- Feature
- Import inbound ASNs as despatch advice messages
- Availability
- Generally available in Supply Chain Management 10.0.49, enabled by default
- Industry focus
- Retail distribution centres
A retail distribution centre receives hundreds of deliveries a week from suppliers large and small. The faster it can receive, check and put away stock, the faster that stock reaches stores and online customers. Advance shipping notices (ASNs) are central to that speed: they tell the DC what is coming, in what quantities and often in which pallets and cartons, before the truck arrives.
The industry challenge
ASNs arrive electronically from suppliers, often through EDI. In practice they are messy. Suppliers send corrections, cancellations and replacements; messages arrive out of order; volumes spike before peak trading. If ASN import is synchronous and fragile, a single bad message can block processing, and DC teams end up receiving goods without the advance information they rely on.
When an ASN cannot be processed, receiving reverts to manual checking against purchase orders. That slows the dock, ties up labour and delays stock availability, especially during peak season when every hour on the dock matters.
What Microsoft delivered in Supply Chain Management 10.0.49
Supply Chain Management 10.0.49 imports inbound ASNs as despatch advice messages using a queued, asynchronous process. The import supports message dependencies, so related messages are processed in the right sequence, and full-document replacement, so a corrected ASN can replace an earlier version. The capability is enabled by default.
It applies to items controlled by warehouse management processes, and the purchase order or inbound order must already exist when the ASN is processed.
Where the value shows up
| Business area | Impact |
|---|---|
| Dock operations | More reliable advance information for receiving and put-away |
| Peak resilience | Queued, asynchronous import handles bursts of messages better |
| Supplier corrections | Replacement ASNs supersede earlier versions cleanly |
| Exception handling | Problem messages can be dealt with without blocking others |
| Stock availability | Faster receiving means stock reaches stores and web channels sooner |
A worked scenario
(An illustrative example.) A fashion and homeware retailer's national DC receives most deliveries with ASNs from overseas suppliers and domestic vendors. Before peak season, suppliers frequently send an ASN, then a corrected version as loads are finalized.
Previously, corrected ASNs sometimes failed or created duplicates, and receivers fell back to manual checks. With the queued despatch advice import, corrected ASNs replace earlier versions, and dependent messages are processed in sequence. When a supplier's message fails because the purchase order has not yet been created, it is visible as an exception for the inbound team to resolve, while other suppliers' ASNs continue to flow.
Adoption considerations
- Check the prerequisites. Orders must exist before ASNs are processed, and the items must use warehouse management processes.
- Review EDI mappings. Make sure supplier messages map correctly to the despatch advice format.
- Set up monitoring. Assign ownership for the message queue and exceptions, particularly during peak.
- Work with suppliers. Encourage consistent ASN practices, including how corrections and replacements are sent.
- Test peak volumes. Simulate peak inbound traffic in a sandbox to check processing times.
The bottom line
For retail DCs, good ASNs are the difference between a flowing dock and a congested one. A queued, asynchronous import with dependencies and full replacement makes ASN processing more robust where it is most needed, during peaks and when suppliers correct their data. The main work is in EDI mapping and supplier discipline. An experienced Dynamics 365 warehouse adviser can help you prepare.
Source: Microsoft: What's new or changed in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management 10.0.49