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Identifying required fields when booking shipments

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Malene Tidemann
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When integrating a new carrier, such as DHL, UPS, or FedEx, in nShift Ship, it is common to ask which fields must be completed to successfully book a shipment. However, the answer is not universal.

 

Sections in this article:

 

Carrier and customer-specific requirements

Each carrier has its own specifications, and requirements may vary depending on:

  • The carrier's service type (e.g., express, economy, dangerous goods)
  • The nature of the shipment (e.g., domestic vs. international, requiring customs documentation, special add-ons like "Saturday Delivery", "Heavy", "Parcel Shop" )
  • Your individual business setup and preferences

Because of this variability, there is no single specification that applies to all customers or carriers.

 

Recommended approach for Shipment Server API customers


To determine which fields are required for your specific setup, we recommend using the nShift Portal with Developer Tools enabled. This allows you to test a shipment and observe which fields are mandatory in real time.
 

  1. Log in to nShift Portal and go to Ship > Configuration > Settings.

    settings-tab.png
     
  2. Scroll down and check Show developer tools under the New Booking headline.

    developer-tools.png
     
  3. You will now have access to the Developer Tools at the bottom of all relevant pages under New.
     
  4. Go to New and create a shipment using the new carrier and services.  When you click the Print button, you will see a Validation screen if any information is missing. 

    Example:



    Note: Some validation messages are coming directly from the carrier's API and can be harder to interpret (See the section on API carriers for more information).
     
  5. The Data field in the Developer Tools section reflects any data you have entered and will show you what the request to the Shipment Server API looks like, including all the fields you have filled in.
     
  6. Fill in any missing information until you get back a label. You will now know which fields should be mapped for your specific carrier and business flow. 

     

Recommended further reading:

 

Recommended approach for On-premises customers

  1. Go to Main >Production and create a manual test shipment with your new carrier and the relevant services.
     
  2. Hover the Print button to see any missing data according to the validations implemented in Ship. When you click the Print button, a dialogue will let you know if any mandatory information is missing, including error messages coming directly from the carrier's API. (See the section on API carriers for more information).

    Example:


     

  3. Fill in any missing data until you get a label. 

     

Understanding error messages from API carriers

When booking shipments through API-connected carriers, you may occasionally encounter error messages in our software. Please note that these messages are generated directly by the carrier's system, not by nShift. As such, they reflect the carrier’s current requirements and validations, which are outside of our control.


Carrier requirements and error messages are updated regularly and may change without notice. If you receive an error message that is unclear or difficult to interpret, we recommend reaching out to our Customer Service team. We can assist by contacting the carrier on your behalf to clarify the issue and help identify what information may be missing or incorrectly formatted.

 

Contact nShift Customer Service

If you have problems creating a successful shipment, please submit a request to nShift Customer Service, who are ready to help. 

Let us know:

  • Name of carrier, product/services, and add-on services.
  • The error message you are getting - a screenshot can make troubleshooting quicker.
  • A correlation ID or order number will also help.

With this information, we can help you figure out what data is missing on your shipment.

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