You can use the “Use Filters to Get Source Documents” function on warehouse shipments in Business Central to control which orders get shipped in which order. By setting up saved filter combinations, you create a fixed shipment planning strategy that your warehouse can follow every day.
You build the strategy as layers. Each filter you run picks up only the source document lines that are not already on a shipment, so you can run them in sequence to handle priorities like shipping advice and shipping agent deadlines.
Some customers run up to 10 or more layers in their shipment planning strategy.
Using filters to plan warehouse shipments in Business Central
Shipment planning in Business Central is mostly about using the “Use Filters to Get Source Documents” functionality to bring the source documents onto your warehouse shipments in the correct order. You set up filters that define your priorities, then run them one after another to build your shipments for the day.
The idea is simple: you create a warehouse shipment, apply a filter, and the function pulls in only the orders that match. The lines it picks up are then on that shipment, so the next filter you run skips them and only takes what is left.
Building a shipment planning strategy with multiple filters
In this example, the strategy is built on three different filters that run in a fixed order.
Filter 1 – Shipping Advice Complete. This filter only accepts source documents where shipping advice is set to Complete, meaning everything that can be shipped in full. This is not a hard test for complete shipping. It is a message to the warehouse that these orders need to ship complete. You start the day by creating your first warehouse shipment and running this filter. It pulls in the sales orders marked as Complete.
Filter 2 – Morning before 10:00, Blue Water. The only thing modified in this filter is the shipping agent code, set to Blue Water. The shipping agent arrives at 10 o’clock, so these orders need to be done and ready before then. You create a new warehouse shipment, apply this filter, and run it. Because the complete orders are already on the first shipment, this filter only picks up the remaining lines that match.
Filter 3 – Standard. The last filter is the standard one that catches everything else. You create your final shipment for the day, apply this filter, and run it. It takes all the remaining work that was not pulled in by the first two filters.
How the layered approach works in the warehouse
Once the shipments are created in order, you can give your warehouse people a clear instruction: start with the first shipment and create the pick from it, then move to the second, then the third. This way the picking happens in a strategically sensible order every day.
Because each filter only takes the lines that are not already on a shipment, the sequence matters. An order with complete shipping advice ends up on the first shipment and not on the later ones. The result is a repeatable daily routine where the most time-sensitive and priority orders are handled first.
This setup scales well. Some customers run up to 10 or even more layers in their shipment planning strategy, each filter representing a priority, a deadline, or a shipping agent.
Q&A
What does “Use Filters to Get Source Documents” do on a warehouse shipment?
It pulls source document lines onto your warehouse shipment based on filter criteria you define, such as shipping advice or shipping agent code. It only picks up lines that are not already on another shipment.
How do I make sure orders are shipped in the right priority order?
Set up saved filters for each priority and run them in sequence. Run the most important filter first so those orders land on the first shipment, then run the next filters to pick up the remaining lines.
Does the Shipping Advice Complete filter force orders to ship complete?
No. It is not a hard test for complete shipping. It is a signal to the warehouse that these orders should be shipped in full, and the filter selects the orders marked as Complete.
How many filter layers can I use in a shipment planning strategy?
There is no practical limit for most setups. Some customers use up to 10 or more layers, each one representing a priority, deadline, or shipping agent.