EDI 846 - Inventory Inquiry/Advice
The EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice is a type of electronic data interchange transaction set that is used to communicate inventory levels. This document provides information on whether there is sufficient inventory on hand to be shipped, sold electronically or reordered.
What is EDI 846
The EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice is a type of electronic data interchange transaction set that is used to by retailers to inquire about a supplier’s inventory levels and for suppliers to advise on the number of units they have on hand.
An EDI 846 can be sent by suppliers at different frequencies, from multiple times a day to a few times a week depending on the needs of the trading partner. The Inventory Inquiry/Advice is most commonly used with online retailers such as Amazon, specifically for drop shipping.
This electronic document complies with the ANSI X12 EDI specification.
Benefits of EDI 846
All EDI documents are securely encrypted in transit, allowing trading partners to send sensitive data safely. Sending an EDI 864 means buyers can receive up-to-date inventory details from suppliers which helps organizations achieve true inventory visibility. Both buyers and sellers benefit from implementing the 864 in their EDI environments.
How is an EDI 846 Used?
Sending and receiving an EDI 846 is consistent with any other communication within an EDI environment. An EDI 846 is encrypted and sent securely to be translated through the trading partner’s EDI software.
The EDI 864 can be used in the following ways:
- By sellers of goods and services to provide inventory information to a potential customer
- By a seller’s representatives to supply the seller with inventory information
- By one seller’s location to supply another location with inventory information
- By a seller to inquire on the availability of inventory
The 864 is often sent at different frequencies, from multiple times a day to a few times a week depending on the needs of the trading partner. e-commerce websites often request these daily to update inventory availability.
EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice Segments
EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice Segments
A typical EDI 864 includes:
- Inventory Date
- Current Inventory Amount
- Committed Inventory
- Quantity On Order
- Backorder Quantity
- Inventory in Transit
- Returns
Additional Data that may also be included:
- Vendor number
- Discontinued products
- Supplier warehouse locations with on hand amounts by item
- Item description
- Out of stock items and restock dates
EDI 864 Inventory Inquiry/Advice Specifications
This X12 Transaction Set contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Inventory Inquiry/Advice Transaction Set (846) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used in the following ways: (1) for a seller of goods and services to provide inventory information to a prospective purchaser, with no obligation to the purchaser to acquire these goods or services; (2) for a representative of a seller of goods and services to supply inventory information to that seller; (3) for one location to supply another location with inventory information; and (4) for an inquiry as to the availability of inventory with no obligation on the seller of goods and services to reserve that inventory.
ANSI ASC X12
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) chartered the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12 to develop uniform standards for inter-industry electronic exchange of business transactions, namely electronic data interchange. ASC X12 also contributes to UN/EDIFACT messages that are used widely outside of the United States. https://www.x12.org
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is defined as the electronic communication process for exchanging data amongst trading partners without human intervention. Simply put, EDI provides a technical basis for commercial “conversations” between two entities, either internal or external.
EDI encompasses the entire electronic communication process including:
- Transmission
- Message Flow
- Document Format
- Software Used to Interpret Documents
An Integrated EDI solution translates your inbound documents, like purchase orders, from your trading partners’ EDI files into a format that can be imported directly into your ERP, accounting or other business system.
When you’re ready to send out invoices, PO acknowledgments or other outbound documents, it takes the format exported from your system and translates it into the EDI formats required by your trading partners.
Commport’s Integrated EDI solution has no complicated or expensive software to install, and no need for you to be an EDI
expert or create your own mappings
The solution grows easily as your business grows and adding new customers is easy.
Translation is fast and reliable – so you can focus on your business
Key Features of Commport's Integrated EDI
- Documents flow into and out of your business system without any human interaction.
- Commport handles all of the ‘EDI’ work.
- No delays between your customer sending an order and you receiving it.
- Reduce manual effort
- Eliminate errors
- Improve cash flow
