Fulfillment network node data type (FN)

The fulfillment network node data type supplies the store and distribution center list with descriptive attributes and store grouping information.

The fulfillment network data type is used to provide information regarding your entire fulfillment network, including stores and distribution centers. This information is used in real-time to make the right fulfillment decision when an order is placed. This is foundational data upon which other data in this specification will be dependent. Each field corresponds with a column in a .csv file, that must be put into the directory structure that is specified in the properties file for the IBM Sterling Fulfillment Optimizer with Watson file adapter.

Note: To include a ship node in the Inventory Model Optimization, the Ship Node Type or the Node Type should have the value as Store (case sensitive).

Since the data files are not large, delta uploads are not supported.

File name and separator

This data type uses the comma (,) separator.

The recommended format for the file name is: FN_[CUSTOMER NAME]_YYYYMMDDHHMISS.csv

Fields

Table 1. The table displays the fields and description for the fulfillment network data type.
Field Name Required Type Description
Node Key Yes STRING This is the primary key of the location record. The Node Key attribute corresponds to the node ID. The value needs to uniquely identify the node, such as a store or distribution center, over time.
Postal Code Yes STRING For physical store locations, this is the postal code that corresponds to the store location.
Ship Node Type Yes STRING Used for grouping of node types. This value should match the values that are specified in the NodeType field in the Shipping Rate Card file.
Acceptable values are
  • DC
  • Store (case sensitive)

The following characters are not supported:

# % $ & ^ * @ ! ( ) " ' : - / \ | { } [ ] ?
Local Shipping Cutoff Time Yes TIME Default time to end shipment, displayed as HH:MI in a 24 hour format. Cutoff values that are defined in Fulfillment network non-working calendar files will supersede this value.
Time Zone Yes STRING This field must use the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) text value. For example: America/Los_Angeles
Node Name Yes STRING The Node Name attribute is a text description of the node location. A Node Name longer than 40 characters may be truncated in the user interface.
Latitude Yes DECIMAL The latitude of the store location. For example: 42.206. This attribute is used to display the map in the dashboard.
Longitude Yes DECIMAL The longitude of the store location. For example: -102.65. This attribute is used to display the node in the map on the dashboard.
Node Type Yes STRING Indicates the type of node value. This is visible in the Fulfillment Optimizer dashboard.
Acceptable values are
  • DC
  • Store

Additional node types might be defined as required. However, these require code changes in Fulfillment Optimizer.
Use For Fulfillment Yes STRING If the store is used for order fulfillment, set the Use For Fulfillment attribute to Y. If not, set the attribute to N.
Country code Yes STRING The country code is the ISO Alpha 2 country code of the country.

If the CountryCode field is blank, the country for the node is set to United States. If you are using a country outside of the United States, specify the corresponding country code.

This country code is validated against the country code that is configured for the tenant.
Locale Code No STRING An identifier for a set of configurations that are specific to a locale, such as the country or currency type.

When LocaleCode is not provided, Fulfillment Optimizer uses the country and currency that were defined for the organization during onboarding.

Sample for FN_[CUSTOMER NAME]_YYYYMMDDHHMISS.csv

STR_ID, ZIPCODE, SHIPNODETYPE, LOCALCUTOFFTIME, TIMEZONE, DESCRIPTION, LATITUDE, LONGITUDE, NODETYPE, USEFORFULFILLMENT, COUNTRYCODE, LOCALECODE

111,92408,DC,12:00,America/Chicago,DC1,34.0871,-117.2762,DC-10,Y,US,en_US_EST

222,45840,DC,12:00,America/Chicago,Store2,41.0289,-83.6494,DC-1,Y,US,en_US_EST

345,17202,DC,12:00,America/Chicago,Store3,39.926268,-77.694286,DC-2,Y,US,en_US_EST

1888,98684,Store,12:00,America/Chicago,Store4,45.6314,-122.5161,Store,N,US,en_US_EST

1999, BA1 2FJ,Store,12:00, Europe/London, England Store,52.3555,1.1743,Store,Y,GB,en_GB_BST

Sample script to upload data by using the file adapter

/<Install_dir>//AsperaClientLinuxDist/asperaTransferClient.sh -jobname FNPush 
-contentType FN -server -userid -password -op UPLOAD -src -dest/FN 
-conf /<Install_dir>//AsperaLinuxDist/asperaTransferOption.properties