In this article, we will show you how to set up and activate your inventory documents to send at regular intervals, freeing you up to focus on more important tasks.
What is Inventory Service?
Inventory Service is a simple way to send Inventory Advice files (846, INVRPT) through an easy spreadsheet upload process.
Learn more about manually sending Inventory Advice files through Inventory Service here.
Why use Inventory Service Scheduled Send?
Some Trading Partners require regular inventory uploads, sometimes several times a day. This can be a time-consuming and error prone process.
With Inventory Service Scheduled Send, you can complete a one-time setup of your items in a Trading Partner-specific spreadsheet template, scheduling the frequency for when and how often the item details should be sent as an Inventory Advice file. This will trigger the file to be continuously delivered automatically, allowing you to free up time in your day while still being compliant to your Trading Partner's inventory requirements.
Note: The item details uploaded in the spreadsheet, including Quantity Available, will be sent as entered every time the Schedule runs. If item details change, including the quantity you are making available to your Trading Partner, be sure to update the spreadsheet and reupload for the Scheduled Send to reflect the new information.
Where do I set up Inventory Service Scheduled Send?
Set up Inventory Service Scheduled Send through Settings by clicking Inventory Service.
Inventory Service Home Screen Layout
On the first page, you will see an overview of the Inventory Tasks that have been set up in your Fulfillment account.
Top Bar
Inventory Service History: View previously run Inventory Tasks and their statuses
Download Template: Download an Inventory template for a specific Trading Partner. This is where you enter your inventory details and upload to send on a schedule. You can also download this when adding an Inventory Task.
Add Inventory Task: Create a new Inventory Task and schedule it to begin running.
Filters Column
Select what Trading Partners you want to view Inventory Tasks for.
Existing Inventory Tasks List
Inventory Task: Lists the Task Name and Trading Partner for an existing Inventory Task
Delivery Frequency: Shows when and how often the Inventory Task is scheduled to run
Status: Shows if the uploaded spreadsheet has passed validation and is ready to send.
You can click Failed to Validate to see details on why your uploaded spreadsheet has failed. This could happen because a column was moved or deleted from the template.
Auto Send: This toggle lets you easily activate or deactivate your Inventory Task.
Actions: Click the three dots to see additional actions available for this task, including:
Edit Inventory Task: Clicking this will bring you into the edit screen to make changes to an existing task.
Send File: This will immediately send the Inventory file, even if the Delivery Frequency is not currently met.
Download File: This will download the existing spreadsheet uploaded to this task. You may want to do this to make edits to your item details then reupload to the task.
Task History: This will show details of previous edits or changes to the task.
Delete: This will delete this task from your list of scheduled tasks.
Create or Edit an Inventory Task
Whether you click Add Inventory Task in the top right or edit an existing task, you will see the screen below with options for your Scheduled Send.
Trading Partner: Select the Trading Partner for this Inventory File and Schedule
Inventory Task Name: Give your task a unique name to help differentiate between multiple tasks.
Delivery Frequency: Select the days and times you want your inventory file to be sent
Upload Inventory File: Upload the completed Inventory File you want to be used for your scheduled send. If you have not completed an Inventory File, select your Trading Partner from the Select Inventory Template dropdown and click Download.
The file will go through a validation to ensure the template has not been altered.
Once a file has been validated it will be used to create your Inventory Report file.
This validation phase confirms accurate formatting of the .xlsx or .xls file.
Your Trading Partner will determine the validity of the data within the file.
Click Save to save your Inventory Task.
Tips for completing the Spreadsheet
Required columns may differ based on Trading Partner. Follow the bolded columns on your Trading Partner specific downloaded spreadsheet.
Hover over a column to see more information on what is expected for your Trading Partner, such as:
A non-bolded column that is conditionally required based on information entered in a different column.
If the information in the note appears cut off, right click the header cell and select Show/Hide Notes. From here you can adjust the size of the note.
Inventory Reference #
The Inventory Reference # column must be unique for each Inventory File sent. While you can enter your own Inventory Reference # when manually creating and sending each document, in order for Scheduled Send to calculate a unique value every time, enter “{{ auto_generate_reference }}" for every line on your spreadsheet. This will generate a unique number each time Schedule Send triggers in the date/time format of YYYYMMDDHHMMSS
Date Fields
There could be a variety of date fields required on your spreadsheet upload depending on the requirements of your Trading Partner.
While some date fields could be the same each time the document is sent and can be entered as such, some may need to calculate a date based on the day the file is sent.
Examples if the file is sent on 01/18/2024
Date Format | Cell Formula Example | Example Output |
Today | {{ today }} | 20240118 |
Today + X Days | {{ today|days(+2) }} | 20240120 |
Today - X Days | {{ today|days(-2) }} | 20240116 |
Optional Time zone modifier can be added to the end of any date formula. By default, the date used will be based on GMT/UTC time. So if you are east of GMT/UTC and send your files in the morning, you may need to add a modifier to ensure the date generated is based on your date as opposed to the GMT/UTC date.
Example if the file is sent at 7am on 01/13/2024 from Tokyo Japan (GMT +9)
Date Format | Cell Formula Example | Example Output |
Today | {{ today }} | 20240112 |
Today + Time Zone Modifier | {{ today|gmt(+9) }} | 20240113 |
Today + X Days | {{ today|days(+2) }} | 20240114 |
Today + X Days + Timezone Modifier | {{ today|days(+2)|gmt(+9) }} | 20240115 |
Example Spreadsheet
More Information
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