Question: Brian, our organization has decided to outsource our warehouse function to a 3PL (Third Party Logistics Provider). We're already set up to process EDI and are somewhat familiar with the EDI 810 (Invoice) and the EDI 850 (Purchase Order) documents. However, our 3PL is mentioning EDI 940’s, 945’s, 856’s and other EDI documents that I do not understand. Please help!
Answer: The ANSI X12 series of EDI transaction sets (documents sent to you), divides the transaction sets into market verticals for use in that specific industry or vertical. For the Warehousing/3PL industry, the 900 series of documents is the most common transaction sets. However, documents from other transaction sets such as the 856 (Advance Ship Notice) are also used. To simplify the process for you I have created a table of the most commonly used Warehouse and 3PL EDI documents with explanations as a quick and easy reference guide. I hope this helps, Brian.
| ANSI X12 Transaction | Transaction Name | Transaction Description |
| 940 | Warehouse Shipping Order | Data contents of the Warehouse Shipping Order Transaction Set (940) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. This transaction set can be used to enable the depositor to advise a warehouse to make a shipment, confirm a shipment, or modify or cancel a previously transmitted shipping order. |
| 943 | Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice | Data contents of the Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice Transaction Set (943) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used by a depositor or an agent of the depositor to advise the recipient that a transfer shipment has been made. This transaction set provides a receiving location with detail information concerning product being shipped to that location. |
| 944 | Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice | Data contents of the Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice Transaction Set (944) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used by a receiving location to advise a depositor or an agent of the depositor that a transfer shipment has been received. This transaction set provides the depositor or the depositor's agent with detail information concerning product that has been received |
| 945 | Warehouse Shipping Advice | Data contents of the Warehouse Shipping Advice Transaction Set (945) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used by the warehouse to advise the depositor that shipment was made. It is used to reconcile order quantities with shipment quantities. |
| 946 | Delivery Information Message | The transaction set can be used by a receiving location to advise a depositor or an agent of the depositor that a transfer shipment has been received. This transaction set provides the depositor or the depositor's agent with detail information concerning product that has been received. If you need help supporting this EDI document, please visit our signup page. We will contact you shortly after the information is received. Thank you |
| 947 | Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice | Data contents of the Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice Transaction Set (947) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to inform a warehouse/depositor of a quantity or status change to inventory records. This transaction set provides detail information concerning the internal adjustments which occur between a warehouse and a depositor. |
| 997 | Functional Acknowledgement | Data contents of the Functional Acknowledgment Transaction Set (997) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to define the control structures for a set of acknowledgments to indicate the results of the syntactical analysis of the electronically encoded documents. The encoded documents are the transaction sets, which are grouped in functional groups, used in defining transactions for business data interchange. This standard does not cover the semantic meaning of the information encoded in the transaction sets. |
| 856 | Advance Ship Notice/Manifest | Data contents of the Advance Ship Notice/Manifest Transaction Set (856) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to list the contents of a shipment of goods as well as additional information relating to the shipment, such as order information, product description, physical characteristics, type of packaging, marking, carrier information, and configuration of goods within the transportation equipment. The transaction set enables the sender to describe the contents and configuration of a shipment in various levels of detail and provides an ordered flexibility to convey information. The sender of this transaction is the organization responsible for detailing and communicating the contents of a shipment, or shipments, to one or more receivers of the transaction set. The receiver of this transaction set can be any organization having an interest in the contents of a shipment or information about the contents of a shipment. |
Brian Alty is Director of Business Development at B2BGateway.Net. If you would like to know more about connecting with your 3PL or Warehouse through EDI please click here for further details.
For details on contacting one of B2BGateway.Net’s global offices please visit www.B2BGateway.Net or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net