Overview
When you push a purchase order shipment to an externally-managed warehouse (WMS/3PL) as an inbound shipment, you can now map any custom fields you've added to that shipment record — not just standard logistics fields like tracking or carrier — into the data sent to your WMS. Use this when your 3PL or WMS needs shipment-level details unique to your business (for example, a compliance code or a special handling flag) that don't have a standard Luminous field.
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
- Make sure the custom field(s) you want to send already exist on your PO Shipment records. This can be configured under Manage > Custom Fields > Create Custom Field and under the three dots to edit a current custom field.
- Go to Settings > Integrations and open your WMS/3PL connection (click edit account under the pencil icon).
- Open the Inbound Shipment Mapping section (Inbound Shipment Field Mappings).
- In the list of available source fields, locate your custom field(s) — they'll appear alongside the standard shipment fields (tracking number, carrier, ETA, notes, etc.).
- Select the custom field you want to map, then choose the corresponding field in your WMS's inbound shipment payload.
- Save the mapping.
- The next time a PO shipment with that custom field populated is pushed to your WMS as an inbound shipment, the value will be included automatically.
Key Features / Options
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Shipment-level scope | Only custom fields on the PO Shipment record itself are available here — not custom fields from the PO header or line items. |
| Value timing | The field appears as mappable right away; the actual value is only populated at push time, based on what's entered on that specific shipment. |
| No mapping required | If you don't map a custom field, it simply won't be included in the WMS payload — nothing else about your push is affected. |
Tips or Best Practices
- Confirm your WMS actually has a payload field ready to receive the value before mapping — an unmapped-on-their-end field will save in Luminous but won't do anything useful downstream.
- Use clear, descriptive custom field names — they're what you'll see in the mapping dropdown, and vague names get confusing fast once you have several.
- If a custom field is required for your workflow but might be blank on some shipments, coordinate with your WMS contact on how they want to handle empty values.
FAQs / Troubleshooting
Q: I don't see my custom field in the mapping list.
A: Confirm the custom field is configured at the shipment level (not the PO header or line-item level) and that it's saved on at least one shipment record.
Q: I mapped the field, but it's not showing up in the WMS.
A: Check that the field actually has a value on the shipment being pushed — mapping makes the field available, but it only sends a value if one exists on that shipment.
Q: Can I map PO header custom fields the same way?
A: PO-level custom fields are a separate source block from shipment-level ones. Check with support if you need PO header fields mapped into your WMS inbound payload.
Additional Help
If you run into any issues setting up your field mapping, reach out to our support team — we're happy to help.