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Exporting shipments and receipts from your WMS for a pallet audit

Which columns a pallet audit needs, how to get them out of any WMS, and the mistakes that throw off the match.

The columns you need

• Outbound shipments: ship date (the actual one, not the requested one), customer or ship-to name and number, BOL or order/load number, and the number of pallets, plus the pallet type if your WMS records it.
• Receipts on pooled pallets: received date, supplier, PO or ASN, and pallets.
• One row per shipment is ideal; one row per item line is fine, as long as the pallet count isn't repeated on every line.

Pallet count is rarely a native field

Most systems count something close to pallets: license plates (LPNs), handling units, packages or cartons. Check that one of them really equals one pallet at your site, and count only the outer pallet, not the cartons or totes on it.

Tips that apply to every system

• Filter on the actual ship or receipt date, not the requested date.
• Export one month at a time, with no customer or supplier filter, so nothing is left out.
• Open CSVs with ID columns as text: Excel drops leading zeros and rounds long numbers like 18-digit SSCC labels.
• If the export button is missing, ask for the export permission.
• On Manhattan, Blue Yonder or Körber (now Infios)? Ask your WMS admin for a shipment history report with the columns above; most sites already have one for carrier or customer billing.

More guides

General information, not advice about any specific contract. Your agreement with the pallet company sets the actual fees and deadlines.