NLIS sync: direct lodgement vs Device Query CSV
"Keeping NLIS in sync" sounds like one thing, but underneath it's two very different workflows. The one most producers know is the Device Query round-trip — download a file from nlis.com.au, upload a movement CSV back. The newer one is direct integration, where your software talks to the NLIS database live. They both keep your records straight; they differ enormously in effort and in what you can prove at audit. Here's how each works and when the difference matters.
What "in sync" even means
NLIS holds a view of what's on your PIC. Your paddocks hold the truth. "In sync" means those two agree — every purchase, sale, death and tag change reflected on both sides. When they drift, you get the gaps an NLIS reconciliation exists to close. The question is how the two are kept in step: by hand, or by a live connection.
The Device Query workflow (manual)
This is the method every producer has used at some point, and it works without any special connection:
- To see what NLIS thinks you hold: run a Device Query on nlis.com.au and download the result — a file listing every tag NLIS believes is on your PIC, with each one's status. You load that into your records to compare against your animals.
- To lodge movements: build a movement CSV (RFID, source PIC, destination PIC, date, time) and upload it. For a purchase you upload a "moved onto" file; for a sale, "moved off".
- To read the outcome: go back to Transaction History, find the batch by its Upload ID, and check whether it came back
COMPLETEor with errors.
It's a round-trip through a second website, after you've already recorded the sale in your own books. It works — but it's manual, it's a separate task you have to remember, and the evidence that a movement lodged cleanly lives in a Transaction History you have to go and find.
Direct integration (connected)
When a property is connected to the NLIS database, the software talks to NLIS directly. The same jobs, without the file handling:
| Job | Device Query / CSV | Direct |
|---|---|---|
| See what's on your PIC | Download a Device Query file, upload it | Devices on PIC — a live query, no file |
| Lodge a purchase / sale | Build and upload a movement CSV | Lodge movement fires from Record Sale / Purchase — receipt back in seconds |
| Record a death | Enter it individually on the portal | Auto-lodges when you record the death |
| Replace / retire a tag | Log in → Manage devices | Replace Tag / Mark Tag Lost lodges the status in one click |
| Confirm it worked | Hunt through Transaction History | Accept/reject outcome fetched automatically onto the record |
The transactions split into reads (health check, devices on PIC, device status, PIC status, search movements) and writes (lodge movement, record death, replace device). Every write returns an NLIS receipt ID, and a poller stamps the final accepted/rejected result back onto the row — NLIS keeps that outcome available for about three days, so the connection grabs it for you rather than leaving you to check.
The bit that actually matters: the audit trail
The time saving is nice. The audit trail is the real difference. With direct lodgement, every call writes one row to a Lodgement receipts table: a timestamp in your local time, the NLIS receipt ID, the correlation ID your software sent, and the final outcome. When an auditor asks you to demonstrate that a movement was lodged, you show the full round-trip — request, receipt, result — in one place. With the CSV workflow, that proof is scattered across Upload IDs and Transaction History screenshots you hopefully kept.
The one thing direct sync still can't fix
Honesty matters here: a connection doesn't make every problem one-click. A device that comes back "not authorised" still needs a human — it means the previous owner hasn't lodged their outgoing transfer, so NLIS doesn't yet see the animal as yours. That's a call to the vendor or the NLIS helpdesk on 1800 654 743 either way. Direct integration surfaces it faster; it can't resolve it for you.
Where Tagline fits
Tagline supports both, per property. If your PIC isn't connected, the manual flows are all there — Device Query import, moved-onto / moved-off importers, and an NLIS Actions work list that reminds you what still has to be lodged by hand. Connect the property on the NLIS API page and the same buttons switch to live lodgement: Record Sale, Purchase and Death fire straight to NLIS, reads happen live, and every transaction lands in the receipts table for audit. You don't change how you work — the movement just stops being a second job at a second website. See it in action alongside how transfers work.
Both methods keep NLIS in step. Only one of them can show an auditor the receipt without you going looking for it.
Further reading
- Integrity Systems — NLIS — The NLIS database, Device Query and reporting.
- NLIS portal — Where the manual Device Query and CSV uploads happen.
- NLIS reconciliation explained — What to do when the two sides drift apart.
General information for Australian producers. NLIS API access is enabled per property; availability depends on your NLIS/ISC configuration.