This article provides an in-depth look into how Xeneta handles the volume information that gets imported into our database with your rate sheets.How Xeneta Stores Volume DataVolume data points (or objects) are sorted in the Xeneta database by their validity date (valid from/valid to), as well as their initial import date, then filtered by company.Additionally, other relevant values such as the company ID, destination, origin, equipment type, and supplier ID are also contained in each object. This means that each volume object is only tied to a single company within the database.How Xeneta Handles Similar Volume ObjectsWhen two volume objects contain similar values that are not duplicates, their volume amounts are combined and stored as a single value in our database.For example, if two volume objects are imported with the same date, origin, destination, equipment type, and supplier IDs, but have volume values of 10 and 15, they will be stored as a single entry with the combined value of 25, as well as the remaining values from the newest object.When there are multiple imports with similar parameteres, the volume with the newer creation date will be chosen.For example, if Import A has the volume of 50 and the volume contained in Import B equals 100 (with all other parameters being similar), the volume from Import B will the one chosen for allocation.How Allocation WorksAllocation is the process of matching an imported rate to the origin, destination, equipment type, and supplier within the validity period of the imported volume object.Volumes and rates are not linked initially. If there are multiple rates available, only the most recently added rate will be selected for allocation.Volume objects are stored separately and are mapped and assigned to their matching rates during the allocation process. This effectively means that rates can be updated without affecting the currently active volume objects. When a rate has been linked to  volume, it's considered allocated.