Using the Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN) function in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, it is possible to compile, send and receive information about deliveries or shipments electronically. On the one hand, the outgoing information is used to make it available to external business partners as an document in the form of an announced delivery/load (e.g. via a notification to a customer when an order is sent from a storage location). On the other hand, the ASN function can be used between related companies (Dynamics 365 companies) to exchange this type of information in an intercompany context. Specifically, the ASN function can be used to export delivery-related information via an ASN document from company A (selling company) in order to import the document into company B (buying company) in a second step.
To be able to use these functions operationally, the corresponding interface functions must be set up technically. An export project for the outbound interface (entity: Outbound ASN) must be set up in the “Data management” workspace. An import project must also be created for the incoming Intercompany interfaces (entity: Inbound ASN V2).
After the setup is complete, the first step is to use the outgoing interface to create a document (e.g. XML) with the required ASN information. The trigger point for creating the document is e.g. the button “Confirm shipment” in the form “All shipments”.
The created document contains the following information or data:
- Address data of the customer (in this case the Intercompany company).
- delivery data
- the cargo identification
- information about the delivery
- delivery identifier(s) (one shipment can contain n deliveries)
- Delivery date/arrival date
- Customer’s order number (simplified assignment at goods receipt/warehousing)
- Information about the packaging structure (information about the consolidation of the individual items)
- Which items? Which storage dimensions? (size, color, style, version, variant)
- Which quantities?
- On which load carrier (simplified collection in the target company possible)
Through the incoming interface, this information can now be received quickly, securely and error-free in the target company. The feature of License plate receiving, with which a simplified goods receipt process is possible, has to be emphasized here. Accordingly, individual order items do not have to be received (Purchase Receive) but only the license plate (e.g. the pallet with all orders/order items). The incoming packaging structure can be opened via the following path: This significantly relieves the workload in the goods receiving area, due to the simplified incoming posting.
