On October 1, the monthly file to GS1 that contains entity information for all new GLNs created and updates to existing GLNs, was modified to include entity contact information as required by GS1. This report was modified to include the new data requirements, email address or phone number. Now, each record submitted will contain the email address and phone number of Member Services. This is at the monthly report level only and does not impact the entity record in AGIIS. Additionally, the report was modified so that it only includes AGIIS assigned GLNs. Previously, both AGIIS assigned, and subscriber owned GLNs were being provided to GS1.

On Saturday, 31 August, AGIIS was enhanced to help simplify the buyout process.

Previously, to process a buyout transaction, both entities (the buying entity and the entity being bought) must first be enumerated in AGIIS with a GLN. With this enhancement, the buying entity does not need to be in the directory to begin the buyout process.

A new transaction type dropdown, “Bought Out – Add Entity” is now available from the Entity Update page, as shown below. This transaction type is to be used when the buying entity is not already enumerated in the directory.

Upon selecting this transaction type, you will be taken to the Entity Add page, where the buying entity will be added. You will be presented the option to copy over the existing proprietary code(s) to the new entity as shown below.

Once the new entity is submitted, comments are automatically added to the transaction, driving it to the Directory Administrator for review. If the Add transaction is approved, the Directory Administrator will accept the Add request and then complete the buyout transaction.

To accommodate our existing business rule that require unique proprietary codes within the EBID subset, if you elect to carry over your proprietary codes to the new entity, the bought-out entity’s proprietary code will be modified with the extension “_bkp”. For example, if the bought-out entity has the proprietary code “123456”, it will be modified to “123456_bkp”. The extension is only applied if you choose to carry over the proprietary code(s) to the new entity. Bought-Out entities will be set to an Inactive status, but will remain in your subset as they always have. You may choose to retain the inactive entity in your subset or remove it.

On Saturday, 27 April, AGIIS was enhanced so that the Google Maps and Google Search buttons will be present on the Request Update page, allowing the Directory Administrators to verify name and address information with the click of a button.

This enhancement will be transparent to users but visible to Directory Administrators.

These tools - Google Maps Search and Google Internet Search on the Directory Request page - will increase efficiency for the Directory Administrators. The enhancement will eliminate the need for Directory Administrators to copy and paste data into a different browser tab to confirm an address, and as a result, users will get faster responses to their add/update requests.

Similar to the XML validation tool already in AGIIS, a new CSV validation tool has been added under the Files menu in AGIIS. This validation tool will help ensure that Entity CSV bulk files are in good order prior to submission. To validate an Entity CSV bulk file, click on the Validate CSV link. Note-This is for Entity bulk files only and will not validate product files.

The following screen is presented. Choose your file from the saved location and click the Validate button.

If the file is in good order, the message, "File Successfully Validated" will appear. If the file doesn't validate successfully, an error message will display identifying the root cause.

Common errors are:

Invalid Number of Columns in CSV File - This error usually occurs when data extends past the maximum file length. This can be caused by data having double quotation marks in certain fields. Make sure your data is cleansed prior to validation.

Invalid file naming convention. Files must be named in accordance with the following example: 1100046503738_20230920083000.csv where: 1100046503738 is the submitting subscriber’s GLN 20230920083000 is a date/time stamp in YYYYMMDDhhmmss format. - Ensure that your file is named in accordance to the file layout specification.

Invalid Subscriber ID - This error usually occurs when you open a CSV file in Excel to make changes. The subscriber ID and GLN/EBID columns convert to scientific text. Ensure all columns containing an EBID or GLN are 13 digits in length prior to saving the file.

On Saturday, 23 September, AGIIS was enhanced to include a new Product User Defined Fields Report and a new Entity CSV validation tool.

A new CSV report is available for download from the AGIIS Links menu. The Product User Defined Fields Report displays in real time, the user defined fields assigned by each product manufacturer at the product, package size and package configuration levels. To download the report, click on the Product User Defined Fields Report link as shown below.

On Saturday, August 19, AGIIS was enhanced to include a new web service reporting dashboard. Users with the Web Service Reporting privilege will have the ability to view the state of AGIIS web services and be able to view metrics for web service calls performed by their organization. To obtain this privilege, have your Subscriber Administrator grant you the Web Service Reporting privilege as shown below. Only those subscribers that perform web service calls will have the Web Service Reporting privilege available to their user base.

The dashboard is accessed from the Administration tab by clicking the Web Service Reporting link as shown below.

Clicking the Web Service Reporting link will display a new page like the one below. This page displays the state of both SOAP based and REST web services, letting a user know if the services are online or offline. Stoplight indicators clearly show the state of the services. Green indicates services are online, while Red indicates that services are offline.

Users have the ability to view the number and type of web service calls made by their organization for a specific month and year, or from a range of dates. Reporting is available for the previous three years. To view the number of calls for a specific month and year, simply choose from the month and year dropdowns as shown below.

Clicking the "Go" button will display the results for the month and year chosen, as shown below.

Users will also have the ability to view the number and type of calls for a given time period as shown below.

Clicking the "Go" Button will display the results for the range of dates selected as shown below.

To view a graphical representation of this data, click on the "Graph" button as shown below.

A graphical representation will display. Hovering over the bar graph will display the type of call made.

This data can also be downloaded into an Excel file by clicking on the "Download" button as shown below.

The data will be downloaded into an Excel file as shown below and displays the type of call, user performing the call, date range, and number of calls.

On Saturday, June 10, AGIIS was enhanced to remove the E-Business Search option, shown below.

The Search menu now presents two search options, Entity Search and Product Search.

Users will continue to be able to perform a search to retrieve entities enumerated with an E-Business Identifier (EBID) using the existing Entity Search option and the filters provided. The AGIIS Entity Search screen is defaulted to include entities enumerated with an EBID and/or a Global Location Number (GLN). Users may uncheck the GLN IDs checkbox to receive return results containing an EBID.

As a reminder, all entities in AGIIS are enumerated with a GLN. Not all entities in AGIIS are enumerated with an EBID. Unchecking the GLN IDs checkbox will limit results to those entities also enumerated with and EBID. To receive the broadest search results, simply keep the default search criteria intact (Include Entities Containing both EBID's and GLN ID's).

On Saturday, May 20, AGIIS was enhanced to support a new "Change Password" feature. The User Profile page was updated to remove the "Password" and "Confirm Password" fields and a "Change Password" button has been added at the bottom of the page. The new functionality can be found by clicking on the "Administration" then the "My Profile" menu as shown below.

From the User Profile page, you will notice the "Password" and "Confirm Password" fields have been removed and a "Change Password" button has been added.

To change your password, simply click on the "Change Password" button. The "Change Password" screen will be presented as shown below. Simply type your new password in the "New Password" and "Confirm Password" fields. Once saved, an automated email will notify you that your password was changed.

When adding a new user, Subscriber Administrators will have the ability to establish a temporary password by completing the "Password" and "Confirm Password" fields on the User Profile page as shown below. New users are encouraged to use the new functionality to make their password unique.

This enhancement is the result of a recommendation by AgGateway Working Group 16, Crop Protection Product Guidelines. The Working Group’s recommendation is to move away from a Package Level Indicator Code and move toward an Indicator Digit which is supported by GS1 Standards. This enhancement will only impact subscribers loading products into AGIIS.

Prior to this enhancement, the first digit of the GTIN 14 in AGIIS was referred to as a package level indicator code. Codes available for assignment were limited to the following:

0 - lowest saleable unit

2 - mutually agreed upon (To identify a container less than intermediate and above smallest consumer unit

3 – interim package

4 - mutually agreed upon (To identify a container smaller than standard shipping container and greater than intermediate

5 - standard shipping container

7 – standard pallet

8 – repack

9 – non-standard bulk

With this enhancement, AGIIS will be modified to use indicator digit logic instead of a package level indicator code. Modifications will be made to all places a GTIN is enumerated or calculated in AGIIS. This includes the web interface, web services and bulk processes. There will also be changes to web page verbiage, page level help and documentation.

The Indicator Digit logic will allow product owners to utilize an indicator digit of “0” – “9” for the creation of the GTIN with no restrictions or definitions as shown below. It will be up to each manufacturer to determine their own hierarchy, but should be applied consistently across all product lines.

Product owners are encouraged to publish their GTIN hierarchy on the AgGateway Wiki to assist trading partners. Click the link below to publish your hierarchy. In order to access this link, you must first be logged into the AgGateway Wiki.

GTIN Hierarchy

AGIIS Line 1 System Edit Addition enhancement will ensure that entities added to the Directory via website, bulk process, or web services, will contain address only information in line 1 of the physical and mailing addresses. This enhancement was recommended by an AGIIS subscriber to help address confusion when address line 1 contains a grower name, or other non-address information.

This enhancement will ensure that address line 1 (physical or mailing) contains numeric digits, with the exception being, “C/O”, to designate “in care of”, which is often used within the Crop Protection industry to enumerate warehouse and storage locations.

With bulk submissions files, when address line 1 contains non-address information, return files will include a new error code, S308 with the description, “Address line1 contains non address information.”

When adding or updating an entity using the web interface, if non-address information is identified in address line 1 (physical or mailing) the warning message, "Address line 1 contains non address information", will be presented.

When this error message displays, the checkbox, "Ignore name and/or address warnings" will also be presented. If a user contends that the information in line 1 should be allowed in the directory, this box can be checked, causing the Add or Update transaction to be routed to the Directory Administrator for review. When doing so, it is recommended that comments are added to help the Directory Administrator make a determination.

In the example below, "Travis Hogan" is entered in line 1 of the physical address. The error message is presented along with the, "Ignore name and/or address warnings" checkbox. The user should either enter the address, "1 Arrowhead Dr" in line 1, and resubmit, or may check the checkbox, add comments, and submit to the Directory Administrator for review.

On Saturday, October 22, AGIIS was enhanced to require two-factor authentication to log into the AGIIS website. First level authentication is the successful entry of the AGIIS username and password. Second level authentication now requires the entry of a 6-digit One Time Password (OTP) that is sent to the email address associated with the AGIIS user’s profile. The OTP will be valid for 15 minutes post generation. Users will only be required to provide a second-level authentication once per calendar day.

To log into the AGIIS website, enter your user name and password as shown below.

You will be presented the following system message notifying you to retrieve the 6-digit One Time Password (OTP) sent to your email address associated with your AGIIS user profile.

Locate the email from Member.Services@AgGateway.org, as shown below.

You may copy and paste the 6-digit OTP, or simply enter it into the OTP field. You will notice that the Password field is grayed out. You will not need to re-enter your password. Once the 6-digit OTP is entered, click the Login button

A successful login will take you to the AGIIS Home Page.

On Saturday, July 2, AGIIS was enhanced to include a new data element, Member Services Review Date, shown on the Entity View and history pages as, "Mem Svc Review Date". This new data element was requested by the Directory Oversight Committee to provide subscribers additional insight on an entity record.

Today, subscribers may request that Member Services perform Verification, either by phone or internet search, to validate entity demographics. This is a fee-based service that must be requested by a subscriber. The verification type and date is displayed on the entity record.

There are times when Member Services performs a review of an entity even when Verification is not requested. For example, when a company is bought out, or goes out of business, Member Services may call the location or perform internet research before accepting or declining the update. Other times, Member Services may use online resources, like Whitepages.com, or USPS.com to verify who resides at an address or to validate an address. The Directory Oversight Committee felt it would be beneficial to know when this type of review was performed. The Member Services Review Date enhancement addresses this requirement.

The AGIIS Entity View page, showing the new data element, is displayed below. This record shows that Member Services performed a review of the entity on June 17, 2022 at 10:08 AM.

Below is the History page from this same entity. As shown, the Member Services Review Date also displays in Entity History.

Subscriber Impact

AGIIS Update Extracts, Subset Extracts, and Bulk Submission Return files will contain this new data element. If your organization consumes these files, you will need to account for the new data element.

Consumers of XML file formats that wish to consume the Member Services Reviewed Date data element will need to re-validate their XML schema as the schema has been updated with this enhancement. Subscribers wishing to re-validate their schema can do so in AGIIS by clicking on the "Files" Menu, then "Validate XML."

AGIIS was enhanced to require stronger user passwords, and to allow users to reset a forgotten password.

New passwords must contain the following criteria:

• 1 Upper-Case Letter
• 1 Lower-Case Letter
• 1 Number
• 1 Special Character
• No Spaces
• Between 8 and 20 Characters

The first time a user logs into AGIIS, they will be required to select three security questions and responses. Responses are case sensitive. Steps to create these security questions are detailed below.

Setting Security Questions

1. Log into AGIIS with your username and password
2. You will be presented with the screen below
3. Use the dropdown to select a security question for question #1
4. Provide an answer to security question #1.
   1.  Answers to security questions are case sensitive. For example, if the answer you provide is “Kansas City”, when asked to answer a security question later, “Kansas” and “City” must be capitalized to pass validation.
5. Repeat for security questions #2 and #3
6. Click Save

Steps to Strengthen an Existing Password

1. Log into AGIIS
2. Hover over the “Administration” tab
3. Click on “My Profile”
4. Enter New Password
   1. Password Strength is indicated in Upper Left-hand corner. Best practice is to create a strong password.
5. Confirm Password
6. Click Submit

Once password is accepted and updated, an email confirmation is sent to the email address on file for the user letting the user know that their password was updated.

New functionality was added to allow a user to reset a password if it is forgotten.

Steps to Reset Password (Forgotten Password)

1. Visit AGIIS.org
2. Click on the Forgotten Password Link
3. Enter your User ID and click “Go”
4. Your 3 security questions will populate
5. Answer all three security questions
6. Click “Verify Answers” button
7. Check your email for a password reset link
8. Enter new password
9. Confirm new password
10. Click “Save”

To help streamline the AGIIS billing process and help facilitate AGIIS reporting, PCR 238 was implemented on February 5, 2022. This solution integrates MyAgGateway’s API’s into AGIIS for certain fields already in AGIIS prior to the enhancement, as well as additional data elements added as part of this enhancement. On a nightly basis, AGIIS will capture the data elements in AGIIS listed below and populate them within MyAgGateway (New data elements added to AGIIS because of this PCR are indicated below):

One requirement of this enhancement is to display a subscriber’s Authorized Vendor name and contact information so that it can be pushed into MyAgGateway. To accommodate this request, a new data table, AUTH_VNDR was created to capture Vendor Name, Contact Name and Email Address. A new link was added to the AGIIS Administrator menu named “Authorized Vendors.” There is also a new Search page, Results page, and Add/Edit page to support this functionality.

1. AGIIS Active/Inactive Flag
2. GLN – Global Location Number
3. Subscriber Type
4. AGIIS Business Name
5. AGIIS DBA Name
6. AGIIS Primary Contact
7. Primary email address
8. AGIIS Secondary Contact
9. Secondary email address
10. Subset Size (Small, Medium, Large) – New Data Element
11. GLN Subset Count
12. EBID Subset Count
13. Authorized Vendor Name – New Data Element
14. Authorized Vendor Contact – New Data Element
15. Authorized Vendor Contact Email Address – New Data Element

If you would like to access the 2021 AGIIS Enhancements page, click here.

If you want to access the 2020 AGIIS Enhancements page, click here.

If you want to access the 2019 AGIIS Enhancements page, click here.

If you want to access the 2018 AGIIS Enhancements page, click here.

If you want to access the 2017 AGIIS Enhancements page, click here.

Release Notes

[PDF] 2024

[PDF] 2023

[PDF] 2022

[PDF] 2021

[PDF] 2020

[PDF] 2019

[PDF] 2018