EDI documents, explained.
What each EDI document is, who sends it, what it carries, where it fits between a buyer, a supplier, a warehouse and a carrier, and how it maps to NetSuite. Written for the people who have to make it work.
(01)Order to cash
The five documents behind most retail orders
- 01 · Buyer orders850Purchase Order
- 02 · Supplier confirms855Purchase Order Acknowledgment
- 03 · Supplier ships856Ship Notice/Manifest (ASN)
- 04 · Supplier bills810Invoice
- 05 · Buyer pays820Payment Order/Remittance Advice
Changes arrive as an 860, and every document is answered with a 997 receipt. Suppliers using a 3PL add the 940 and 945 between the order and the ASN.
(02)Ordering
- EDI 850Purchase OrderThe buyer’s order: what they want, how many, at what price, and where and when to ship it. It starts almost every EDI trading relationship.
- EDI 855Purchase Order AcknowledgmentThe supplier’s reply to an 850: accepted, changed or rejected, line by line, so the buyer knows what will actually ship.
- EDI 860Purchase Order Change Request (Buyer Initiated)The buyer changing an order they already sent: quantities, dates, ship-to, added or cancelled lines, or the whole order.
(05)Catalog & inventory
- EDI 846Inventory Inquiry/AdviceStock levels shared by EDI: how much of each item is available, so retailers and marketplaces don’t sell what you can’t ship.
- EDI 832Price/Sales CatalogThe supplier’s catalog sent by EDI: items, descriptions, identifiers and prices, set up before the buyer can order them.
- EDI 852Product Activity DataThe retailer’s report of your products’ sales and stock, often by store and week, used for replenishment and forecasting.
(06)3PL & warehouse
- EDI 940Warehouse Shipping OrderThe supplier telling its 3PL warehouse what to ship, to whom and how.
- EDI 945Warehouse Shipping AdviceThe 3PL confirming what it shipped: the items, quantities, cartons and tracking, so the supplier can fulfill, notify and bill.
- EDI 943Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment AdviceThe supplier telling its 3PL that inventory is on the way, so the warehouse can expect and receive it.
- EDI 944Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt AdviceThe 3PL confirming what it received, item by item, including any shortages or damage.
- EDI 947Warehouse Inventory Adjustment AdviceThe 3PL reporting stock changes that aren’t shipments or receipts: cycle counts, damage, returns and status changes.
(07)Transportation
- EDI 214Transportation Carrier Shipment Status MessageStatus updates from a carrier: picked up, in transit, delayed, delivered, with dates, times and locations.
- EDI 204Motor Carrier Load TenderThe shipper offering a load to a trucking carrier: pickup, delivery, stops, weight and equipment.
- EDI 210Motor Carrier Freight Details and InvoiceThe carrier’s invoice for a shipment, with charges, accessorials and reference numbers to audit against what was agreed.
(09)Questions
What is an EDI transaction set?
A standard electronic business document, such as a purchase order or invoice, identified by a three-digit number in the X12 standard used in North America. Trading partners exchange them instead of paper, email or portals.
Which EDI documents does a supplier need?
Most retail suppliers need at least the 850 purchase order, 856 advance ship notice and 810 invoice, plus 997 acknowledgments. Many partners also require the 855 acknowledgment, 860 changes and 846 inventory. Each trading partner’s requirements say which.
What is the difference between X12 and EDIFACT?
Both are EDI standards. X12 is used mainly in North America and numbers its documents (850, 856); EDIFACT is the United Nations standard used more internationally and names them (ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC).
Does NetSuite support EDI?
NetSuite does not include an EDI translator. Most companies use an EDI provider with a NetSuite integration, which turns these documents into sales orders, fulfillments and invoices and back.
(Next step)
Is NetSuite holding you back? Let’s fix it.
Start with a fixed-price integration audit: a written plan showing what’s broken, what will break next, and what to fix first.