The client_admin user can add, edit and configure exports to provide information to external sources and/or produce an extract of data out of the application.
Adding Exports
To add an export:
From the main menu, select the Configuration option.
Click the Exports link found under The following categories are available for configuration.
From the Configuration – View Exports page, click Add Export.
Enter the Name of the export. This is the name that will be displayed within the website user interface.
From the dropdown list, select "Generic" for the Type of export. Different types allow for different configurations and data exports. For example, selecting the 'Generic Fixed Route' type and activating the 'Is visible as a Report?' option allows you to generate reports on a specific fixed route group and route(s).
Enter a Description for the export.
Enter the Delimiter for the data. The default delimiter is a comma (,), but other types can be used as well (e.g., tab (\t), pipe (|), etc.).
Enter the DFH Header. The DFH Header is optional and is only used when the export is sent as a flat file to the Descartes GLN application to provide information about who the file is from, who the file is intended for, what to do with the file, and where to send the file once received. This header is inserted into the export file before the export column header row (if configured).
Enter the Filename Pattern. The user can define how the export/report file is named. Dynamic tags (e.g., delivery date, current date) can be used to name the file. Click to learn more about configuring dynamic tags.
Enable "Is visible in UI?" to make the export visible from the View Delivery Day page in the Export Delivery Day section and within the Map View page for export of route(s)- related information.
Enable Is visible as a Report? to have the exported data used as a report that is visible from the Reports page. The report can be generated for multiple locations and/or for a date range.
Enable Include header? to add a header row, and column definition sent with the export.
Enable Can choose routes? to allow the user to select the routes to export when generating the export from the View Delivery Day page in the Export Delivery Day section.
Enable Can Select, Generate, and Optional Delete of Unrouted Shipments? to send the exported data to a third-party system configured within the On-demand instance by a Descartes representative. Enabling this functionality allows you to generate an export of unassigned shipments with an option to delete them upon completion of transmission.
Starting in version 24.07, the 'Can Delete Unrouted Shipments on Export?' setting allows the user to configure the system to automatically delete unrouted shipments as part of the export process without prompting for user confirmation.
Select the Integration Profile, if applicable, if you would like to apply it and use it to transport the generated data.
Enable Generate on Stop Trigger? to generate and send the export to a third-party application based on the mobile execution of a stop. The option uses the Generic type export and custom logic, which requires additional configuration by a Descartes representative.
Enable Generate on Shipment Delivery Day Change Trigger? to generate the export to a third-party application when the shipment's delivery date has changed. This option uses the Generic and/or Generic JSON types and requires additional configuration by a Descartes representative.
Enable Exclude manually created shipments in Delivery Day Export? to exclude any shipments that have been manually created within the Descartes Route Planner On-demand application in the export.
Enable 'Include Only Frozen route shipments in Export?' to include only shipments assigned to routes marked as frozen. All other shipments (unassigned) will be ignored and not contained within the data extract.
Select the location(s) for which the export will be available.
Select the user role(s) to access and view this export.
Select the delivery companies for which the export will be made available and include information within.
Click the checkbox to verify that the information is correct.
Click Add/Edit. You will then be redirected to the Configure Export page.
Conditional Visibility of Trigger Options (v25.10+)
Starting with version 25.10, trigger-related options on the Add/Edit Export page are displayed only when their corresponding system parameters are enabled. This ensures a cleaner configuration experience by showing only the trigger options that are relevant to your organization.
What This Means
System Parameter |
Trigger Checkbox Behavior |
|---|---|
Parameter = Yes |
Trigger option is shown and "enabled" |
Parameter = No |
Trigger option is hidden entirely from the Add/Edit Export page |
Triggers Affected
Generate on Stop Trigger
Generate on Shipment Delivery Day Change Trigger
Generate on Shipment Delete Trigger
Generate on Shipment Origin Change Trigger
Generate on Shipment 3rd Party Assignment Trigger
Example
If Generate on Stop or Shipment Trigger is enabled, the corresponding checkbox is displayed normally and can be selected as part of the export definition.
If it is disabled in system settings, the checkbox will not appear at all on the export configuration screen.
Configuring an Export
Now that the export has been added, the client_admin user can define how the export will be configured and what fields are to be contained in the output.
From the Configuration > View Exports page, click the Configure button for the export definition.
The Configuration – Configure Export page is divided into the following three main sections:
Output Selection: level of data to export
Column Mappings: standard fields to export
Field Data Items/Attributes: Customer-specific field data/attributes to export
Configuring the Level of Data to Export
The first section of the export configuration allows the user to select the level of data that should be exported.
If the export is for customer stops, DC stops, or Mid-Route Depot Stops, the following level of data can be exported:
One Line Per Stop: each line in the export contains stop-level data
One Line Per Invoice: each line in the export contains invoice-level data
One Line Per Item: each line in the export contains item-level data
Don't Output: no data is to be exported (Customer, DC, or Mid-Route Depot stop data) If the option "Don't Output" is selected for Customer, DC, and Mid-Route Depot Stops, the exported data will be summarized to the route level.
Starting in version 24.10, no pre-defined options are automatically selected for stop selection on the Configure Export page. Users must manually choose the appropriate options, with the initial value set to "blank." The export definition cannot be saved without selecting valid options.
If the export is to contain information about special stops, each line will contain stop-level data. If the option "Don't Output" is selected, the export will not contain information about special stops.
If the export is to contain information about unrouted shipments, the following level of data can be exported:
One Line Per Shipment: each line in the export contains shipment-level data
One Line Per Leg: each line in the export contains leg-level data
One Line Per Invoice: each line in the export contains invoice-level data
One Line Per Item: each line in the export contains item-level data
Don't Output: no data is to be exported for unrouted shipments
To configure the level of data to export:
From the first section of Output Selection, select from the dropdown list how Customer Stops will be exported.
Select from the dropdown list how DC Stops will be exported.
Select from the dropdown list how Mid-Route Depot Stops will be exported.
Select from the dropdown list how Special Stops will be exported.
Select from the dropdown list how Unrouted Shipments will be exported.
Configuring the Standard Fields for Export
The second section of the export configuration allows the user to select the standard fields from the application that should be exported. Lines for columns are numbered for easier identification. You can rearrange a field's position by using the drag-and-drop function.
In the Configurable Columns section, click the search bar to open the column selection dropdown. For a more streamlined search, use the type-to-search function. The results will be displayed as you type. Finally, click Add Column to include the column in the grid layout.
Click Add Empty Column to insert a new column without any data. This can be useful for data separation or formatting purposes.
The following list describes the information in this section of the export configuration:
Column Name: the field's name in the Descartes Route Planner On-demand application.
Header: The label will be displayed for the field in the export. By default, the name is automatically populated within this field for potential relabeling.
Column #: the column number that the field will be displayed in the export. The first column to be displayed in the export should be given "0" as the Column #.
Column Width: width of the column if the export is to be fixed width.
Format: the format of the field if it is a date time field. The
icon gives hints on how the date and time can be formatted.
Quote Wrapped?: If enabled, the data would be between quotes to ensure that it is not skewed should it contain the configured delimiter value within the content.
To add standard fields to the export:
From the second section of Column mappings, enter the Column # of "0" for the field that is to be the first column.
Enter a Header to be displayed in the export, if required to be different than the prepopulated column name value.
If the field has a fixed width, enter the size in Column Width.
Enter the Format to use if the field is a date/time field.
Enable Quote Wrapped? if the data needs to be exported with quotes.
Repeat steps 1-5, incrementing the Column # for each field to add to the export.
Configuring the Custom Fields to Export
The third section of the export configuration allows the user to select and include the custom field data and attributes from the application that should be included in the export.
The information in this section will vary depending on the specific field data and attributes created for each customer instance. If field data items and/or attributes are to be part of the export, the user will configure the column mappings in the same way as the standard column mappings described in the previous section.
To add the custom fields to the export:
From the third section of Column mappings, enter the Column # for the field data item or attribute that is to be included in the export.
Repeat step 1 for all other field data items or attributes to be included.
Using the Fixed Value Fields
The fixed-value fields allow the user to explicitly type in the information in the "Format" rather than using data from a field to be included in the export. This is used when specific data not known or manufactured by the application via the inbound data integration is to be inserted.
To use fixed value fields:
Enter the Column # for Fixed Value Field 1.
Enter the static value of the field in Format.
If you build the export as a fixed-width file, you can also utilize the Fixed Value Fields as placeholders/empty spaces by leaving the Format field blank.
If needed, repeat steps for Fixed Value Fields. When the configuration is complete, the export must be verified and saved.
To verify and save changes:
Click 'I have verified this information to be correct.'
Click Save and Close.