The MEF LSO SDK’s “Irene” Release: A Small Change with a Big Impact on Address Management

The latest release of the MEF LSO SDK, codenamed “Irene,” introduces several enhancements designed to improve address management efficiency. The most significant change is the redesigned Address model, which resolves issues related to data ambiguity and facilitates the validation process. Amartus architects were the main editors of this standard.

The previous model’s limitations stemmed from its rigid structure, where each of the four address types—Fielded, Formatted, Label, and Geographic Point—was treated as a separate entity with its own unique identifier. This created challenges when dealing with locations that could be represented in multiple ways. For instance, a single place might be described by both a Fielded Address and a Geographic Point, leading to the assignment of different identifiers for the same location.

This fragmentation had two major consequences. First, it introduced data inconsistencies, as objects associated with the same address could potentially have different Address Identifiers depending on the representation chosen for validation. Second, it limited the validation process, as buyers could only submit one address type at a time for validation. In regions with diverse addressing practices or incomplete address data, this restriction hindered sellers’ ability to accurately match and validate addresses.

The Installation Place Solution

The new MEF W150 standard introduces the “Installation Place,” a central entity that consolidates various address representations for a single location. This directly addresses the previous model’s fragmentation by assigning a single, unique identifier to each place, regardless of how it’s described. The Installation Place can store any number of any of the four different types of address representations, for example addresses in two languages and a geographic point, providing flexibility and accuracy in location identification. Moreover, it enables buyers to submit multiple address representations in a single validation request, increasing the likelihood of a successful match, especially in areas with less standardized addressing systems.

Enhanced Validation and Site Management

The January release also brings additional improvements to address validation and site management. Sellers can now provide deferred responses to address validation requests, allowing for manual verification in cases where automated validation is insufficient. This is particularly valuable in regions with limited or inconsistent addressing data.

Furthermore, the Site model has been enhanced with a Sub-Unit list, enabling precise specification of a site’s location within a building or complex. This eliminates the need for creating multiple addresses to represent different units within the same building, simplifying site management and reducing data redundancy.

Implementation and Impact

These changes, outlined in MEF W150, will be implemented through MEF 121.1 (LSO Cantata and LSO Sonata Address Management API) and MEF 122.1 (LSO Cantata and LSO Sonata Site Management API). The impact of the Address model changes will extend to various Sonata APIs, including Product Offering Qualification, Quote, Product Order, Product Inventory, Trouble Ticket, Appointment, and Billing. All these APIs will be updated consistently within a single release, ensuring a smooth transition and a unified experience for users.

If you have any questions, you may contact the author of this blog post, Michał Łączyński, Solution Architect at Amartus, the editor of numerous MEF API standards and MEF LSO Developer Community Manager. He is there to help you with any issues you may have regarding the upcoming MEF LSO SDK “Irene” release.

Also, make sure to read our previous blog post “Can Address Validation automation issues be addressed?”