EDI 856- Ship Notice/Manifest

The EDI 856 Ship Notice / Manifest also known as an advance ship notice (ASN) is a type of electronic data interchange transaction set used communicate the contents of a shipment to another trading partner.

What is EDI

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

Common EDI Transactions

Full List of EDI ANSI X12 Documents and Transactions

EDI 856 Ship Notice/Manifest

What is EDI 856

The EDI 856 Ship Notice / Manifest also known as an advance ship notice (ASN) is a type of electronic data interchange transaction set used communicate the contents of a shipment to another trading partner. This electronic document complies with the ANSI X12 EDI specification.

The EDI 856 transaction is commonly used by the retail, manufacturing and automotive industries in response to EDI 850, EDI 830, or EDI 862 transactions. The EDI 856 may be the most complicated document to implement for most suppliers. With multiple trading partner having different requirements, the supplier must be able to support multiple different formats in order to comply.

 

Benefits of EDI 856

All EDI documents are securely encrypted in transit, allowing trading partners to send sensitive data such as pricing and contact information safely. Benefits automating the EDI 856 reduces the workload of employees and eliminates errors from human manual data entry there for saving money.

Benefits specific to suppliers

Reduce order to payment cycles

Track shipments and get products on store shelves faster

Better retailer relationships 

Benefits specific to retailers

Improve speed and accuracy of receiving goods

Receive shipment information in advance, planning for production and inventory can be enhanced

Facilitate better labor and equipment scheduling and no need to stock additional products 

Get Started

How is an EDI 856 Used?

Sending the EDI 856

An EDI translator is needed to generate the EDI 856 ship notice/manifest, once the ASN is created, it is then sent to the recipient through some form of electronic communications. There are many types of EDI, sending an EDI 856 the issuer can use one of many, most commonly through a Value Added Network (VAN) or through a EDI cloud service.

Value Added Networks receives an EDI 856 from a sender, sorts and delivers it to the recipient's mailbox. The recipient retrieves messages by connecting to the VAN, which validates the message and verifies the recipient's identity. It then provides a full audit trail, and all messages are tracked and accurately recorded

Sending the EDI 856 directly to the recipient using the Internet as the communication standard. Typically done through software that can send the EDI 856 using a method known as AS2. When using AS2 to send the EDI 856, the document is encrypted at the source and is sent using secured Internet-based communication to the recipient, which must then have software capable of decrypting the EDI 856.

Translating the EDI 856

Once the recipient has successfully received and decrypted the EDI 856, the next step is to translate the EDI 856 into a format that is more readily available. 1. Human readable form of the EDI 856 that is easily understood by the reader. 2. Flat-file form that is easily sent to the recipient's computer system. This is typically an ERP or accounting system form. This form of EDI 856 translation is also known as integrated EDI

EDI 856 Ship Notice/ Manifest  Segments

EDI 856 Ship Notice/ Manifest Segments

An ASN message uses segments and elements defined by the ANSI X12 EDI 856 guideline. EDI solutions send, receive and process EDI messages. The EDI 856 transaction will contain the following:

  • Shipment Number
  • Shipping Date
  • Expected delivery date
  • Ship from/to addresses and information
  • Purchase order number
  • Item details and quantities
  • Shipment tracking details (BOL Number, PRO Number, Tracking Number)
  • Item tracking details where applicable 
  • Packaging detail (carton, pallet level details)
  • UCC128/GS1 Numbers
Get Started

EDI 856 Ship Notice/ Manifest Specifications 

The EDI 856 X12 Transaction set is used to communicate the contents of a shipment to another trading partner in an industry-standard specified format.

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.

EDI 856 Ship Notice/ Manifest Sample

EDI 856 is processed in a “raw” format, meant to be read by machines. The example below shows the raw EDI data, which is usually translated using integrated EDI software into a usable and human-friendly format. 

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

 

Get a Free Quote Today

Back to top