When you log into MyGLN for the first time, you will not yet have any GLN saved. You can create your GLN via the Add a GLN menu or via Import GLN. 

Your GLN will be listed in the My GLN menu. There are four categories of GLN, each with their own tab:

• Published GLN: the GLN that anyone can view (visible in MyGLN and Search)
• Internal GLN: the GLN that have not been published (only visible in MyGLN)
• Master GLN: the GLN linked to your master data (visible to everyone)
• Refdata GLN*: the GLN that you have been allocated by the Refdata foundation. This tab will not appear until you have  requested a link from Refdata. Go to the section Requesting a link from Refdata to find out more.

If you own several companies, make sure you select the one for which you want to see the GLN. To do so, use the drop-down menu provided for this purpose under the title My GLN.

* Only relevant for companies working in the healthcare sector.

Click the Add a GLN menu to add a new GLN. See the section Importing GLN if you want to add a large number of GLN at the same time. When you add a new GLN, make sure that you follow the GLN Allocation Rules.

You need to enter the details of your GLN, your company and your contact(s). These three categories are shown below:

1. GLN details:

Please set the following attributes:

• Entity: choose in the drop-down menu for which entity (company) you want to create the GLN
• GCP/UPC: from the drop-down menu, choose which GCP you want to use to create your GLN
• GLN: set your variable number. The system automatically suggests the next free number to you
• Parent-child link: you can choose to link your new GLN with another one in order to create a hierarchy within your GLN. From the drop-down menu, choose which existing GLN you want to link to your new one
• GLN publication: the default setting is for GLN to be published automatically, i.e. visible to everyone. This means that the GLN and the information associated with them can be viewed at GLN Searchvia the Search menu. If you do not want your new GLN to be published, untick the ‘This GLN is for publication’ box.

See the section Setting attributes, with examples to find out more about the various attributes.

Click ‘Next’ to move to the next step or the My GLN menu to cancel your entry.

1. Company details:

Please enter the following attributes:

• Enterprise identification number (UID)
• Number for internal use
• Valid from/to*
• Additional line
• Street*
• Additional address line
• Postcode*
• City*
• Country*
• Web link name
• Web link URL

The fields ‘Street’, ‘Postcode’, ‘City’ and ‘Country’ are automatically pre-filled by the system. However, the entries can be changed. See the section Setting attributes, with examples

Click ‘Next’ to move to the next step or ‘Back’ to return to the previous one.

Click the my GLN menu to cancel your entry.

1. Contact details:

You need to link one or more contacts to a GLN. Click ‘Add’ to add a new contact. You can add as many contacts as you like. Fill in the various fields and then click ‘Save’ to save the contact or ‘Cancel’ to discard your changes.

See the section Setting attributes, with examples

Click ‘Save’ to finish entering data and add the GLN to My GLN. Click ‘Back’ to return to the previous step or the My GLN menu to cancel your entry.

GPS coordinates:

To enable GLN to be displayed on a map, the relevant GPS coordinates are generated automatically from the information in the ‘Street’, ‘Postcode’, ‘City’ and ‘Country’ fields.

You can export all your GLN and the information associated with them as an Excel spreadsheet. Click Export my GLN and then the ‘Export’ button.

The Excel sheet exported will contain 31 columns, one for each of the various attributes connected to a GLN. They are all explained in the section Setting attributes, with examples.

You can use the import function if you want to add a large number of GLN at the same time. Click Import GLN, download the import template, fill it in, save it and upload it by clicking the ‘Import’ button.

The import template is an Excel file containing 31 columns that represent the various attributes that you can give a GLN. They are all explained in the section Setting attributes, with examples.

Here are some tips to ensure that you can set your attributes without any problems:

• Make sure that you follow the GLN Allocation Rules.
• Complete all the mandatory fields (marked with an asterisk (*)).
• Check that the information you enter is correct, especially for your GCP and GLN
• Take care to give the right check digit to the GLN. This can be generated easily and for free using our check digit calculator
• Do not import your master GLN (this is saved under the Master GLN tab in the My GLN menu)
• Do not import your Refdata GLN either (these are saved under the Refdata GLN tab in the My GLN menu)*
• If you want to link several contacts to the same GLN, duplicate the relevant GLN and modify the contact details
• Make sure that every attribute is in the correct format, especially the date and country
• Make sure that the URLs you link already exist and match the language of use
• See the section Setting attributes, with examples to find out more.

* Only relevant for companies working in the healthcare sector.

Select the GLN in your My GLN table and click ‘Modify status’. A GLN can be set to ‘active’ or ‘inactive’. The status of a GLN is linked to its expiry date. When a GLN is no longer valid (i.e. when it has passed its expiry date), it will be automatically set to ‘inactive’. The system works as follows:

• When you change the status of an active GLN to ‘inactive’, we automatically set its expiry date (‘valid to’) to that of the previous day.
• When you change the status of an inactive GLN to ‘active’, we automatically give it an open-ended expiry date (‘valid for an indefinite period’).

See the section What is the difference between a published GLN and an active GLN? to find out more.

The Refdata menu lets you search for the GLN that Refdata has allocated to you and request a link that will enable you to import Refdata GLN into MyGLN via the My GLN menu.

Simply follow these steps:

1. Choose in the drop-down menu for which entity (company) you wish to link a Refdata GLN
2. In the search bar, enter the GLN that Refdata has allocated to you or the name of your company, then click on “enter” or on the search symbol. The GLN that match your search will appear (search results).
3. Select your GLN by clicking on it: it is highlighted. You can select as many GLN as desired.
4. Click "submit" to send your link request to Refdata or "clear selection" to deselect all.

A new tab called ‘Refdata GLN’ will appear in the My GLN menu once you click on “validate”. Your GLN will initially have the status ‘Undergoing validation’. Repeat the procedure for any new link request. See the section Refdata GLN statuses to find out more about the various statuses.

Important note : All GLN for which a link request has been made will no longer be displayed in search results - regardless of the entity (company) selected. 

Once you have requested a link for one or more Refdata GLN, a new tab called ‘Refdata GLN’ will appear in the My GLN menu.

A Refdata GLN can have three different statuses:

• 'Undergoing validation': This is a temporary status. Refdata has three working days after we submit your link request to decide if it will be accepted or rejected.
• 'Rejected': Refdata has declined to link the requested GLN. To find out why, click ‘Rejected’ and a dialogue box will appear with Refdata's comments.
• 'Accepted': Refdata has agreed to link the requested GLN.

A GLN that is undergoing validation or that has been rejected is never published, meaning that it cannot be viewed at GLN via the Search menu. It is only visible under MyGLN.

Select the GLN you want to edit and then click ‘Edit’. From the drop-down menu, choose which GLN you want to link to the one you are editing. 

Click ‘Save’ to save your data and confirm the changes to your GLN or ‘Cancel’ to discard your changes.