What Is an ANSI X12 EDI 846 Message?

An ANSI X12 EDI 846, also called an Inventory Inquiry/Advice message, is used to exchange inventory information between customers and suppliers. It can communicate held inventory, current and future stock levels, stock availability, initial and final stock positions and movement of goods between warehouses for a specific period. SEEBURGER supports EDI 846 exchange through EDI cloud service and in-house EDI software options, helping businesses connect inventory data with customers, suppliers and ERP workflows.

Key takeaways

EDI 846 helps suppliers and customers share inventory information electronically instead of relying on paper-based updates.
The message can support planning, out-of-stock communication, future product availability and automatic replenishment when an agreement is in place.
EDI 846 is especially important in vendor-managed inventory and retail drop-shipping workflows, and comparable messages exist in EDIFACT and VDA standards.

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An ANSI X12 EDI 846 message sends inventory details between trading partners. Customers can use it to tell suppliers how much stock they hold, while suppliers can use it to update customers on current stock, future stock and product availability. The same message type can describe goods on hand, goods in float, returns, warehouse locations and future order commitments.

Suppliers use EDI 846 to share current and future stock levels with customers so customers can plan future orders. The message can also tell customers when items are out of stock or when future products are being added.

Customers use EDI 846 to tell suppliers how much stock they currently hold from earlier orders. When an automatic replenishment agreement exists, the message can trigger an instant shipment of materials.

In retail workflows, an ANSI X12 EDI 846 message can appear mid-way through the exchange sequence and may be sent many times. It is a mandatory message type in some industries, including vendor-managed inventory and retail drop shipping, and is widely used in other industries even where it is not essential.

ANSI X12 846 — Typical workflow example from the retail industry

When a supplier receives an EDI 846 message, an EDI solution can process the information and convert it into the supplier's in-house ERP format. After conversion, the information can be imported into the ERP system to update current and future stock levels for customer planning. If the trading partners have agreed to automatic replenishment, the same process can trigger replenishment of goods.

An Inventory Inquiry/Advice message can contain information about customer or supplier stock levels. The message is sent, received and processed by an EDI solution.

Supplier and customer names and addresses
Item reference numbers and descriptions
Quantities of goods, including goods on hand and goods in float
Current ordered quantities and future order commitments
Warehousing and delivery locations
Returns

ISA*00* *00* *ZZ*SENDER *12*RECEIVER *231014*0201*U*00401*000000001*0*P*>~
GS*AL*APP SENDER*APP RECEIVER*20231014*0201*0001*X*004010~
ST*846*0001~
BIA*00*LC*ABC123*20231014*1547~
N1*WH*SEEBURGER AG*1*4019315000007~
LIN*1*BP*12345~
REF*LT*123~
QTY*33*100*EA~
SE*7*0001~
GE*1*0001~
IEA*1*000000001~

Automated and consistent supply-chain updates between customers and suppliers

Fewer mistakes because less manual interaction is required

Automatic replenishment of goods

Earlier planning for future stock discrepancies

Closer supply-chain integration that can contribute to better supplier ratings

In EDIFACT, comparable messages include INVRPT, the inventory report, and RECADV, the receiving advice message. EDIFACT messages are common in some Europe and Asia scenarios. In the VDA automotive message standard, VDA 4990 Global Inventory Report is the comparable message.

Business integration connects a company's IT systems with customers and suppliers over EDI. Inventory information can move through an EDI cloud service, in-house EDI software, an on-premises setup or a public-cloud environment.

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What does ANSI X12 EDI 846 mean?

ANSI X12 EDI 846 is an Inventory Inquiry/Advice message used to send inventory information between customers and suppliers.

What is an EDI 846 message used for?

It is used to communicate held inventory, current and future stock levels, availability of goods and movement of goods between warehouses for a specific period.

Who sends an ANSI X12 EDI 846 message?

Suppliers can send EDI 846 messages to update customers on stock levels, and customers can send them to tell suppliers how much stock they currently hold.

Can EDI 846 trigger replenishment?

Yes. If the customer and supplier have an automatic replenishment agreement, an EDI 846 message can trigger an instant shipment or replenishment of goods.

Which industries use EDI 846?

The message is mandatory in some industries such as vendor-managed inventory and retail drop shipping, and it is widely used in other industries as well.

What data is included in an EDI 846 message?

Typical data includes customer and supplier names and addresses, item numbers and descriptions, quantities, future commitments, warehouse and delivery locations and returns.

What are EDIFACT equivalents to EDI 846?

Comparable EDIFACT messages include INVRPT for inventory reporting and RECADV for receiving advice.

Brent Tisdale

VP New Business and SME Sales

SEEBURGER

Good to Know

EDI allows electronic interchange of business information using standardized protocols and formats. These paperless business-to-business (B2B) transactions make EDI the standard of automating supply chain management (SCM) in many different industries.

All Industries, B2B/EDI

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