc. will be databased.

The inputting screen has been implemented a mechanism of automatic enumeration of candidate addresses by "partial input".

What is excellent in this Process, is that it refers "postal code data, including large offices" (about 150,000) for its refining search. That means, if you type a part of the name of a government office or a major company, all of the rest of information such as "postal code", "address", and "the name of the company", will be indicated for assisted input.

* Japan Post Co., Ltd. has assigned dedicating postal codes for each large establishment that receives massive deliveries.

In addition, when you type "otsu city hall", it will indicate

"otsu city hall" and
"izumiotsu city hall" as the candidate.

[Personal information databasing]

"Postal code data" in Japan is finely divided into 120,000 areas nationwide in 7-digit number.

((Basically, one postal code has been allocated for a "town name / village name", or for "floor unit" in the case of large-scale building. Inputting "Roppongi Hills"for example, there will be 54 "postal codes" for each floor.)

It is a coding scheme that formerly had been managed by "Japan Post", a State-owned enterprise. (Before that, by Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.) Majority of the Japanese people can say "postcode of own home" exactly. (Currently, it is managed by "Japan Post Co., Ltd.", which is a wholly owned subsidiary of "Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd.")

However, there are some cases that answering questionnaire with incorrect postcode, in circumstances such as "recently moved in" and "there is a change of the Administrative division". Alternatively, when it comes to the "postcode of the company", there could be cases to be written relying on obscure memory.

If Referring to "postcode list", it is possible to correct the erroneous data in a questionnaire paper for accuracy. For a BPO company that undertake the data entry services, it can be said that this is a "value-added service".

It should be noted that the mechanism of this type-ahead, it is also available in the "public Web Form" (published input form). If you are interested, I want you to try to display an input form at the following URL which is being published for the time being.

P.S.
Even though the postal code of Japan has been strictly controlled, depending on the area, there are "exceptions", such as

Cases sharing one number at various "town name"
Cases where one of the place where is specified in one number to be called in different description.

That means it has been assumed that very hard to handle as a database.

In addition, its current situation is not suitable for practical use because the data that is currently published only in the "CSV format with the maximum length", so the data of these exception areas must be made handled manually.

* "If the number of characters of the town area name is more than 38 full-width characters , ... it has divided into a plurality of records."

By the way, most of "exceptions" occurs in Kyoto city. In the center of the city of Kyoto, those exceptions are rather ordinary. For example, for 'Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku takamiya-cho'(604-0835) where Questetra, Inc. is existing, there are four different appellations:

Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku Oikedori takakura nishiiru takamiya-cho
Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku Oikedori higashinotoin higashiiru takamiya-cho
Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku Oikedori ainomashi higashiiru takamiya-cho
Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku Oikedori ainomashi nishiiru takamiya-cho

These are in the same area, but the appellation differs depending on the building (its entrance). And the "Postcode list" (CSV), is defined as a record in two lines such as;

>"6040835","Kyouto fu","Kyoto shi nakagyo ku","takamiya cho (Oikedori takakura nishiiru, Oikedori higashinotoin higashiiru, Oikedori ainomachi higashiiru, Oikedori ainomachi"
>"6040835","Kyouto fu","Kyoto shi nakagyo ku", "nishiiru)"

* That is a cause of most inputting systems make erroneous conversions such as "604-0835: Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku nishiiru".

You maybe think that 'Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku takamiya-cho' is sufficient to write its address. It won't work. That is, there exists another 'Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku takamiya-cho' where only 1 Km away from the place specified as '604-0835'. That area is specified as '604-8056', and described as

Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku Tominokojidori hishikikoji agaru takamiya-cho
Kyoto-shi nakagyo-ku Tominokojidori takoyakushi sagaru takamiya-cho

To implement Postcode search system in Japan, a person from Kyoto city is a must.

<Published Web Form> (=> Show in a new window)

[Personal information databasing:"1. Input Personal data" screen]

Setting Sample for "(Address filtering)" (HTML/JavaScript)

<button accesskey="b" id="myButton" type="button">Auto-input(<u>B</u>)</button> with selected data

<script type="text/javascript">
jQuery('#myButton').on('click',function(){

  var labelStr = jQuery('input[name="data\\[●\\].dummy"]').val();
  // Search select (label)

  var display = new String( labelStr );
  var arr = display.split( " " );
  jQuery('input[name="data\\[●Company postcode●\\].input"]').val( arr[0] );
  jQuery('input[name="data\\[●company address●\\].input"]').val( arr[1] );
  jQuery('input[name="data\\[●Belonging company●\\].input"]').val( arr[2] );
});
</script>

[Data Items list]