Consignor transport EDI

Goal

Consignor is a logistics service provider which supports companies in the delivery of parcels to their customers via a large library of national and international carriers, which includes all stages of shipment and delivery.

This means you only need 1 EDI link from Cerm to the Consignor and Consignor handles the bidirectional communication with the carrier of your choice.

This topic describes the required configurations of the Cerm software to set up an interface with the Consignor on premisses application.

The Consignor software itself is capable of informing the customer by e-mail or SMS about the shipment and has an end-user multi-language portal to follow-up the shipments

Prerequisites

The installation and set-up of the Consignor software has to be done by your Consignor consultant (or yourself if you know how to do it). This is outside the scope of this topic!

Requirements

Consignor has 2 systems to receive transport information and therefor different requirements:

• Preferred solution: Receive transport information via web services (JSON format)

• For Cerm: Minimum 7.23

• For Consignor: Consignor web services

• Receive transport information via hot folder solution:
• For Cerm: minimum v7.15
• For Consignor: Consignor on premises (the UI for the internal user in your printing company is available in English (no other languages are provided)

The preferred solution is the link via web services, since this has the most features, including the feedback. Also, when there will be new developments in the future regarding this link, they will be added to the webservices solution.

Implementation

• Define the correct EDI settings

• Make sure that the composition of the pick slip ID does not contain the tag bst__bon, since this might result in multiple transport requirements while it only concerns 1 transport for Consignor.

• You need to implement the use of Transport requirements since these are the basis for the EDI.

• Ask your Cerm consultant to provide the Consignor Custom export file (see technical details on the export layout further in this topic) and add it to the Custom export layouts)

  Only accessible for Cerm Consultants in the implementation database

  First ask Gerdy, Joke or Stefaan for the standard export layout

  Technical details about the Consignor custom export

  • SenderCarrierAccount: Your ID at carrier. This ID is taken from the carrier properties (levbas__.levkltnr).

  • ActorAlias: In case you are sending from another address (another warehouse), this field will be filled in stead of the SenderCarrierAccount.

  • The source address is customer address (trnlyn__.kla1_ref -> klabas__.kltlevnr)

  • The source address is another address (trnlyn__.lok1_ref -> levlok__.cdelokap)

  • The source address is a supplier address (trnlyn__.lev2_ref -> levbas__.levkltnr)

  • CarrierCode: this will control the parameterization of the Consignor software which will influence for example costing and delivery time.
    The description of the transport mode is entered here. (trngeg__.omschr__)

  • GoodsType: should be left empty

  • PickupStart: the date where the shipment needs to be picked up by the carrier (trnlyn__.vrz__dat)

  • DeliveryEnd: the requested delivery date at the destination address (trnlyn__.lev__dat)

   

• An XSLT should accompany the Custom export file, this should be installed at the Consignor side.

• Create a new interface

• For the web services solution

  you have to create 2 interfaces:

  1. Consignor - Shipment Exporter interface

  • Definition: Transport

  • Process: Consignor - Shipment Exporter

  • Tab Consignor - Shipment Exporter

  • Type: HTTPS

  • Layout: enter the Layout ID of the Consignor - shipment exporter Custom export layout

  • Installation ID: to be provided by Consignor

  • Actor: An ID to correctly identify you as customer (to be provided by Consignor)

  • Tab Server

  • Supplier server

  • Server: customer-api.consignorportal.com

  • Port: 443

  • Address: PortalData/PortalData.svc

  • Request information

  • User: to be provided by Consignor

  • Password: to be provided by Consignor

  2. Consignor - Shipment Server interface

  • Definition: Transport

  • Process: Consignor - Shipment Server

  • Tab Consignor - Shipment Server

  • Type: HTTPS

  • Layout: enter the Layout ID of the Consignor - shipment server Custom export layout

  • Shipment Exporter interface: the ID of the Consignor Shipment Exporter interface, created as described above

  • Actor: An ID to correctly identify you as customer (to be provided by Consignor)

  • Key: An addition ID to correctly identify you as a customer (to be provided by Consignor)

  • Portal:  http://www.myconsignor.no/WebShopPackageTracker.aspx
    This will also determine the composition of the tracking URL

  • Options: Example (to be provided by Consignor)

    "Labels":"ZPLGK","UseShippingRules":"1"

  • Tab Server

  • Supplier server

  • Server: www.shipmentserver.com

  • Port: 443

  • Address: ship/ShipmentServerModule.dll

  Technical

  The URL to the consignor web portal which is responsible for providing feedback about requests you make https://customer-api.consignorportal.com/PortalData/PortalData.svc

• For the hot folder solution

  you have to create 1 interface:

  • Definition: Transport

  • Process: Transport General

  • Tab Transport

  • Type: hotfolder

  • Layout: enter the Layout ID of the Consignor Custom export

  • Folder: enter the folder that is defined as the hot folder in the Consignor software (Example)

    

  • Installation ID: ID to identify your Consignor license. To be provided by Consignor (it can be found in the About screen of the Consignor software)

• Supplier(s) / Transport modes

• If you, as a user, determine in Cerm the service of a certain carrier, for example Express 9AM of <carrier>, then

• All carriers need to be defined as suppliers

• With supplier property "Interfaces / EDI link" = newly created Consignor - Shipment Server interface

• In case you (partly) perform the transport yourself, you should create your own printing company as a carrier as well. Consignor has an optional app which allows you to trace your own deliveries!

• All services of each carrier need to be defined as transport modes in the parameter Info transport, exactly as they exist in the Consignor software:

• For the Web services solution

  • Select Transport mode in the drop down list

  • Description: we recommend to use the same description as in Consignor but it can be filled freely (is not related to the carrier code in Consignor)

  • Supplier: enter the carrier (supplier) ID

  • Other software ID: 'Consignor product ID' (to be provided by Consignor)

  • Criterion: fill in the 'Consignor service ID' (to be provided by Consignor)

   

• For the hot folder solution

  • Select Transport mode in the drop down list

  • Supplier: enter the carrier (supplier) ID

  • Description: enter the exact carrier code from the Consignor software here.

  

   

• If Consignor determines the service of a certain carrier, via for example Shipping Rules,

• it is possible to create 1 "fictive" supplier with supplier property "Interfaces / EDI link" = newly created Consignor - Shipment Server interface.  

• No transport modes need to be defined since Consignor will determine the carrier and the service

Remarks

• Shipment addresses: there is no need for the destination shipment addresses to be known in Consignor, the full addresses are added to the XML/JSON request.

• To provide a tracking URL for the customer:
• How to compose an anonymous URL to Consignor Portal
• If you want to have a direct link to the shipment tracking of the carrier, you need to compose the tracking URL depending on their URL & the unique shipment number
  For example: http://sporing.bring.no/sporing.html?q=123456789123456789

Workflow

• For web services solution

  Transport requirement -> Consignor

  • Procedure

  • Start the Cerm explorer and choose from the menu Transport / Transport requirement

  • (Multi-)select the appropriate transport requirements

  • Select EDI Electronic Data Interchange : a standard for electronic exchange of documents like orders,order confirmations, delivery notice, ... from the menu Data

  Only "shipped" sales orders / transport requirements are taken into account.
  The EDI communication can be re-executed as long as the shipment request hasn't been send to the carrier in the Consignor portal.

  • Possible results
  • "Transport document <Packing Slip>: Sent"
    the request is send directly to the Consignor portal and all information of the transport requirements will be made available in the Consignor portal.

  Confirmation

  For each transport requirement that has been exported successfully, the following information will be made available in the main data grid of the transport requirement module:

  • In the band Job
  • EDI: OK
  • EDI process ID
  • In the band Transport management system
  • Status:
  • OK without remarks in case the transport requirements are in the outbox of the Consignor portal
    OR
  • Remarks with remark "Action needed in Consignor" in case the transport requirements are in the inbox of the Consignor Portal

  • Transport job ID (combination of Transport ID and Customer ID)
  • Submit timestamp to transport management system
  • Tracking URL: a button which will open a tracking link that opens the Consignor tracking page for this transport.
  • ID2
  • ID if immediately printed/validated and in outbox

  Print/validate

  Depending on the settings done by Consignor, the transport requirements, that have been exported successfully, are visible in the Consignor portal in

  • New / Outbox, if they are printed/validated automatically
  • New / Inbox
    In order to print/validate the transport requirements in Inbox,  the user needs to add, if necessary the missing information in the Consignor portal (for example: volume dimensions, ...)
    As soon as they are printed/validated they will move from Inbox to Outbox in the Consignor portal

  Transmit

  As soon as a transport requirement is printed/validated, it is necessary to transmit the transport requirements to the different carriers.
  Depending on the configuration by Consignor, this can be done automatically, semi-automatically or manually in the Consignor portal
  As a result, the transmitted transport requirements will be available in History in the Consignor portal

  As Deliver

  When the carrier delivers the goods at the destination, they will communicate this back to Consignor. In Consignor, the status will be put on 'Delivered'.

  Request transport management system data

  • Procedure

  • Start the Cerm explorer and choose from the menu Transport / Transport requirement

  • (Multi-)select the appropriate transport requirements

  • Select Request transport management system data in the menu Data

  • Result
    For each selected transport requirement, the following information will be updated/made available in the main data grid of the transport requirement module:

  • In the band Transport management system
  • Status:
  • OK without remarks in case the transport requirements are in the outbox of the Consignor portal
    OR
  • Remarks with remark "Action needed in Consignor" in case the transport requirements are in the inbox of the Consignor Portal
  • Tracking status + Tracking remarks:
  • To do + _
  • Remarks + No tracking information found
  • OK +
  • Printed
  • Transmitted
  • Delivered
    At the same time,
  • Status of the transport requirement will be updated to 'Ticked'
  • Status received of the transport requirement will be updated automatically to 'Receive'
    and the related sales order status 'Delivered' will be updated automatically to 'Delivered'
  • Submit timestamp to transporter: the time at which Consignor communicated the transport requirement to the transporter
  • ID: if printed/validated and in outbox
  • In the band Amounts, if tracking status + tracking remarks =   OK + Printed:
  • Expected/Expected (for. cur.): if available, a price indication by Consignor (= Calculated price) will be shown in the data grid.
    In the details of the transport requirement at the bottom of the screen, the costs will be distributed amongst the items (sales orders or other) according to their weight.
  • In the band General:
  • Ref. at transporter: Consignor carrier name
    <CarrierFullName> as defined in Consignor if tracking status + tracking remarks =   OK + Printed

  Remarks

  • Errors and warnings when EDI
  • ".... Socket error # 10060"
    Check the EDI settings or the port of the Consignor - Shipment Server interface
    If the settings are correct, please contact Consignor.
  • "Cannot process the message because the content type 'xxx' was not the expected type 'yyy'; charset=utf-8'."
    Check the server of the Consignor - Shipment Server interface
  • "Invalid login credentials"
    Check the actor and key of the Consignor - Shipment Server interface
  • "Beware ! Some transport requirements are already exported. Do you want to continue?"
  • "Transport document <Packing slip ID>: Shipment validation failed"
    Cerm and Consignor do not support communication if transports end up in the Autoprint of the Consignor Portal
    This can occur if transport are intended (setting by Consignor) to be send immediately to the outbox but validation failed.
    In the band Transport management system the status is Errors with Remarks: "EDI impossible: Transport document <Packing slip ID>: Shipment validation failed.
  • As from v7.24, "Error on reading data: cannot convert ..."
    Wrong mapping, please create a ticket in the cerm self service desk Technical

    Error handling of CrmSeriRead return value:

    When reading incoming messages from consignor, agreements must be made about which data will be received and in which format this is: integer, string, date, ...

    If there is an issue with the mapping of this data, the information cannot be read and processed correctly.

    For Cerm helpdesk operators: Check the incoming messages via ibsedilevclientmanager for the full message from Consignor in order to know which field cannot be read.

   

• For hot folder solution

  Sending the transport requirement to Consignor

  • Via Transport requirement module

  • Start the Cerm explorer and choose from the menu Transport / Transport requirement

  • (Multi-)select the appropriate transport requirements

  • Select EDI Electronic Data Interchange : a standard for electronic exchange of documents like orders,order confirmations, delivery notice, ... from the menu Data

  OR

  • Via Transport trips module
  • Start the Cerm explorer and choose from the menu Transport / Transport trips module
  • (Multi-)select the appropriate transport trips
  • Select EDI Electronic Data Interchange : a standard for electronic exchange of documents like orders,order confirmations, delivery notice, ... from the menu Data

  In all cases only "shipped" sales orders / transport requirements are taken into account.
  The EDI communication can be re-executed as long as the shipment request hasn't been send to the carrier in the Consignor portal.

  Result

  • the XML files will be created in the defined Consignor hot folder and will be picked up by the Consignor system for further processing.

  • All information of the transport requirements will be made available in the Consignor on premisses 'Outbox'
    from where you can proceed further management: printing transport labels, communicate the shipment requests to the carrier, ...

  Confirmation

  • In the transport requirements module, after refreshing the screen, in the main data grid, you will find for each transport requirement that has been exported successfully to Consignor in the band 'Transport management system'
  • Tracking URL: a button which will open a tracking link that opens the Consignor tracking page for this transport.
    This tracking URL is also accessible in the Sales order module for the related sales orders
    • In the Sales orders module:
    • Look up and select the appropriate sales order
    • At the bottom of the screen, select the tab 'Delivery'
    • On the right hand side of the tab the clickable URL icon is available.
  • EDI: OK

  Delivery

  • When the carrier delivers the goods at the destination, they will communicate this back to Consignor. In Consignor, the status will be put on 'Delivered'.

   

   

   

Delete / Reset

• Transport EDI delete
• Transport EDI reset

Remarks

• When you try to export a transport requirement record for a second time (via EDI or hotfolder), a warning is shown to inform you that the transport requirement was already send before.
  You can proceed and if the status of the transport requirement is "Ready for shipment" AND the transport requirement does not have a shipment ID (edishpid), a second XML file (with a sequence number) is written.
  E.g. 200154_0001.xml for the first file and 200154_0002.xml for the second file.

• In the column "Tracking URL": a button will open a tracking link that opens the Consignor tracking page for this transport.
  This tracking URL is also accessible in the Sales order module for the related sales orders

  • In the Sales orders module:
  • Look up and select the appropriate sales order
  • At the bottom of the screen, select the tab 'Delivery'
  • On the right hand side of the tab the clickable URL icon is available.

See also

• Transport EDI

Technical info