Record Changes and Field Rules in FMS
Forwarding documents contain operational and commercial information that changes as a shipment progresses. Teams need to understand what changed and ensure that important information meets their business requirements. Record Changes and Field Rules provide two complementary tools for this, using shared 3PL Dynamics functionality.
Record Changes
Record Changes logs configured changes to records and fields, including old and new values. In FMS, the shipment details factbox provides a Change Log drill-down to review changes logged against the shipment. Logging must be configured; the drill-down does not mean every field is tracked automatically.
For example, monitor a shipment reference that is used in customer communication. If changes on related lines should be reviewed against the shipment, configure parent grouping. A processing macro can provide follow-up automation after a configurable delay, rather than responding separately to every edit.
Configuration hints
- Open Record Change Setup, select the relevant FMS table and restrict the setup with filters.
- Add setup lines and the fields to monitor. Enable insert/delete logging only where needed.
- For related records, configure Parent Table View Code to group changes against the intended parent.
- For automated follow-up, configure Processing Function Set Macro, Record Change Duration and the processing job queue. Leave the macro blank when only logging is required.
- Test a change and review the shipment's Change Log or the Record Change List before enabling wider use.
See Record Change Setup for the complete setup, processing and troubleshooting instructions.
Field Rules
Field Rules checks configured business requirements when records are created or modified. For example, a rule can require a shipment reference for a particular order type, or check that a value matches an agreed format. Criteria restrict when the checks apply; validation steps determine the checks and the response.
Search for Field Rules in the application. The existing general guide calls this functionality Event Rules. Configure the relevant FMS table, triggering fields, criteria and validation steps. Choose an error for a requirement that must block the operation, or a warning/notification when the user should be informed without blocking it.
Test valid and invalid data in a new session after changing the setup. Review module availability and permissions with your implementation consultant. Do not assume an interactive field rule also protects imports or job queue processing: the current database-trigger implementation skips background sessions. Keep the necessary checks in those workflows as well.
See Event Rules for criteria, validation types, actions and testing.
Tip
Use Field Rules to check data requirements and Record Changes to review configured changes or trigger follow-up processing. They do not replace the FMS status workflow: keep checks required before an operational transition in the applicable status template.