An alias match or a recode message means that although Pro Web has recognized the information entered by the user as a possible version of the address, it has replaced it with the official (postally-correct) version from the relevant dataset.
For example, an alias match would occur if a user entered a street and locality, where the locality is not necessary to the address and has been replaced by the town. It would also occur if the postcode has recently been changed and Pro Web is aware of this: if a user enters the old postcode, it will automatically be replaced by the new one.
There are several other reasons why someone might not enter an address accurately according to the postal data:
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| Changed Postcode | The Post Office may change the postcode of an existing address. |
| Street / Town / Name Changes | The town council and the Post Office may be out of synchronization about changes to the name of a street or town, or to the names of residents. |
| New or Unofficial Name Address | The address may have been created after the last data update you received, or the tenant may have put a number on their door without telling the Post Office (for example, when splitting up a house into flats). The tenant may have changed their name without the information being updated on the Electoral Roll. In this case, the user needs to be able to specify their name and address even if it may not be on the official list. |
| Disputed Address | For example, someone living in Londonderry might say that they live in Derry. In this case, the address is matched exactly since Derry is stored as an alias, but the returned formatted address will be in Londonderry. |
| County Confusion | For example, United Kingdom addresses will often include the postal county (not necessarily the ancient county) of the Post Office town (rather than the delivery point). However, the Post Office does not require county names. |
| Name Abbreviation | For example, Michael Smith may prefer to be known as Mike Smith, and may use this name in correspondence. In cases like this, "Mike" would be stored as an alias for "Michael". |
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The Post Office may change the postcode of an existing address. When an alias match results in the recoding of a postcode, locality or street, this change is highlighted.
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When the users search for a street, they may not know the correct postal locality in which the street is situated. In these cases, Pro Web also searches for the specified street in all the localities which border the input locality and the input postcodes.
For example, all addresses that fall within the locality of Parramatta will return a number of bordering localities, including Holroyd, Mays Hill, Merrylands, North Parramatta, Rydalmere, etc.
When the street is found in a locality that borders the input locality or postcode, the entry is marked as an alias in the resulting picklist. The accuracy score is reduced if a bordering locality is used to match an address.
When a picklist item is in a bordering locality, this is also prominently displayed as warning text after the user steps into that picklist item.
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A street, town / city or a suburb may have an alternative name to the official postal name. The alternative name will only be returned if it has been supplied in the search and if the appropriate submitted element has been fixed in the address layout. Refer to the New Zealand Data Guide that was shipped with your data for detailed information about the address elements, including submitted elements.
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When you are searching for a street using a suburb information, you may not know the correct postal suburb in which the street is situated. In such cases, Pro Web also searches for the specified street in all of the suburbs which border the input suburb.
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