email database cleansing!

ConsultClifford

Hi
Ive got a client that has a client list of 2500+ email addresses - that he sends a newsletter to once a year. Last time he did so a hell of a lot came back at him cos the email addresses do not exist any more.

is there any way of automatically removing these from a db when they get returned ?

Tnx

Ph3n0m

What kind of database is he using? Whats he using at the moment to purge the database?

ConsultClifford

He's using Mysql. At the moment users unsubscribe using a simple php page.

seamus

Sounds like a simple enough order.

Obviously an interface can be set up (if it's not already) where addresses can be added/removed in bulk.

Apart from that, it should be possible to use a dedicated email address (i.e. one where correspondence doesn't come in) for sending out the newletters. Use a PHP script to retrieve the mail from the mailbox, and parse it for the words "fail" or "failure" or the user "MAILER-DAEMON@*".
You'll then need to do further parsing to actually find the e-mail address it was originall sent to, but I'm pretty sure that someone else has done this before you, and quite comprehensively too, if you do a google.

The first option might be the best though, given that it's only a once-yearly thing.

Ph3n0m

^^ what he said