> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kibocommerce.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Backorder Shipment Rules
Backorder Shipment Rules determine the priority order in which backorder shipments are released when inventory becomes available during a rebalancing run. When the [Allocation Rebalancer](/pages/allocation-rebalancer) completes its future shipment rebalancing phase, the Backorder Shipment Rules run against the **full** backorder queue — not only the shipments newly affected by the triggering event — to re-rank all backorders against the revised inventory position. Shipments that match higher-priority rules are released first; shipments that cannot be fulfilled remain on backorder until the next run.
Backorder Shipment Rules follow the same composable rule structure used across Kibo for other rule types, using expression-based conditions across Account, Product, and Shipment dimensions. They are independently configurable from [Future Shipment Rules](/pages/future-shipment-rules) — a tenant may apply different prioritization logic to the backorder queue than to future shipments.
In addition to the UI detailed here, you can create and manage Backorder Shipment Rules using the Backorder Shipment Rules API endpoints. The [Product Rules](https://docs.kibocommerce.com/api-reference/productrules/create-product-rule) , [Customer Rules](https://docs.kibocommerce.com/api-reference/accountrankingrule/create-customer-rule) and [Shipment Rules](https://docs.kibocommerce.com/api-reference/shipmentrules/get-shipment-rule-by-code) APIs can also be used to manage supporting product, customer and Shipment rules.
## **Prerequisites**
Before configuring Backorder Shipment Rules, ensure the following:
* The **B2B Wholesale OMS** feature is enabled for your tenant. Contact [Kibo Support](https://help.kibocommerce.com/) to enable this capability.
* You have **Admin** or **SuperAdmin** role permissions, or a role with the following behaviors assigned:
* Product Rule: Read, Create, Update, Delete
* Customer Rule: Read, Create, Update, Delete
* Backorder Shipment Rule: Read, Create, Update, Delete
* The **Allocation Rebalancer** is configured and enabled at the site level. See [Allocation Rebalancer](/pages/allocation-rebalancer).
## **How Backorder Shipment Rules Work**
### **When They Run**
Backorder Shipment Rules run as part of the Allocation Rebalancer's sequential flow — specifically as the backorder prioritization step (Step 5). They run every time the rebalancer is triggered, regardless of whether the triggering event was a supply decrease (which also processes future shipments) or a demand decrease (which goes directly to backorder processing).
The rules run against the **entire** backorder queue, not just the shipments affected by the triggering event. This ensures all backorders are sequenced correctly against the revised available inventory after every run.
### **Rule Evaluation**
All enabled Backorder Shipment Rules run together in ascending rank order. Each backorder shipment is evaluated against each rule in sequence. When a shipment matches a rule's criteria, that rule assigns a priority rank to the shipment. A shipment is only evaluated once — once it matches a rule, it is not re-evaluated against subsequent rules.
Shipments that do not match any enabled rule will be considered by Catch All Rule, which is treated as the lowest possible priority during reallocation.
Its up to the Admin to create a Catch All Rule Criteria such that all the shipments get eligible in that rule
### **Release Processing**
After prioritization, the rebalancer releases backorder shipments in priority order — highest-priority shipments are released first. Inventory sourcing during backorder release is governed by the [Backorder Inventory Settings](/pages/general-settings#allocation-rebalancer) configured at the site level (whether to use current inventory, future inventory, or both, and in what order).
### **Sort**
Each Backorder Shipment Rule includes a primary and optional secondary sort criterion. For shipments that match the same rule, the sort determines their relative release order within that priority tier. You can sort on any numeric or date field available on the shipment, such as `requestedShipDate` or `lastCancellationDate`.
## **Rule Criteria**
A Backorder Shipment Rule supports up to three criteria types:
| **Criteria Type** | **What It Filters** |
| :------------------------------ | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Account / Customer Criteria** | Account attributes such as account ID, segment. |
| **Product Criteria** | Product-level attributes such as Product Code, Variant Product Code, UPC, Mfg Part Number ,Product Type, Category Code, Category List Price, Fulfilment Types Supported, Height, Length, Weight, Width, attributes properties |
| **Shipment Criteria** | Shipment-level attributes such as fulfillment type, carrier, shipping method, estimated delivery date, last cancellation date, SLA status, or extensible attributes at the shipment header or line level |
**Note:** Product Rules, Customer Rules and Shipment Rules created for Backorder Shipment Rules are exclusive to Backorder Shipment Rules and cannot be shared with other rule types.
## **Rule Attributes**
| **Attribute** | **Type** | **Required** | **Description** |
| :-------------------- | :---------------- | :----------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Code** | String | Yes | Unique identifier for the rule, scoped to the tenant. Auto-generated if left blank. |
| **Name** | String | Yes | Display name shown in the Admin UI. |
| **Description** | String | No | Optional free-text description of the rule's intent. |
| **Rank** | Integer | Yes | Priority order. Lower value = higher priority. Rank 1 runs before Rank 2. Values must be unique. |
| **Enabled** | Boolean | Yes | When disabled, the rule is skipped during rebalancing but remains saved for future use. |
| **Time Fence Days** | Integer | Yes | Symmetric window (±N days) around `requestedShipDate` for inventory search during backorder release. |
| **Primary Sort** | Field + Direction | Yes | The field and direction (ascending/descending) used to order matched shipments within a priority tier. Supports any numeric or date field on the shipment. |
| **Account Criteria** | List | No | References to Customer Rule criteria defining which accounts qualify. |
| **Product Criteria** | List | No | References to Product Rule codes defining which products this rule covers. |
| **Shipment Criteria** | List | No | References to Shipment Rule codes defining shipment-level filters. |
## **Configure Backorder Shipment Rules**
To create a new Backorder Shipment Rule:
1. Go to **Main** > **Fulfillment** > **Rules** > **Backorder Shipment Rules**.
2. Click **Create Backorder Shipment Rule**.
3. Enter a **Code**. If left blank, the system generates one automatically.
4. Enter a **Name** and an optional **Description**.
5. Enter a **Rank** value. The lower the number, the higher the priority.
6. Enter a **Time Fence Days** value. The rebalancer searches for inventory within this symmetric window around the shipment's requested ship date when releasing the backorder.
7. Toggle the rule **Enabled** to activate it.
8. Configure **Sort Criteria**:
* Under **Primary Sort**, select a numeric or date field and choose **Ascending** or **Descending**.
9. Optionally, add **Account / Customer Criteria**:
* Click **Add Customer Rule** and use the expression editor to define account-level conditions.
10. Optionally, add **Product Criteria**:
* Click **Add Product Rule** and use the expression editor to define product-level conditions.
11. Optionally, add **Shipment Criteria**:
* Click **Add Shipment Rule** and use the expression editor to define shipment-level conditions.
12. Click **Save**.
**Note:** At least one Rule Criteria is needed for the rule to be saved.
## **Manage Backorder Shipment Rules**
Access the Backorder Shipment Rules dashboard at **Main** > **Fulfillment** > **Rules** > **Backorder Shipment Rules** to manage your configured rules:
* Toggle the **Status** icon on a rule to activate or deactivate it without deleting it.
* Expand the actions menu on a rule to **Edit** or **Delete** it.
* Check multiple rules and use the **Actions** menu to enable, disable, or delete in bulk.
* Edit the **Rank** of a rule directly in the table, or click and drag to reorder.
## **Example Rule Configurations**
### **Release Strategic Account Backorders First**
| **Rule** | **Rank** | **Account Criteria** | **Sort** | **Expected Behavior** |
| :------- | :------- | :----------------------------------- | :---------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Rule 1 | 1 | `account.segment equals "strategic"` | `requestedShipDate` Ascending | Strategic accounts with the earliest ship dates are released first. |
| Rule 2 | 2 | `account.segment equals "preferred"` | `requestedShipDate` Ascending | Preferred accounts next. |
### **Combined Account and Product Priority**
| **Rule** | **Rank** | **Account Criteria** | **Product Criteria** | **Sort** | **Expected Behavior** |
| :------- | :------- | :----------------------------------- | :---------------------------------- | :---------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Rule 1 | 1 | `account.segment equals "strategic"` | `product.category equals "Premium"` | `requestedShipDate` Ascending | Strategic account backorders for premium products released first. |
| Rule 2 | 2 | `account.segment equals "strategic"` | *(none)* | `requestedShipDate` Ascending | All other strategic account backorders next. |