Streamlining UPS Integration with the Boyum External Launcher

The Boyum external launcher offers a seamless means of accessing various external applications, such as Notepad, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, as well as vendor and customer applications within your system or network. Mascidon uses Boyum external launchers to provide SAP users direct access to tracking number statuses within UPS WorldShip.

Integration Process Overview

Mascidon's approach involves collaborating with UPS WorldShip integration personnel to effectively “map” fields between WorldShip and SAP. To facilitate this approach, an SQL table is specifically defined for WorldShip to populate as shipments are made, and an SQL “View” is utilized to ensure the efficient transfer of shipping information from SAP to WorldShip.

Get Started with UPS Integration

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Contact Mascidon, your trusted SAP Business One consultant, to elevate your UPS integration process and streamline your operations.

User view of This function

Normally there are two users of this function - the shipping personnel that work with Worldship, and the SAP order entry personnel tha answer tracking questions for customers - or provide the tracking information directly to the customers. The Worldhip shipping function is straightforward - the shipping person enters the order number being processed and the customer shipping information is displayed within Worldship. When the UPS functions are complete, they save the shipment. The integration does more work behind the scenes, but the shipping personnel do not see it nor do they care. The SAP functions for the entry clerk are 'normal' SAP functions. They enter the sales order including the logistics - address information and how to ship. If necessary they may include a one time UPS account to utilize for payment. They save the order. After the shipping personnel complete the shipping process, the sales order is converted to a delivery order in SAP. If applicable, it 'drags' the costs of the UPS shipment into the delivery order. Within the SAP delivery order the UPS Tracking numbers are displayed.

SAP User Defined fields

The images above show the user defined fields required for this integration.

Worldship Integration Steps

Worldship has the ability to import data from SAP. The Worldship application calls the SQL 'View' DCM_View_UPS_SalesOrders. This provides a view of all sales order. The shipping clerk types in the order number and the Worldship integration uses this SQL 'view' to extract the customer default information and the order default information. This SQL view must be installed in the SAP database and the Worldship integration specialist needs to be given the name of this SQL view so they can 'connect' SAP to Worldship. A SQL table that is NOT an SAP defined table must be included in the SAP database. The table is 'UPSTracking'. Worldship personnel must populate this table as the UPS packing charges are entered for this shipment. The definition has 5 fields: CREATE TABLE [dbo].[UPSTracking]( [Shipper] [nchar](20) NOT NULL, [TrackingNo] [varchar](100) NOT NULL, [Charge] [float] NOT NULL, [Responsibility] [nchar](10) NOT NULL, [Date] [nchar](20) NOT NULL) ON [PRIMARY] Your Worldship UPS representative needs to map the output and inputs to Worldship to / from SAP. Our 'Word' documentation for this application provides the necessary information. NOTE: the comments in the SQL view shown have all of the internal UPS codes. UPS may add or remove codes from time to time.

Using UPS Tracking

When a delivery order has the tracking number shown on the form, double click that field to access the UPS web site and review the tracking status of the order. This functionality is provided by a B1 Validation that initiates a Boyum External Launch Universal Function.

UPS Worldship Integration

Integration of UPS Worldship to ERP systems is an ongoing function that UPS encourages - mainly to reduce errors. Worldship is installed on one or more PCs in your shipping area. When a package needs to be sent, the shipping personnel have the paperwork with the sales order being shipped. The sales order number entered into Worldship retrieves the customer information - name, address, UPS account if applicable, etc.. This is displayed in Worldship. The normal UPS packaging functions occur: weigh the packages; determine number of packages; determine shipping type (next day, ground, etc.); is insurance needed; is this a residential shipment. When the Worldship document is saved, the tracking numbers are linked to the order and are recorded in a SQL table that has been mapped by UPS Worldship personnel to the SQL table we have defined. The UPS SQL table is available within SAP to post tracking information related to the order and the costs associated with the UPS shipment. The costs may be passed on in the shipment or borne by your company.

UPS Integration SAP Setup

There are setup functions within SAP to perform in order to facilitate the UPS integration. The first step is to add several UPS related fields to the database. Fields are added to 4 tables: Business Partner addresses; Document title tables; Payment terms; and Shipping types. The business partner address stores the customer's ship to location UPS account and whether this location normally requests insurance. The title document - used for the delivery order specifically - stores the UPS account to use, whether insured or not, who pays UPS - them or your company, and whether this location is a residence. The payment terms code has a positive identifier that indicates whether the payment term is a COD term or not. Each of your payment terms codes must be designated as COD or not. The shipping type has a cross reference between your company's SAP ship via code and the internal ship via code used by UPS. These codes must be populated with the UPS codes - i.e. you use 'UPS Ground' as the shipping type. The UPS Code for this is 'GND'.

Using UPS Integration

As the UPS packaging and labelling is completed, the table 'UPSTracking' is updated with: shipper (sales order number in SAP); tracking number from UPS; the charge for UPS shipping, the responsibility for paying the UPS charge; and the date - time of the update. As the shipper is being added to the delivery order a B1 Validation is used to move the tracking information from the UPSTracking SQL table to the 'PickRmrk' field in the delivery order. Boyum's Item Placement Tool was used to move this field to the front of the delivery order form and rename it to 'UPS Tracking #'. This transfer takes place without clerical intervention. At the same time as the delivery order is added, another B1 Validation is used to determine if the freight charge should be added to the delivery or absorbed by your company (you pay freight). The logic checks the 'responsibility' code in the UPS tracking file to determine whether or not to charge the customer for shipping (only get charged when the responsibility code = 'S'). The actual UPS charge is added to the 'Freight' at the bottom of the delivery order. NOTE: modify UPS-01 if you want to charge more than the UPS charge to the customer. i.e. UPS charges you $15 but you add 20% to every shipping charge.

Boyum Functions

  • Boyum IPT - Terms Code

    The Boyum IPT is used to move the user defined field COD beneath the payment terms description. NOTE: refer to the created 'View'. The only use of the COD flag in the terms comes when Worldship uses the view to retrieve the order and the flag 'CODFlag' is 'Y' if these terms are COD, otherwise 'No'.

  • Tracking Number on Delivery Order

  • UPS Account Data On Sales Order

  • Validation on Delivery Order

    As the delivery order is added, the B1 Validation checks to see if there are any UPS associated records in the UPS Tracking table. If there are, then the tracking number is stored in the 'pickrmrk' field of the delivery order. The UF UPS-01 transfers the data to this field. In Add mode it also updates the freight charges to the customer - if the customer's account is not being used to pay for UPS charges.

  • Validation on Sales Order

    As the sales order is created, Boyum checks the business partner master for the inclusion of a UPS account at either the business partner level or the business partner ship to address level. If found, the UPS account and the associated UPS fields are copied to the sales order - insure flag, residence flag. The user does not see any of this unless they access the 'Logistics' tab of the sales order. The user must manually enter the insurance amount - if any. If the address is a one-time address, then the 'Residence' flag must be manually maintained - with a default of 'N'.

  • Drill to UPS

    This B1 Validation is invoked when the user double clicks the tracking number field on the delivery order (pickrmrk). This initiates an external launch of the UPS web site - including the tracking number on the delivery order.
UPS Video
UPS Integration documentation - word