EDI 861 Receiving Advice/Acceptance Certificate File Format

The EDI 861 transaction set is an electronic version of a Receiving Advice/Acceptance Certificate. This transaction can be used to report the receipt of shipments or as a formal acceptance of returned defective items. In the case third-party receiving, such as a drop-shipment, the sender may transmit an 861 to report to the purchaser that the shipment was received. Beyond a simple receipt acknowledgement, the 861 transaction set can provide notification of the disposition of the shipment as it was received, including:

• All or a portion of a shipment was received
• There is a discrepancy in the content receive vs. ordered
• Item received is damaged
• All or a portion of the shipment was not received

The 861 transaction set is commonly used in the retail industry in conjunction with automatic stock-replenishment programs managed by the vendor. The use of RFID and encoded identification tags allow for tracking of individual cartons. This includes location, as they move from distribution center to individual store location, and status, such as reserve stock, sales floor, layaway, etc. By transmitting this information to the supplier via an 861, the retailer provides its vendors with high – and immediate – visibility at various points in the supply chain. This, in turn, enables vendors to better manage production schedules, lead times and inventory levels. The 861 can also be useful for initiating proof of delivery and shipment tracking processes, and for carrier performance evaluations. Want full integration of your EDI data with your back-end applications, including warehouse management systems? Our advanced EDI software, EDI/HQ™, is fully compatible with many business and ERP systems. Contact 1 EDI Source to schedule a demo.