There are many EDI transactions that can be implemented during the Trading Partner onboarding process. Understanding each transaction and the order of how those transactions are sent and received is imperative to a successful onboarding. The core 4 transactions of a standard sell side relationship consist of the inbound Purchase Order (850), outbound Purchase Order Acknowledgement (POA)(855), outbound Advance Ship Notice (856), and outbound Invoice (810).
Document Overview and Onboarding Flow
Generally, documents are tested in this order:
1. Purchase Order (850): Received by your organization
The Trading Partner first sends you a Purchase Order.
Generally, on the inbound Purchase Order, you will see the following details:
Ship to location details – this is where the shipment should be sent to
Bill to location details – if the ship is different from the Bill To
Item details can include the following:
Quantity
Description
Price
Ship Date(s)
Cancel date(s)
2. Purchase Order Acknowledgement (POA) (855): Sent by your organization
You then send the outbound POA to confirm receipt of the inbound Purchase Order.
This transaction alerts your Trading Partner to items being shipped, pricing changes, quantity adjustments, or even back orders.
Note: Be sure to not confuse this transaction with the very different function of the Functional Acknowledgement (997).
3. Advance Ship Notice (ASN) (856): Sent by your organization
Next, you will send the outbound ASN to provide details regarding how your items are being shipped.
This transaction can Include pallet and/or container counts, shipping details for tracking, and expected receipt dates.
4. Invoice (810): Sent by your organization
Lastly, you will send the outbound Invoice to your Trading Partner to indicate that payment is due for the full shipment.
Critical Callout:
Ensure each transaction is processed in the correct sequence to avoid integration issues or shipment delays.