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Creating Labels

With the DPD Connector, you can create single labels and bulk labels (multiple shipments simultaneously) directly from Business Central. This guide explains both options step by step.

Creating a Single Label

Step 1: Start Label Creation

There are several ways to create a new shipping label:

Via the merchantCENTRAL Dashboard:

  1. Open the merchantCENTRAL Dashboard
  2. Click on Shipment Labels β†’ Create New Label

Via the Shipment Label List:

  1. Open the Shipment Label List (search: Shipment Labels)
  2. Click New in the action bar

Via a Sales Order:

  1. Open the posted Sales Order or the Sales Shipment
  2. Use the action Create Shipping Label

Step 2: Select Shipping Provider

In the Create Label dialog, select:

  • Shipment Provider: DPD
  • Product: pre-filled from the DPD Setup (e.g. CL for DPD Classic)

Change Product

You can change the DPD product individually per label. For example, if you normally use CL (Classic) but want to send this shipment via express, select E12 (Express 12:00) here.

Step 3: Fill In Recipient Data

Fill in the recipient address:

Field Description Required
Recipient Name Name of the recipient βœ… Yes
Recipient Name 2 Additional name line ❌ No
Recipient Street Street of the recipient βœ… Yes
Recipient House No. House number βœ… Yes
Recipient Post Code Postal code βœ… Yes
Recipient City City βœ… Yes
Recipient Country Code Country code (ISO-2, e.g. DE) βœ… Yes
Recipient Email Email (for DPD Predict notification) ❌ No
Recipient Phone Phone (for DPD Predict notification) ❌ No

Automatic Population

When you create the label from a sales order, the recipient data is automatically populated from the order's delivery address.

Step 4: Enter Shipment Details

Field Description Default
Weight (g) Weight of the shipment in grams From DPD Setup
Package Content Content description β€”
Customer Ref. No. 1 Your reference number (e.g. order number) β€”

Step 5: Create Label

Click Create. Business Central performs the following steps:

  1. Validation β€” Checks all required fields and the DPD Setup
  2. Authentication β€” Login to the DPD LoginService V2.0 (fresh auth token)
  3. SOAP Request β€” Submits the shipment to the DPD ShipmentService V4.5
  4. Label Receipt β€” DPD returns the label as PDF or ZPL
  5. Storage β€” Label is saved in Business Central

After successful creation, you will see:

  • The Parcel Label Number
  • The MPS ID (Multi-Parcel Shipment ID)
  • The DPD Reference
  • The label is ready for download/printing

Step 6: Print Label

The label can be printed directly from Business Central:

  • PDF: Open the label view and print as usual
  • ZPL: The label is sent to your Zebra printer via the merchantCENTRAL Print Service

Creating Bulk Labels (Multiple Shipments at Once)

If you need to create many shipments at once, use the bulk function:

Procedure

  1. Open the Shipment Label List
  2. Select multiple open labels (++ctrl+click++ or ++shift+click++)
  3. Click Create Bulk Labels in the action bar
  4. Confirm the creation

Performance Advantage

The bulk function sends all shipments in a single SOAP call to DPD. This is significantly faster than creating them individually, especially with many shipments.

What Happens During Bulk Creation?

  • All selected shipments are sent in one storeOrders request to DPD
  • DPD creates a separate label for each shipment
  • Each shipment receives its own Parcel Label Number
  • In case of errors, the affected shipment is flagged, while the others are still created successfully

Errors During Bulk Creation

If a single shipment in a bulk call is faulty (e.g. wrong address), only that shipment is flagged as an error. All other shipments are created successfully. After bulk creation, check the error messages in the label list.

Multi-Parcel Shipments

For shipments with multiple packages (e.g. a delivery split across 3 boxes):

Adding Packages

  1. Open the shipping label
  2. In the Packages section (subpage), you will see the package list
  3. Add a new line for each package:
Field Description
Weight (g) Weight of this package in grams
Volume (cmΒ³) Volume of this package
Package Content Content of this package
Customer Ref. No. 1 Reference for this package

One Label per Package

DPD creates a separate label for each package with its own parcel label number. All packages of a shipment are linked through the shared MPS ID.

After Creation

In the package list, you will see for each package:

  • Parcel Label Number β€” The individual DPD parcel number
  • DPD Reference β€” The DPD internal reference

β†’ Details: Packages

Validation Before Creation

Before a label is created, Business Central automatically checks:

Check Error Message
DPD Setup complete? DPD Setup is not configured properly
Delis ID present? Delis ID is required
Password present? Password is required
Shipper address complete? Shipper address is incomplete
Recipient name present? Recipient name is required
Recipient street present? Recipient street is required
Recipient postal code present? Recipient post code is required
Recipient city present? Recipient city is required
Recipient country code present? Recipient country code is required
Weight > 0? Weight must be greater than 0

Avoiding Errors

Make sure both your shipper address in the DPD Setup and the recipient address are fully filled in. The most common source of errors is a missing house number.

Label Status

After creation, the label has one of the following statuses:

Status Meaning
Created Label successfully created, can be printed
Error Creation failed β€” check the error message
Printed Label has been printed
Shipped Shipment is registered in the DPD system

Weight Conversion

DPD internally uses decagrams (dag) as the weight unit:

Input in BC (Grams) Sent to DPD (dag)
500 g 50 dag
1,000 g (1 kg) 100 dag
5,000 g (5 kg) 500 dag
31,500 g (31.5 kg) 3150 dag

The conversion is performed automatically β€” you always work in grams in Business Central.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change a label after creation?

No. A label that has been created with DPD cannot be changed. You need to create a new label.

Is there a weight limit?

Yes. The weight limits depend on the selected DPD product:

  • DPD Classic: max. 31.5 kg
  • DPD Express: max. 31.5 kg
  • DPD MAX: max. 31.5 kg
Do I need to cancel labels I don't use?

DPD labels that are not used for shipping expire automatically. An explicit cancellation via the API is not implemented with DPD (unlike DHL).

How many labels can I create at once?

With the bulk function, you can theoretically create any number of labels at once. Recommended are groups of no more than 50 shipments per bulk call for optimal performance.