Add a new database table to enable practices in Australia and New Zealand to search for suburbs and populate the State and Post Code fields.

⚠️ Note: These instructions are for practices in Australia and New Zealand only.

Lookup Suburbs and Post Codes

This process is used to install a 'lookup table' for new practice databases, so that when entering new patient information (or editing existing details), you can look up the patient's suburb and find out their postcode. Furthermore, once the postcode details have been loaded into EXACT, when the suburb is entered correctly, the State and Post Code fields will be automatically populated.

For existing practice databases, provided your addresses are entered correctly, the import post codes facility will populate the Post Code field of records in the Patient File with the appropriate post code for that suburb. This requires that the suburb is spelt correctly, and that it is in the second address field.

For example, when running as an existing practice, the following address will be updated with the appropriate Post Code because the Suburb is in the second address field.

If the Suburb, City and State are all on the same line this will not work.

However, the import will still add the post code lookup table, so you are able to manually enter a post code, or edit the details so they are spelt correctly and in the right fields, in which case the post code will be defaulted automatically.

Importing Post Codes

⚠️ Note: This process will likely require an admin user. If you do not have access, please contact an administrator at your practice.

1. Go to Configure - Import Post Codes.

   • An Import Post Code File prompt will open.
     
     

   • The state option will be available for Australian practices and can be used if you wish to only import postcodes for a particular state.

2. To import post codes for all cities in the state, leave the city field blank, otherwise type the city name in the field.

3. To update all patient files with the correct post codes, tick the checkbox. If not ticked, the post code file will still be imported into EXACT for you to use, but you will have to manually update the post codes.

   • Click the OK button.
     If you left the city field blank, a prompt will display confirming you wish to continue.

   • Click Yes to continue.

   • A progress bar will appear.

   • A short time later, a prompt will display information about the updated records.

4. If you ticked the update patient codes option, a progress bar for this will appear.

5. When this has finished the import window will close.

The patient record will now have access to the latest post code list, and any records which were missing post codes or which had the wrong ones will have been updated (provided the address details were correct, as described above).