How to use Alias Information

How the Irish Public currently provide and use addresses can differ from the Postal Address format. While the first address line is usually (but not always) the same, the subsequent address lines can vary in number and content. One of the issues is a difference to the Post County in the Postal Address. For example the address below is geographically located in Co. Offaly but has a postal county of Co. Laois.

ADDRESS GEOGRAPHIC ADDRESS POSTAL ADDRESS

ADDRESS LINE 1 123 ROWAN STREET 123 ROWAN STREET

ADDRESS LINE 2 TULLAMORE ROAD TULLAMORE ROAD

ADDRESS LINE 3 PORTARLINGTON PORTARLINGTON

ADDRESS LINE 4 CO. OFFALY CO. LAOIS

The BUILDING table contains a POST_COUNTY_ID and a COUNTY_ID to indicate the County used in the Postal Address differs from the Geographic County used in the Geographic Address.

Alias Tables provide a solution to the remaining address differences with addresses that do not conform to the correct Postal Address.

Each of the Address Tables have an associated Alias table as listed below.

ADDRESS TABLE ALIAS TABLE

ORGANISATION ORGANISATION_ALIAS

ADDRESS_POINT ADDRESS_POINT_ALIAS

BUILDINGS BUILDINGS_ALIAS

BUILDING_GROUP BUILDING_GROUP_ALIAS

THOROUGHFARE THOROUGHFARE_ALIAS

LOCALITY LOCALITY_ALIAS

POST_TOWN POST_TOWN_ALIAS

COUNTY COUNTY_ALIAS

The aliases fall into 4 types as described in the table below:

# ALIAS TYPE

1 Common Misspelling 2 Alternative Name 3 Alternative Format

4 Alternative Name and Format

The following sections describe the different Alias Types.

2.1.1 Common Misspelling Alias Type

This Alias Type covers situations where common misspellings of addresses are outside normal “fuzzy tolerance” settings. If searching for an address element does not yield a result, the recommended approach is to perform a search on the relevant Alias Table. This will allow matching an address that has been incorrectly spelt. The alias table contains the incorrect spelling of the address element and a link to the relevant record containing the correct element it represents. In a common misspelling scenario it would be normal procedure to feedback the corrected address rather than perpetuating the spelling mistake. Care must be taken in this scenario to highlight the correction back to the originator.

This example shows a common misspelling of a locality and how it is corrected.

Entered Address:

Fictional Example

ROCK STREET DUNLAOGHIRE

Entry in LOCALITY_ALIAS Table:

LOCALITY_ID ALIAS_TYPE_ID NAME

132165468 1 DUNLAOGHIRE

Entry in LOCALITY Table LOCALITY_ID NAME

132165468 DUN LAOGHAIRE

This allows us to match the address and correct its spelling.

Corrected Address ROCK STREET DUN LAOGHAIRE

2.1.2 Alternative Name Alias Type

This alias type covers situations where address elements have more than one way of being spelt that are accepted as correct. The Alias Table will contain the name that the address element is also known as. In alternative spelling scenarios it would be normal procedure to not correct the inputted address.

This example shows an alternative spelling of a locality.

Entered Address:

Fictional Example ROCK STREET BUNNYCONNELLAN MAYO

Entry in LOCALITY_ALIAS Table:

LOCALITY_ALIAS_ID LOCALITY_ID ALIAS_TYPE_ID NAME

1546 132164558 2 BUNNYCONNELLAN

Entry in LOCALITY Table:

LOCALITY_ID NAME

132164558 BONNICONLON

In the Postal Address this is spelt BONNICONLON but in this case it is not advisable to correct the locally used spelling of the input address.

Unchanged Address ROCK STREET BUNNYCONNELLAN MAYO

It is important to note that this advice pertains where there is a requirement to maintain the input address as is, and does not indicate an alternative postal address to the postal address as defined by Irish Standard - I.S. EN 14142-1:2011 (Postal services. Address databases), as operated by the Universal Service Provider, An Post.

2.1.3 Alternative Format Alias Type

This alias type covers situations where an address is often written using different address lines to the Postal Address.

In this alias type each Alias Table with contain links to the records that make up the alternative format of an address.

Alternative format aliases can be used in all Alias Tables and this example shows a THOROUGHFARE_ALIAS example.

Field Type Fictional Example Alias Postal Address Thoroughfare STONEWALL DRIVE STONEWALL DRIVE Primary Locality SAGGART ABBEY

Post Town DUBLIN 24

Post County CO. DUBLIN

Entry in THOROUGHFARE_ALIAS Table:

ALIAS_TYPE_ID THOROUGHFARE_ID PRIMARY_LOCALITY_ID POST_TOWN_ID COUNTY_ID

3 132164558 543216 20

Thus the Thoroughfare of STONEWALL DRIVE(132164558) can be followed by SAGGART ABBEY(543216), CO. DUBLIN (20).

This alias type allows you to match/verify addresses in an alternative format to the Postal Address by using the Address IDs in the tables. It is important to note that Eircode is providing this alias information as a method to assist address matching/verification

only. The alias information does not indicate an alternative postal address to the postal address as defined by Irish Standard - I.S. EN 14142-1:2011 (Postal services. Address databases), as operated by the Universal Service Provider, An Post.

2.1.4 Alternative Name and Format Alias Type

This alias type covers situations where an address can be written using different address lines to the Postal Address including an alternative name for the current address element. This commonly occurs where there are alternative names for certain roads or housing estates that have an implied relationship with or shortened next address line.

This example shows the same address displayed in two different formats.

Entered Address:

Field Type Fictional Example Alias Postal Address

Thoroughfare THE DRIVE CASTLETOWN DRIVE

Locality CASTLETOWN

Post Town ASHBOURNE ASHBOURNE

Post County CO. MEATH CO. MEATH

Entry in the THOROUGHFARE_ALIAS Table:

FIELD NAME VALUE

ALIAS_TYPE_ID 4

THOROUGHFARE_ID 132164558

NAME THE DRIVE

PRIMARY_LOCALITY_ID 543216 POST_TOWN_ID 252 POST_COUNTY_ID 20

It is important to note that by making this an ALIAS_TYPE of 4 instead of 2 you are being told to only match/validate an address written as THE DRIVE to CASTLETOWN DRIVE when the following line in the address is CASTLETOWN.

It is important to note that Eircode is providing this alias information as a method to assist address matching/verification only. The alias information does not indicate an alternative postal address to the postal address as defined by Irish Standard - I.S. EN 14142-1:2011 (Postal services. Address databases), as operated by the Universal Service Provider, An Post.