AL Combine Shipments – Flexible Shipment Consolidation and Invoicing

Overview

AL Combine Shipments enables flexible, rule-based consolidation of shipments for invoicing.
Shipments can be grouped by any combination of fields, including custom fields at header and line level. Shipments sharing the same combination of field values are consolidated into a single invoice, reducing processing time, errors, and administrative overhead.

High-volume processing: efficiently handles large numbers of shipments and invoices, ideal for organizations with significant throughput.

Setup: Mandatory and Optional Fields

The Combine Shipment Line Setup table defines which fields are globally mandatory and which are optional.

• Mandatory fields: always included in every shipment grouping.
• Optional fields: selectable per grouping.
• Each field (mandatory or optional) can be validated with on the invoice header or simply populated.

Benefit: Ensures invoices respect grouping rules while allowing flexible optional criteria and triggering standard BC logic.

Shipment Grouping Rules

The Combine Shipment (header) and Combine Shipment Line (lines) tables define the grouping rules:

• Header: shipment grouping code and description. Only certified codes can generate invoices.
• Lines: specify optional fields used to consolidate shipments sharing the same combination of mandatory and optional values.

Benefit: Provides precise control over consolidation while enforcing mandatory global fields and certified groupings.

Assigning Grouping Codes

Each order/shipment has a grouping code:

• Automatic: assigned on customer validation from defaults or customer-specific code.
• Manual override: users can change the code on the order header.

Benefit: Streamlines grouping while allowing exceptions.

Invoicing Process

Once shipments are grouped:

1. Shipments sharing the same combination of mandatory and optional fields are consolidated.
2. A single invoice is generated for each unique combination of field values.
3. Only certified codes are invoiced.
4. Fields marked for validation are processed via , triggering standard BC logic and any events/customizations.
5. The process can repeat for multiple batches.

Benefit: Accelerates invoice generation, enforces consistent application of grouping rules, and maintains compatibility with BC procedures.

Key Advantages

• Consolidation based on any combination of fields, including custom fields.
• Global mandatory fields ensure consistency.
• Rule-based grouping allows certified, validated consolidation with optional flexibility.
• Automatic assignment reduces manual work.
• High efficiency and scalability for large volumes.
• Invoices generated per unique combination of field values, reducing errors.
• Fully compatible with BC procedures, preserving shipment line customizations.