Troubleshooting Orders
Use these questions to explain unexpected Sales Order, Fulfillment Order, Shipment, and integration behavior. See the API reference for complete field and operation definitions.
Integration Identity
What does Fulfilled By mean?
fulfilledBy helps identify the fulfillment service responsible for a Fulfillment Order. That service may be the Company in Endless, the source integration, or a separate warehouse, 3PL, or supplier integration.
Why was a Shipment rejected because of Fulfilled By?
When an integration creates a Shipment, it must be the fulfillment service resolved for that Fulfillment Order. A mismatch is rejected so one integration cannot update work assigned to another service.
What is Source External ID?
sourceExternalId identifies the Fulfillment Order record in the external system that created it. It links an integration-created Fulfillment Order back to its origin.
What is External ID?
externalId identifies the execution record used to process the Fulfillment Order. It normally correlates the Endless Fulfillment Order with a downstream warehouse, 3PL, supplier, or shipping system. Endless may generate a local External ID when the work is processed without a downstream integration.
Why can a Fulfillment Order have both Source External ID and External ID?
They represent different relationships. Source External ID identifies where the Fulfillment Order originated; External ID identifies where it is being executed. They may refer to different systems and should not be assumed to contain the same value.
Is a Fulfillment Order External ID the same as a Shipment External ID?
No. External IDs are scoped to the record they identify. A Fulfillment Order External ID identifies the downstream execution record. A Shipment External ID identifies an external Shipment record and is also used to prevent the same Shipment from being registered twice for one Fulfillment Order.
What is the difference between the source and the fulfillment service?
The source supplied the Sales Order. The fulfillment service processes an individual Fulfillment Order and reports its lifecycle and Shipments. A marketplace may create the Sales Order while a separate 3PL fulfills it.
Does an integration that creates a Sales Order also create its Fulfillment Orders?
Not necessarily. Some integrations create only Sales Orders, some create both Sales Orders and Fulfillment Orders, and fulfillment-only integrations receive Fulfillment Orders created in Endless. The integration's capabilities and configuration determine which pattern applies.
Why was an external update ignored?
Common reasons include an update that cannot be matched to the active Sales Order or Fulfillment Order, a sender that is not the assigned fulfillment service, a Canceled target, an out-of-sequence update, or a state or quantity rule that would be violated.
What does Refresh Order update?
Refresh retrieves the latest information from the Sales Order's source. Fields synchronized by the source may replace values previously entered in Endless.
Why did a Sales Order field change back after I edited it?
Editing the Sales Order does not disconnect its source. A later integration update or manual refresh can replace the same field with the current source value.
Why might work continue after I cancel an In Progress order?
Canceling the Sales Order in Endless cancels its unfulfilled Fulfillment Orders, but work already handed to a warehouse, 3PL, or other fulfillment service may need to be canceled there as well. Confirm the cancellation with the service and reconcile any late Shipment updates.
Processing Rules and Automation
What is a Fulfillment Rule?
A Fulfillment Rule is assigned to a Fulfillment Order and governs how it progresses. It defines the conditions for lifecycle transitions and whether eligible transitions can happen automatically.
What is the difference between a Fulfillment Rule and an automation?
An automation reacts to an event and decides whether to perform an action, such as assigning a Fulfillment Rule. The Rule then controls how that individual Fulfillment Order progresses.
For example, when a Fulfillment Order is created, an automation can evaluate its source, sales channel, building, tags, financial status, or metadata and assign the appropriate Rule.
What happens after a Fulfillment Rule is assigned?
Endless evaluates the Rule's conditions for the Fulfillment Order's current transition. If automatic transition is enabled and every condition passes, the Fulfillment Order advances. Its new state can trigger evaluation of the next transition.
How far can a Fulfillment Order progress automatically?
A Rule can progress a Fulfillment Order through Draft, Allocated, Ready, and In Progress. It does not automatically complete In Progress → Fulfilled because that transition requires Shipment information from the responsible party.
Why did automatic processing stop?
Automatic processing stops when the next transition is not configured to run automatically, a Rule condition fails, inventory or shipping information is missing, an active hold applies, or downstream handoff fails.
Fulfillment Order State
Why is the Fulfillment Order still Draft?
Check whether a Rule is assigned, Draft → Allocated is automatic, item quantities are assigned, inventory is available at the building, and no active hold or Rule condition blocks allocation.
Why is the Fulfillment Order still Allocated?
Check the Allocated → Ready conditions. The most common causes are missing or invalid shipping information, carrier service, business requirements, or an active hold.
Why is the Fulfillment Order Ready but not In Progress?
Check whether Ready → In Progress is automatic, whether its conditions pass, whether a fulfillment service is assigned, and whether the downstream handoff succeeded.
What does Failed mean?
Failed normally means a downstream handoff or processing attempt did not succeed. The Fulfillment Order remains active and keeps its item assignments and inventory reservations so the issue can be corrected and retried.
Why is the Fulfillment Order In Progress without a Shipment?
In Progress means execution started or the instruction was handed downstream. It does not mean the goods shipped. Check the fulfillment service, External ID, the downstream execution record, and whether that service has returned Shipment information.
Sales Order Status and Shipments
Why is the Sales Order still Ordered when Fulfillment Orders exist?
Draft, Allocated, Ready, and Failed Fulfillment Orders do not demonstrate execution progress. The Sales Order becomes In Progress only when at least one active Fulfillment Order is In Progress or Fulfilled.
Why is the Sales Order In Progress instead of Shipped?
At least one Fulfillment Order has progressed, but quantities on Fulfilled Fulfillment Orders do not cover every active Sales Order item quantity.
Why is the Sales Order not Shipped when a Shipment exists?
A Shipment records physical movement, but Sales Order completion is based on Fulfillment Order state and item coverage. Check that the parent Fulfillment Order is Fulfilled and that all remaining Sales Order item quantities are covered.
Why was a Shipment update rejected?
Common causes are a fulfillment-service mismatch, a duplicate Shipment External ID, a Canceled Fulfillment Order, or a required inventory allocation that has not occurred.