Switzerland

Q: In what language are the data and documentation provided?

The dataset provides place names in the official language of the locality (German, French, or Italian) as defined by Swiss Post. For example, "Zürich" (German), "Lausanne" (French), or "Lugano" (Italian). The Data Description (User Guide) is provided in English, offering detailed technical definitions for every field.

Q: What is the difference between 'ortbez18' and 'ortbe27'?

These two columns represent the postal locality name but with different character limits, adhering to Swiss Post standards:
- ortbe27: The Full Official Name (up to 27 characters). Use this for standard addressing.
- ortbez18: The Abbreviated Name (up to 18 characters). Use this for systems or labels with limited space (e.g., "Lausanne Bourdon." instead of "Lausanne Bourdonnette").

Q: Why do multiple records share the same postal code (e.g., 1000)?

In major Swiss cities, a single postal code often serves multiple specific delivery points, districts, or post office branches. For example, the code 1000 covers "Lausanne", "Lausanne 1 Dépôt", "Lausanne Ouchy", etc. Our dataset lists each of these delivery points individually to ensure you can validate specific internal routing addresses, not just the city name.

Q: What do the 2-letter codes in the `kanton` column represent?

These are the official abbreviations for the 26 Cantons of Switzerland (e.g., VD for Vaud, ZH for Zurich, GE for Geneva). This column is essential for differentiating municipalities with identical names that may exist in different cantons.

Q: What is the format of the postal code?

Switzerland uses a 4-digit numeric postal code (e.g., 1000, 8001). This is found in the plz column.

Q: What file formats are included in the delivery?

The package includes CSV, Excel (.xlsx), and TXT formats. All files are encoded in UTF-8 to strictly preserve distinct characters from Swiss national languages (e.g., ü, ä, ö, é, è, à).

Q: Is this a one-time purchase or a subscription?

This is a one-time purchase. The license grants perpetual use for internal business purposes with no recurring fees.

Q: What is the refund policy?

Due to the digital nature of the product, all sales are final and non-refundable. We recommend downloading the Free Sample to inspect the difference between the 18-character and 27-character name columns to ensure they meet your system's requirements.

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