EDI 846 — Inventory Advice

Supplier → Flxpoint → Retailer · Inventory availability updates

EDI 846 — Inventory Inquiry/Advice

Purpose

Inform the Retailer of inventory availability with accurate inventory levels. Originates with the Supplier, sent to FLX, then Retailer's ecommerce platform is updated.

In Plain English

The 846 is how a supplier tells a retailer "here is what I have in stock right now." Flxpoint receives the file, updates each SKU's quantity, and then pushes the new numbers out to every connected channel (Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, etc.). If the 846 is wrong — missing SKUs, stale quantities, or an unexpected structure — the downstream channels will either oversell items that are not available or hide items that are actually in stock. That is why the 846 is the most frequently sent EDI transaction in a dropship operation: it is the heartbeat of inventory sync.

Frequency

Hourly recommended, daily minimum.

Business Rules

QTY > 0 = in-stock, can be purchased
QTY = 0 = out-of-stock OR below safety stock (supplier's discretion)
Sending QTY=0 does NOT affect existing pending orders
Suppliers can implement "safety net" algorithms (send 0 when stock is critically low)
Unique UPC codes at variant level required for accurate tracking

Segment Hierarchy

code

ISA  Interchange Header
 GS  Group Header (GS01 = "IB")
  ST  Transaction Set Header (ST01 = "846")
  BIA Beginning Segment for Inventory
  REF Reference Identification
   ┌─ LIN Loop (repeats per product)
   │  LIN  Item Identification
   │  PID  Product/Item Description (optional)
   │  QTY  Quantity
   └─
  SE  Transaction Set Trailer
 GE  Group Trailer
IEA  Interchange Trailer

Segment Overview

Segment	Name	FLX Status	Notes
ST	Transaction Set Header	Required	ST01 = `846`
BIA	Beginning Segment	Required	Purpose `00`, type `MM`
REF	Reference Identification	Required	`IA` = Internal Vendor #
LIN	Item Identification	Required	Repeats per product. SKU as primary ID
PID	Product Description	Situational	Product title, freeform
QTY	Quantity	Required	`33` = stock available for sale
CTP	Pricing Information	Not Used	Generic X12 accepts unit price (`UCP`/`WHL`); FLX ignores this segment entirely
SE	Transaction Set Trailer	Required

Segment Specifications

ST - Transaction Set Header

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
ST01	Transaction Set ID Code	3 ID	Required	`846`
ST02	Transaction Set Control Number	9 N	Required	Unique, incremented by 1

BIA - Beginning Segment for Inventory Inquiry

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
BIA01	Transaction Set Purpose Code	2 ID	Required	`00` (Original)
BIA02	Report Type Code	2 ID	Required	`MM` (Manufacturers Inventory Report)
BIA03	Reference Identification	9 N	Required	Sequential reference number
BIA04	Date	8 DT	Required	CCYYMMDD format

REF - Reference Identification

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
REF01	Reference ID Qualifier	2 ID	Required	`IA` (Internal Vendor Number)
REF02	Reference Identification	30 AN	Required	FLX-assigned vendor number. Max size: 10

LIN - Item Identification (Repeating Loop)

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
LIN02	Prod/Serv ID Qualifier	2 ID	Required	`UP` (UPC), `EN` (EAN), or `SK` (SKU)
LIN03	Prod/Serv ID	48 AN	Required	Primary identifier in FLX. Send SKU here if you want SKU in 850s. Exact size: UPC=12, EAN=13, SKU=30 max. Must be unique across all items
LIN04	Prod/Serv ID Qualifier	2 ID	Optional	Same codes as LIN02. Required if LIN05 present
LIN05	Prod/Serv ID	48 AN	Optional	Additional product identifier. Required if LIN04 present
LIN06	Prod/Serv ID Qualifier	2 ID	Optional	Same codes as LIN02. Required if LIN07 present
LIN07	Prod/Serv ID	48 AN	Optional	Additional product identifier. Required if LIN06 present

Key: LIN03 will serve as the primary identifier in Flxpoint. Send a SKU here if you wish to receive the SKU in 850s.

PID - Product/Item Description (title)

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
PID01	Item Description Type	1 ID	Optional	`F` (Free-form Description)
PID02	Product Characteristic Code	2 ID	Optional	`08` (Product)
PID05	Description	80 AN	Optional	Freeform product title

QTY - Quantity

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
QTY01	Quantity Qualifier	2 ID	Required	`33` (Stock quantity available for sale)
QTY02	Quantity	15 N	Required	Numeric value of available inventory
QTY03	Composite Unit of Measure	2 ID	Required	`EA` (Each)

SE - Transaction Set Trailer

Element	Name	Length	M/O	Value/Notes
SE01	Number of Included Segments	6 N	Required	Count including ST and SE
SE02	Transaction Set Control Number	9 N	Required	Must match ST02

Validation Notes

Segments Not Used by FLX

CTP — Pricing Information: Generic X12 accepts a CTP segment inside the LIN loop with unit price (UCP) or wholesale price (WHL). Flxpoint ignores this segment entirely. Do not send pricing data in the 846 — it has no effect and will not be processed.

Known Compatibility Notes

Field	FLX Behavior	Notes
QTY03	Accepts simple `EA`	Standard X12 expects composite element C001 with sub-components. FLX accepts both formats.
CTP segment	Ignored	Send only LIN + PID + QTY per item.
PID max use	Not specified	Practical limit; FLX uses first PID as title.

Example File

EDI · 004010VICS

ISA*00* *00* *ZZ*XXXXXX*ZZ*FLXPOINT*120116*0640*U*00401*000000001*0*P*>~
GS*IB*XXXXXX*FLXPOINT*20180116*0640*1*X*004010VICS~
ST*846*1~
BIA*00*MM*1*20180116~
REF*IA*99999~
LIN**SK*SKU123*EA*1222222222222*UP*222222222222~
PID*F*08***Your product title~
QTY*33*145*EA~
LIN**SK*SKU456*EA*2333333333333*UP*333333333333~
PID*F*08***Another product title. Skipping optional title below~
QTY*33*0*EA~
LIN**SK*SKU789~
QTY*33*0*EA~
SE*12*1~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000001~

Scenario: 3 products, all using SKU as primary ID.

Product 1 (SKU123): 145 in stock, has UPC and EAN
Product 2 (SKU456): 0 = out-of-stock/backorder, has UPC and EAN
Product 3 (SKU789): 0 = discontinued, SKU only

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