Enhance your supply chain workflows by adding your own data—such as ERP IDs, workflow fields, notes, etc. —directly to shipments and containers in Terminal49.

What Are Custom Fields?

Custom Fields allow you to store structured, business-specific information inside Terminal49 so that your team—and your connected systems—always work from the same, up-to-date data.

Common Use Cases

1. Store external system IDs & metadata

   Keep identifiers from your ERP/TMS/WMS/Finance systems IDs directly in Terminal49 and include them when:

   • Creating tracking requests (CSV, API, email CSV).

   • Exporting data to CSV.

   • Pulling data via API or webhooks.

   Result: Easier matching and syncing across systems—more manual “lookup spreadsheets.”

2. Replace manual tracking spreadsheets

   Many teams export data from Terminal49 into a spreadsheet to track:

   • Exceptions

   • Internal issues

   • Next steps / action items

   With Custom Fields, you can:

   • Keep these workflows inside Terminal49.

   • Use Container Views and filters to create workflow views (e.g. “Containers with issues”).

   • Share views with teammates so everyone sees the same, always up-to-date data.

Key Concepts

Understanding where a field lives and what type of data it stores.

Shipment vs. Container Fields

When you create a Custom Field, you choose which entity it belongs to:

• Shipment-level fields

  • One value per shipment.

  • The same value appears across all containers associated with that shipment.

  • Ideal for: customer reference numbers, vendor invoice numbers.

• Container-linked fields

  • One value per container.

  • Ideal for: container issues, priority, warehouse door, special handling notes.

Data Types

Custom Fields support rich data types (not just plain text):

• Text - any free-form text

• Number - whole numbers or decimals

• Date - calendar date only

• Date & Time - date & time of the day

• True/False - yes/no style flags

• Select - choose multiple values from a list

Multi-select - choose multiple values from a list

This helps keep your data clean and makes filtering much more powerful.

Where can I use Custom Fields in Terminal49?

Once Custom Fields are configured on your account, you can start using them across Terminal49 and your connected systems.

• When creating tracking – Include Custom Field values in your tracking CSV uploads, email CSVs, or API tracking requests so shipments and containers are created with your data from the start.

• On the Container Dashboard – Add Custom Fields as columns, edit them inline as new information comes in, and use them in filters and saved views (for example, “Containers with issues”).

• On detail pages – View and edit shipment-level fields on the Shipment Detail page and container-level fields in each Container’s detail section.

• In bulk updates – For container-level fields, you can backfill or adjust values for many containers at once using the Bulk Update tool.

• In exports, API, and webhooks – Any Custom Fields included in a view are part of CSV exports, and are also available via API responses and webhooks so your other systems can read and store the same data.

See next article: Setting Up Custom Fields

FAQs:

Q: How do I get Custom Fields enabled on my account?

A: Contact your Terminal49 Customer Success Manager or customer support via support@terminal49.com or our web chat. Custom Fields is in beta and may not be enabled on all plans by default.

Q: Will Custom Fields change our existing data or tracking behavior?

A: No. Custom Fields add metadata on top of existing shipments and containers. They do not change how we track or update events.

Q: Why does changing a shipment-level field update multiple rows in the Container Dashboard?

A: Shipment-level fields belong to the shipment itself. All containers under that shipment share the same value, so updating it in one place updates it everywhere that shipment appears.

Q: Can I bulk update Custom Fields for shipments?

A: Bulk Update currently supports container-level fields. If you need shipment-level Bulk Update, please contact Support to share your use case.

Q: Can I export Custom Fields to CSV?

A: Yes. If a Custom Field is part of your view on the Container Dashboard, it will be included in the CSV export for that view.

If you’d like help designing your Custom Fields and views for your specific workflow, reach out to your Terminal49 Customer Success Manager—we’re happy to review your current spreadsheets and recommend a setup in Terminal49.