Manage delivery dates and delivery notices
Use delivery promises independently from Incoterms, shipping methods, and carrier lead times. A delivery date can record the customer's requested date, your internal plan, or a committed delivery promise.
Configure a delivery promise
Create a delivery promise profile in Commerce configuration → Master data → Shipping. Choose the reference point and commitment level, then assign the profile to the Commerce profile or a shipping method. Workspace stores these settings as a snapshot when it creates an order, so later profile changes do not affect existing orders.
Dynamic supply promises from operational data
For products that cannot be fulfilled completely from allocatable stock, create a supply promise policy under Commerce → Policies & Taxes → Shipping. The policy controls which sources Workspace may use: manual promises, confirmed or ordered purchase orders, planned manufacturing, and supplier lead times. It also defines buffers, the business calendar, the maximum forecast age, and the planning horizon.
Unified sourcing can fulfil one sales variant from several approved physical variants and several suppliers. Workspace evaluates the concrete source, commercial revision, packaging, and lead time for each quantity portion. Procurement, drop shipping, finishing, assembly, and manufacturing remain separate strategies. A supplier lead time alone proves neither available stock nor a committed delivery date.
Assign the policy to the Commerce profile. This explicit assignment activates dynamic resolution; without it, existing behavior remains unchanged. Workspace considers the requested quantity, already allocatable stock, target country, sales channel, and current evaluation time. If the evidence does not cover the complete quantity, the delivery date remains explicitly unconfirmed.
Current product pages, carts, and the Public API use the latest resolved promise. Finalizing a quote freezes the displayed decision as historical evidence. When creating an order, Workspace revalidates the underlying quantities and sources and binds confirmed portions to the order. If a source has failed or the supply path has changed materially, the availability must be confirmed again; Workspace does not substitute a source silently. Booked receipts and completed manufacturing outputs are then converted into physical reservations. Cancellation and quantity reductions release the corresponding bindings.
The storefront exposes only the purchase state, supply state, and a reliable delivery window or a message that the date still needs confirmation. Supplier identities, purchase prices, and internal source references remain private.
Record dates in a quote or order
Open the quote or order and switch to Delivery windows. Select Create, choose the type, and enter From and Until. Use the same date in both fields for a single day; both boundaries are included in a delivery window.
| Situation | Type |
|---|---|
| The customer states a required date. | Customer request |
| You plan dispatch or delivery. | Seller plan |
| You confirm a date to the customer. | Seller commitment – only in the order |
Use a header date for the whole document. Add a date in the item context only when an item deviates. A header or item can contain each type once. Update an existing entry when the window changes instead of creating a duplicate.
Send a delivery notice
After confirmed dispatch, Workspace creates an immutable, channel-neutral delivery notice. The delivery promise policy decides whether Workspace suppresses the notice, sends it manually, or sends it automatically by email. The email includes a PDF.
Before dispatch, Workspace checks that the order language has a shipment_notice document-template mapping and that the order resolves to an effective recipient address. Select a shipment in the template mapping to preview the notice. If either prerequisite is missing, the readiness message links to the template mapping or the order. Complete the setup there, then refresh the shipment.
Assign the carrier before packing
Open the shipment and select Assign or change carrier in the workflow actions. This action is available while the shipment is open, in picking, picked, or being packed. Select an active carrier and record the reason. After packing, carrier, label, and tracking remain stable.
Work with the delivery notice tab
Open the Delivery notices tab in the shipment. It shows the policy, current status, and every version. The generated document is also available in the Documents tab.
| Status | Next action |
|---|---|
| Ready to send | Select Send email. Enter an address or leave it empty to use the order recipient. |
| Dispatched | The notice has been queued or delivered. Create a correction if its facts change. |
| Failed | Check the recipient and select Send email again. |
| Suppressed | The delivery promise policy does not allow a notice. Change the policy for future orders. |
Select Create correction to correct a dispatched or failed notice and enter the reason. Workspace creates a new immutable version. Select Send email afterwards to deliver that version; older versions and their documents remain traceable.
Check the result
Check that reference point, commitment level, date, or delivery window in the quote or order match the agreed delivery promise. After dispatch, the Delivery notices tab shows the current version and expected delivery status. Open the PDF in Documents and check the recipient, order reference, delivery window, and items.
Workspace sends native delivery notices by email with a PDF. DESADV/EDIFACT requires a separate partner profile and approved adapter. Also verify that the email subject and message identify the order number.