Five sample shipment fields that must match your call export

Sample distribution analysis depends on joining two exports: shipment records and call logs. These five fields must use consistent identifiers or the join produces false outliers.

Account ID is first. Shipment systems often use wholesaler codes while CRM uses internal physician IDs. Provide a crosswalk table — even a simple spreadsheet — before week one.

Shipment date and visit date should both use ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD). Mixed formats are the second most common delay we encounter after duplicate physician records.

Product SKU must match between systems. Promotional sample packs sometimes carry different SKUs in logistics versus CRM detail lines.

Approved quantity versus shipped quantity: confirm which figure your compliance team expects in the ratio calculation. We default to shipped units unless instructed otherwise.

Rep identifier alignment closes the loop. If shipment records lack rep ID, we assign by account ownership as of shipment date — note any mid-quarter rep changes in your handoff email.