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:

Open the merchantCENTRAL Dashboard
Click on Shipment Labels → Create New Label

Via the Shipment Label List:

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

Via a Sales Order:

Open the posted Sales Order or the Sales Shipment
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	✅ Yes
Recipient Name 2	Additional name line	❌ No
Recipient Street	Street of the recipient	✅ Yes
Recipient House No.	House number	✅ Yes
Recipient Post Code	Postal code	✅ Yes
Recipient City	City	✅ Yes
Recipient Country Code	Country code (ISO-2, e.g. `DE`)	✅ 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	—
Customer Ref. No. 1	Your reference number (e.g. order number)	—

Step 4a (optional): Check Cut-off Time and Delivery Date

The action Check DPD Cut-off and Delivery Date queries the DPD ZipCodeRulesService V2.0 for:

the cut-off time — by when you have to hand over the shipment today
the expected delivery date for the recipient's postal code

It is based on the shipper postal code from the DPD Setup, the recipient postal code of the shipment, and the work date.

Read-only, on click only

The query creates no label and costs nothing. It does not run automatically when the dialog opens — an HTTP call to DPD for every label, most of which do not need the date, would be nothing but waiting time. If DPD does not answer, a notification appears; label creation itself is unaffected.

Step 5: Create Label

Click Create. Business Central performs the following steps:

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

After successful creation, you will see:

The parcel label number (parcelLabelNumber) in the Tracking No. field
The MPS ID (mpsId) in the Shipment No. field — this is also the DPD reference for support enquiries
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

Open the Shipment Label List
Select multiple open labels (++ctrl+click++ or ++shift+click++)
Click Create Bulk Labels in the action bar
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

Open the Create Label dialog
In the Packages section, enter one line per box:

Field	Description
Packaging Material Code	Packaging material (optional)
Weight (g)	Weight of this package in grams
Length / Width / Height (cm)	Dimensions of this package
Contents	Content of this package

All packages are sent in one storeOrders call as several <parcel> elements; recipient, product and additional services apply to the entire shipment.

One parcel label number per package — one shared label document

DPD returns an individual parcel label number with its own tracking URL per package, but a single label document for the entire shipment. The connector stores this document on the first package; the platform carries it over to the shipment header. You print it once and it contains the labels of all packages.

After Creation

Set per package:

Package Tracking No. — the individual DPD parcel label number
Tracking URL — the tracking link for this package
Shipment No. — the shared MPS ID of the shipment

→ Details: Packages (Multi-Colli)

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 — 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 — 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.