Shipping Solutions Export Software Versions 9.12 and 8.12 Now Available

Shipping Solutions export software is pleased to announce the release of Professional version 9.12 and Classic version 8.12.

If you are an active Annual Maintenance Program (AMP) subscriber, you can download the update from the AMP website.

The new versions include the following enhancements and fixes.

Dangerous Goods Enhancements

Shipping Solutions Professional Version 9.12 includes many enhancements for companies that ship Dangerous Goods (DG). We've added the IATA Database for Dangerous Goods so you can look up your products' UN Number, Proper Shipping Name, Classification and Packing Group. The DG data fields are now a tab on the Products database so that DG data can be stored with your products rather than kept in a separate database. You can also add subproducts in case an item contains more than one dangerous good.

We've also added and modified the DG forms. The IMO document now lets you display gross and net weights or gross weight and cubic meters. A new IATA document has been added that shows the product detail in non-columnar format. The address fields have also been made larger so that addresses don't wrap. The date format has also been fixed to comply with IATA regulation 8.1.6.14.

Additional handling instructions can now be stored in the Phrases database for easy addition to your DG documents, and all the DG fields can be brought into Shipping Solutions via the Data Exchange Manager or Import Products feature.

In a future blog post I will describe the new DG enhancement in more detail.

ODBC Connectivity

The Data Exchange Manager (DXM) in Shipping Solutions Professional Version 9.12 has been enhanced to allow for an ODBC connection in addition to the current text or XML file options. Establish an ODBC connection between your Shipping Solutions database and your accounting, order-entry, or ERP system, and then use the ODBC setup screens to choose the fields you want to pull in to Shipping Solutions to create your export documents for specific orders.

In a future blog post I will describe the new ODBC connection in more detail.

Other Important Updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the following updates and enhancements for the Shipping Solutions software are included in all three versions of Shipping Solutions—Classic, Professional and Enterprise:

• The NAFTA Certificate of Origin has been updated to display the current expiration date of April 30, 2020, as provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
• The Export Product & Contacts feature on the Tools tab can now export your data directly to Excel rather than going through a text file first. This is especially helpful if you have carriage returns in your data.
• The Import Product & Contacts feature on the Tools tab has been improved so that if you exported your data out of Shipping Solutions it can easily be imported back in without having to map the data fields.
• In Shipping Solutions Professional, a report has been added on the Utilities tab, Generate Reports screen to show what screenings have been run in the Export Compliance Module for shipments in a date range.
• Weights can now be entered in pounds or kilograms, and Shipping Solutions will calculate the other value for you.
• Shipping Solutions now allows three-character state codes to accomodate countries like Australia.
• The Find and Select Shipment screens are now "sticky" so that if you search for a shipment based on criteria, that criteria will remain until it is reset or Shipping Solutions is closed.
• The exemption code required by AESDirect for certain license types is now automatically entered when the license type is selected.
• The Shipping Labels on the Utilities tab have been enhanced to include contact names and phone numbers and box numbers.
• The AESDirect ITN number now prints on the Inland Bill of Lading.
• The consolidated Commercial Invoice now uses the exchange rate if one is entered on the Invoices screen on the EZ Start tab.
• A fix has been made on the Admin tab, Profile Settings screen so that profiles can be made inactive.

The full list of changes is available on the AMP website. If you have any questions or would like to upgrade to this new version, give us a call at (651) 905-1727.