Routing Logic Directives (RLD) built into EPISHIP control shipments through the rate and label manifest processes of the supply chain.
The purpose of this article is to detail the Efferent Reference Rule, a specific RLD Rule type, that targets the transformation and control of reference field information after a rate response is received and before the final label is generated.
A rate response request includes a list of all service types across multiple carriers in a distributed network. Sometimes, the reference data (such as PO numbers, billing codes, or custom messages) submitted initially needs to be modified, appended, or masked based on the specific carrier or service that was ultimately selected from the rate response, according to business rules. This is where the Efferent Reference Rule comes in. The Efferent Reference Rule post-processes the rate response to explicitly modify the reference details on the finalized output to ensure accurate carrier billing, aid in warehouse receiving, or maintain confidentiality. The Efferent Reference Rule is one rule type within an RLD Template.
Any number of Efferent Reference Rules can be built within an RLD Template to match business objectives. Each Efferent Reference Rule includes the following components.
Match conditions of criteria operators include the following types: All (AND), Any (OR), None (Not).
Sender fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Receiver fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Package fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Line Items fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Options fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
References fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Rate fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Time fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
The match criteria types listed above are used within individual rules or can be combined into a single rule to target specific conditions that include several match criteria.
The carrier rate response is modified according to the rules defined within the Efferent Reference Rule matched within the RLD Template. The transformation functionality available to be included within the RLD template is as follows.
This configuration dictates exactly how the reference properties are altered in the final output. Once the match criteria are met, the rate response is transformed to override, inject, or clear specific reference fields—such as Reference 1, Reference 2, or Reference 3—with explicitly defined replacement values before the final label is manifested and the carrier is billed.
Usual use cases for Efferent Reference Rules within an RLD Template are numerous. Some common use cases include the following:
Dynamically inject a specific carrier-dependent corporate billing code into Reference 2 based on the actual carrier (e.g., FedEx vs. UPS) that was successfully selected during the rate shopping process.
Append a specific internal routing sort code to Reference 1 so that it visibly prints on the shipping label to aid warehouse staging, but only when a specific economy service is ultimately chosen.
Mask or clear the original Purchase Order number on the final printed label for drop-shipping confidentiality, ensuring the end consumer does not see internal B2B order data, even though that PO was used during the initial processing steps.
