Box count mismatches now hold the shipment in draft, and say why

In August we started comparing the invoice with the packing list. A box count that disagreed only raised a warning. Then a shipment was exported with 5,320 boxes on the packing list and 5,600 on the invoice, and the warning was still there, unread. A warning that nobody reads protects nobody, so we changed how these checks behave.

A box count gap over 2% now fails

When the invoice and the packing list disagree on the number of boxes by more than 2%, the check fails. A whole missing pallet is usually more than 2%, so it fails too. A gap within 2% still passes, and produce names that only partly match still warn.

A failed check keeps a draft shipment in draft, like any other failed check. It stays off the Dashboard, its public link does not open and tracking alerts are paused. This lasts until someone corrects the data or an admin marks the check resolved. A shipment that was already validated stays live, but the Tradabase export will still ask first (see below).

The check says what disagreed

The failed check is now called Invoice / packing list box count mismatch, produce mismatch, or both, instead of a title that read like a pass. The summary gives both totals. Show details explains the gap, for example: “The invoice has 280 more boxes than the packing list, a 5% gap where up to 2% is accepted.” Details are now written in sentences instead of raw data.

Tradabase asks before it exports unverified figures

If a shipment has a failing check or a warning on produce, boxes, pallets, weight or price, its Export button turns amber. A packing list with no declared weight is enough to do this. Hover the button to see which checks are open.

Clicking it asks Export with unresolved data checks? first, because the file carries those figures into your ERP, where nothing checks them again. You can still choose Export anyway. Bulk exports ask the same question and say how many shipments are affected. Correcting the data, or having an admin mark the check resolved, removes the prompt. Checks your organisation has turned off are not counted.

Warnings you can find

• A Check issues tab on the shipments list shows every shipment with a failing or warning check, with a count. It appears when there is at least one.
• The checks panel on a shipment opens amber when a warning is open, instead of showing the green all-clear.
• When a shipment validates with a warning still open, we tell you in the notification centre, and by push or email if you have those turned on for Alerts. A warning means the data could not be verified, not that it is wrong.
• When a packing list has no declared weight, the weight check now warns instead of skipping silently.

Two new checks

A Pallet Count Matches check compares the pallets in the packing list table with the load diagram drawn below it. It also compares them with the pallet count on the B/L, when it gives one. If they disagree, the check fails, like a box count gap.

An invoice priced per kilogram is now converted to a price per box. We use the box weight from the invoice, or from the packing list if the invoice has none. With no weight on either, the line total divided by the number of boxes is used. Only when that is missing too does the price show as “per kg”. The packing table, the invoice total check and the Tradabase export all use the converted price. Invoices imported earlier keep their old reading until they are processed again.

The full list is in Quality checks.

FAQ #

My shipment is stuck in draft after a box count failure. What do I do? #

Open the check and compare both documents. If one of them was misread, correct the figure on the shipment. If both documents really say different things and you accept that, ask an admin to mark the check resolved. The shipment then validates, and it comes back on the Dashboard and on its public link.

Does the Excel download of the shipments list also ask first? #

No. The prompt is only on the Tradabase export, because that file feeds figures straight into another system.

Why does a partial produce match only warn? #

A name on only one side is often the same produce spelled differently, not a real difference in the goods.