Initial Validation Process
- DATASCOPE WMS
Transport Management System / TMS Order Query [TMS002].
Three validation checks make up the initial part of the TMS process. These apply to both Small Parcel and LTL orders.
Type validation applies specific rules to the order and decides if it’s best to ship as LTL, FTL, or a small parcel order. The rules can be modified easily within the system.
Address validation to check that the address is correct. This helps you avoid penalty fees for incorrect addresses, particularly on small parcel orders.
Note: Address validation checks is only applicable to US orders. If orders are shipped outside of the US, no Address verification will happen.
Rate shopping analyses every freight company to find the cheapest option. The choice then automates back into the software and sets the carrier for shipping.
When using the third-party software and validating the address, the third-party carrier will validate the address itself and send you the final answer. There are times when some of those third-party shipping solutions do not have a validation process in their software. In those cases, there is a standard interface into US Postal Service (USPS) that has a standard cloud-based address validation service, so you don’t get hung up on the validation process.
 It doesn’t matter who you’re integrating with because the plugins allow you to integrate into pretty much anything, as long as it’s a cloud-based solution. All the integrations into the WMS are updated — dates, addresses, types of shipment, carriers, etc. — and the tracking numbers are all integrated into the software as well. You can eventually go back into an order to see what tracking numbers are processing and query them with the carrier.
Once the TMS module is turned on, this initial 3-step validation service needs to process those orders and they need to be in the correct state before they can be released to the warehouse for picking.
Let us review the three validation processes within DATASCOPE WMS:
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Overview of the TMS Order Query
When opening the TMS module you will also be opening a third element that is running in the background, which is a little Windows DATASCOPE Service that monitors the orders and doing the validation steps.
From the DATASCOPE WMS Main menu, browse to Transport Management System / TMS Order Query
The Order Query screen will open. This is a review screen where we will look at orders within DATASCOPE WMS that has been processed within the initial validation Service that’s running in the background.
Like other Query screens, you have various filter options at the top of the screen to filter out the correct orders you are looking for.
o  From Sales Order and To Sales Order – this allows you to search between a range of Sales Orders.
o  TMS Order Status – you can filter on only one specific status or various statuses. A TMS order can have the following statuses:
§ NEW
§ TYPECHECK
§ ADDRESS
§ NOSHOP
§ RATESHOP
§ READY
§ RELEASED
§ COMPLETE
§ REPROCESS
o  Carrier – The name of the selected carrier (Carrier – is the company that undertakes the transport of goods)
o  Carrier Code – The code of the selected carrier.
o  Order Type – here you have the option to select either SP (Small Parcel), LTL or All
o  Routing – here you have the option to select either Route, Set Route or All
Select the Refresh icon to load the data grid.
Various color indicators also exist on the screen to easily display what is required for each line in the data grid.
Let us start to look at the Address Validation process.
Type Validation (TYPECHECK Status)
The shipment type validation is required to determine whether it is an LTL, FTL or Small Parcel shipment. This validation is based on specific rules, which can also be modified easily if required.
The flow of the orders will differ depending on whether it is a Small Parcel vs an LTL order.
The current default rule states that if an order Qty is over 20 cartons, then it will be classified as an LTL order, anything less than 20 cartons will be a small parcel shipment.
Type | Plugin Name | Interface | Module | Linked Action |
TMS | TMS Set Type | ITMSSetType | ·   TMS Initial Order Rate Shop Service | Set Type Step |
The Shipment Type is visible in the Shipment Type column in the TMS Order Query data grid.
Address Validation (ADDRESS Status)
The address validation feedback will display in the Address Validation column in the data grid.
In some instances, 3rd party TMS, will allow DATASCOPE WMS to send through an address validation at the beginning of the process, and they will return a response immediately.
Type | Plugin Name | Interface | Module | Linked Action |
TMS | TMS Address Validation | ITMSAddressValidation | ·   TMS Initial Order Rate Shop Service | Address Validation Step |
There are three types of responses visible in the Address Validation column:
o  ERROR – Invalid Address, cannot correct this automatically.
o  <a valid address that will display in green>
o  PASSED
Address Validation – Error is returned.
If you receive an Invalid Address error the line will be highlighted in red, and the address must be fixed in SYSPRO first, before you can continue with the process.
Once the Address has been fixed, you can right-click on the line and select Re-Process. The TMS Service will run again and update the field, otherwise it will update automatically after 30 sec.
You can also view the TMS Order History. Right-click on a line to view the Order History
All steps of the process will be visible in the Order History screen.
o  If you try to Release a pick slip (under Order Release / Pick Slip Release / Sales Order Release) of an order whose address wasn’t validated successfully (it will have an Address Validation of ERROR – Invalid Address), then you will get an error message and will not be able to release the pick slip. The address will have to be updated in SYSPRO first.
Address Validation – Partially correct address
The TMS can also fix a partially correct address. For example, if the Zip code is correct in SYSPRO, but the State was left out or is incorrect, then it will auto correct the state.
The Address Validation will fix the State according to the Zip code entered, and, via our Business Objects, it will update the incorrect State within SYSPRO.
Again, if you right-click on the line and go to Order History, you will see where it updated the incorrect state within SYSPRO.
Address Validation - Passed
If the Address Validation states PASSED, then nothing needs to be fixed and the order can continue to be released and picked.
Rate Shop Analysis
The Rate Shop analysis can only happen once the order line has passed the Address Validation and was assigned a Shipment Type.
A theoretical calculation will then be done on how many cartons or boxes there are, and this information is then submitted to the 3rd party TMS, which then rates shops the order and return the different service types and associated costs.
Type | Plugin Name | Interface | Module | Linked Action |
TMS | TMS Initial Rate Shop | ITMSIRateShop | ·   TMS Initial Order Rate Shop Service | Rate Shop Step |
Right-click on an order line that has passed its Address Validation and select TMS Order History
Notice that all the returned service types and associated costs will display in the list. This is however dependent on how the ITMSIRateShop plugin has been configured to integrate with the 3rd party TMS system.
The system will however select the cheapest one for the initial Rate Shop, which you will see in the data grid in the Suggested Carrier column.
The order will be re-Rate Shopped again after Checkout.
If the Rate Shop verification fails, then the order will move back to the ADDRESS status. Review the Last Message column to determine the cause of the failure.
Typical failures can be caused due to the following:
o  The Carrier doesn’t service the country.
o  There’s an international address issue, as we only validate US addresses.
Validation Plugins
The following Plugins are available to be customized for the Validation steps.
Type | Plugin Name | Interface | Module | Linked Action |
TMS | TMS Address Validation | ITMSAddressValidation | ·   TMS Initial Order Rate Shop Service | Address Validation Step |
TMS | TMS Initial Rate Shop | ITMSIRateShop | ·   TMS Initial Order Rate Shop Service | Rate Shop Step |
TMS | TMS Set Type | ITMSSetType | ·   TMS Initial Order Rate Shop Service | Set Type Step |
 The flow of orders differs depending on whether it is a Small Parcel vs LTL Order.