RE: Scanning for similar cities

As it happens, I'm looking at these issues right now (I'm writing a web
service front end for our Vertex implementation) and one of the issues
with zip codes is that they can span multiple counties which can change
tax rates. If you're not worried about calculating taxes, you can look
up the city name by zip code (you can buy the data from the USPS to do
this if you don't have anything) and get the city name that way. You'll
want to make sure to pick up the preferred name for that zip code. If
you have the zip+4 in the order, you should be able to pick up the
county name as well which will take care of the issue with finding the
right GEO code for taxing purposes.

With Vertex specifically (we have an old version so some of this may
have changed by now), it's GEO coder program (VGE100) only takes city,
state, 5 digit zip, and country as input. It can return up to six GEO
codes and county names (but only the first 10 characters unless you
change LINKAR and then it can return up to 30). You could end up with a
handful of city names from the post office files and a handful of county
names from Vertex but you should be able to figure out which is which
with some simple matching.

As an aside, a "GEO Code" isn't specific to Vertex. That term is used in
the tax industry to identify a tax locale. Locales with less than 250
people do not have specific GEO codes. Also, we have an eCommerce
package that uses Taxware and the GEO codes it generates are different
than Vertex's.

Matt

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Eric Wolf
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 1:03 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: Scanning for similar cities

I agree with Jim.  We use Worksright software for 400 stuff but have not
yet 
interfaced it with the web system.

Why reinvent the wheel when they have those files already setup?  And
yes, 
in some states the zip code may not matter.  It usually is pretty rare
but 
it does happen.  Some software systems use a "GEOCODE" to pinpoint it
down 
to the finest detail.  Vertex Software comes to mind for that.

Eric

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Franz" <jfranz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries" <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 9:35 AM
Subject: Re: Scanning for similar cities


> Do the taxing districts span zip code (i think i remember that from
years
> ago)?
> Even city name may not be enough. Your web order process may need the
> user to be prompted for a specific area, or to use an address
verification
> package (i use Worksright in a web order entry) and have to prompt the
> web user if address match not found. It returns a city name and some
other
> info that should nail down taxing.
> jim franz
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <steema@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries" <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 12:23 PM
> Subject: Scanning for similar cities
>
>
>> OK this one is a bit wierd.
>>
>> We get some web orders and the city field is sometimes including the
>> county, e.g. there is Houston, there is Houston Harrison. The harder 
>> cases
>> might be for a city that is made up of 2 names to being w/ such as
San
>> Antonio.  I built a logical by city but in some cases it gets
subdivided.
>>
>> The only issue is, how does the program know that there is a problem?
>>
>> The need is for summarizing state taxes, for those of you familiar,
Texas
>> has separate tax codes by city and county.
>>
>> The user does her tallying by city tho.