Wholechain Events Overview

What events are in Wholechain, the eight event types and when to use each one, with a link to the how-to article for every type.

Applies to: the Events module and the Add Events drawer, all eight Event Types

Audience: Anyone who records events in Wholechain, and anyone deciding which event type fits what happened

Prerequisites: Trade Items, Locations and Trade Partners already set up in Wholechain

Purpose

An event is a record that something happened to a lot or a container at a place and time: it came into existence, it was checked, it was packed, it was shipped, and so on. Wholechain has eight event types. You choose the type that matches what happened, fill in the Add Events drawer, and Wholechain links your events together into the supply chain you see on the Map, Diagram and List views.

This page is the starting point for recording events. It lists every event type, says when each one is used, and links to the article that shows how to record it. Each event type has its own article, so you can follow one action from start to finish without reading the others.

Before you begin

Set up the products, places and companies your events refer to: Trade Items, Locations and Trade Partners.
Not every supply chain needs every event type. Choose the types that accurately describe what your operation does, and record events in the order they actually happened.
If you do not yet have earlier events in your account, you can still start: see Direct Ship and Direct Receive.

The eight event types

The names in the first column are the names in the Event Type list in the application. The guide calls the actions Aggregate and Disaggregate.

Event Type	Use it when	How-to article
Commission	You want to start the recorded history of a lot, for example when a product is harvested or produced. It creates the first record that later events build on; it does not add earlier history.	Commission
Observe	You looked at, counted or checked a lot or container at a Location. It records an observation without moving the lot, changing what it is or ending its life. It can also adjust a Lot's quantity, for example to re-weigh Lots as they are received or during stock taking, but it does not change the Lot number. Its Business Step defaults to Packing (CBV) and you can change it, for example to Stock Taking or Temperature.	Observe
Aggregation	You pack all or part of one or more lots into a container identified by an SSCC or a Logistic ID, usually so the container can be shipped as one unit. The lots are not changed into a new product.	Aggregate
Disaggregation	You unpack a container so its lots can be handled individually again, for example after a container arrives. It takes the whole container apart; you do not enter quantities.	Disaggregate
Transform	Input lots become different output lots, for example bulk fish packed into cases. It also covers giving an existing product a new lot or serial number while keeping the link to the old one. Containers must be disaggregated first.	Transform
Ship	Lots or a container leave your Location for another Location. You can ship all or part of a lot.	Ship
Receive	A shipment arrives at your Location. It is the receiver's side of a movement that the sender records as a Ship.	Receive
Decommission	A lot, or part of a lot, is no longer part of active traceability, for example because it was damaged, destroyed or disposed of. You choose a Disposition, which records why. Containers must be disaggregated first.	Decommission

Ship and Receive are two sides of one movement: the sender records the departure and the receiver records the arrival. For help choosing between similar types, read Understanding Event-Based Traceability.

Add an event

Every event starts in the same place and uses the same drawer.

Open Events and select Add Events. The Single Event tab is the one used in this guide.
Choose the Event Type first, because changing it later resets the Location and Products.
Follow the article for that event type. The fields every event shares (Date, Time, Time Zone, PO Number, Business Step, Disposition, Read Point and documents) are explained once in Shared event fields.

You can also start a Ship or a Receive from the Shipments module. See Shipments overview and table controls and Direct Ship and Direct Receive.

Ship, Receive and linked events

A Receive does not require an earlier Ship when you post it with Direct Receive. Direct Receive lets the receiving entity log its Receive before the Ship is posted.
When events are linked with Link Trace Info, a Receive requires a Ship event. A Ship is the only event type that can be linked to a Receive. On a Receive, Link Trace Info lets you link upstream events that occurred with a date/time prior to the Direct Receive's date/time. This is how the supply chain logic is assembled.
A Direct Receive shows as an Inbound Shipment (Shipments > Inbound). A Direct Ship shows as an Outbound Ship Event in the Outbound Shipments table, where adding Trace Info lets you post events that occurred with a date/time prior to the Direct Ship's date/time.
A shared Location can be used as a destination Location on Ship events and as an origin Location on Receive events.

See Direct Ship and Direct Receive and Link Trace Info for the steps.

Expected result

You know which event type to use, and you can open the article that walks through it. After you add an event, it appears as a row in the Event List; see Events overview and list navigation.

Troubleshooting

You are not sure which event type fits. Compare the Use it when column above, then read the background article for the type: Commission, Observe, Aggregate, Disaggregate, Transform, Ship, Receive, Decommission.
Other questions. See the FAQ, or email support@wholechain.com.

Field and action reference

Event types at a glance

Event Type	Location fields	What you select or enter
Commission	Location	New lots with Add Lot: product, Lot Code and Quantity.
Observe	Location	An existing lot or container on the Lots or Containers tab. Business Step defaults to Packing (CBV) and can be changed.
Aggregation	Location	Lots, all or part of each, plus an SSCC or a Logistic ID for the container.
Disaggregation	Location	A whole container on the Containers tab. No quantity.
Transform	Location	Input lots (all or part of each) plus Output Products. The Containers tab cannot be used.
Ship	Origin Location, Destination Location	Lots or containers from inventory (all or part of a lot), or a Direct Ship.
Receive	Origin Location, Destination Location	An inbound shipment on the Inbound Shipments tab, or a Direct Receive.
Decommission	Location	Lots, all or part of each, and a Disposition. There is no Reason field. The Containers tab cannot be used.

Business Step and Disposition defaults for each type are listed in Shared event fields. For the full Add Events form, see the Add Events form reference.

Page	What it covers
Shared event fields	Master data references, Event Details, Business Step and Disposition values, documents.
Direct Ship and Direct Receive	Recording a Ship or Receive for lots with no earlier events.
Link Trace Info	Connecting a Direct Ship or a Receive to the earlier events that came before it.
Events overview and list navigation	Finding and reading events in the Event List.
FAQ	Answers to common questions.
Starting Traceability in Wholechain	Background on the three ways to begin recording.
Event-Based Traceability FAQ	Background questions about event-based traceability.

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