X12 transaction code
X12 846 Inventory Inquiry Advice
X12 846 Inventory Inquiry Advice: explore its business purpose, mapping identifiers, validation tests and 117 partner references across 137 listed channels.
- Standard
- X12
- Code
- 846
- Partner references
- 117
Implementation guide
X12 846 mapping and validation
X12 846 Inventory Inquiry Advice is used when stock availability is reported or requested. Preserve item, location, quantity type and snapshot time so the inventory availability record in your business system stays connected to the original document.
Use the version and implementation guide agreed with your trading partner to confirm required fields and responses.
| Document or decision | Record and matching IDs | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Match the business record | inventory availability record item, location, quantity type and snapshot time |
|
| Update the receiving system | Processing the inventory availability record ID assigned by the receiving system and processing result |
|
| Check the processing result | Processing status for the inventory availability record Original document reference and matching response |
|
How the related documents differ
Each message represents a different business event. Use shared references to connect the records while tracking each message’s outcome separately.
- X12 832 Price Sales Catalog
product and price catalog: catalog entries or commercial details are published.
- X12 850 Purchase Order
purchase order or sales order: a buyer places an order.
- X12 852 Product Activity Data
product activity report: product sales or inventory activity is reported.
Implementation steps
-
Choose the starting event and owner
Decide which application acts when stock availability is reported or requested. Name the operational owner of the inventory availability record and the team that resolves rejected or ambiguous messages.
-
Keep record IDs connected
Map item, location, quantity type and snapshot time. Confirm qualifiers, code lists, units and date/time meaning against the agreed X12 version and partner guide. Preserve the source reference alongside any new destination identifier.
-
Test failures before launch
Run the failure cases in the mapping table against realistic inventory availability record data. Check how the receiving system reports a rejection and how your team corrects it without creating a duplicate.
-
Track every document to completion
Record transport delivery and document validation separately from successful inventory availability record processing. Give unresolved errors an owner and check the receiving system before approving retries.
Go-live checklist
- An approved 846 sample and the agreed version and partner guide are available.
- The mapping tests pass with realistic inventory availability record data.
- Each submitted document can be traced through delivery, validation and processing in the receiving system.
- Your team knows how to investigate and recover a rejected or timed-out inventory availability record without processing it twice.
Document structure
X12 846 Inventory Inquiry Advice at the element level
The X12 846 reference contains 26 segment entries and 77 data elements; 48 are marked mandatory in this reference. Use the version and partner guide agreed for your account to confirm required fields.
- Segments
- 26
- Data elements
- 77
- Mandatory elements
- 48
| Segment | Elements | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| BIA | 5 | 4 |
| N1 | 4 | 1 |
| LIN | 7 | 2 |
| REF | 2 | 1 |
| QTY | 2 | 1 |
| DTM | 4 | 1 |
| SCH | 7 | 4 |
| LS | 1 | 1 |
| LE | 1 | 1 |
| N2 | 2 | 1 |
- Transaction Set Purpose Code
- Report Type Code
- Reference Identification
- Date
- Entity Identifier Code
- Product/Service ID Qualifier
- Product/Service ID
- Reference Identification Qualifier
Find your trading partner for X12 846
117 partners, 137 channels. Choose a channel to inspect its listed document reference and implementation context.
- AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service)
- Al's Sporting Goods
- Altair Eyewear
- Amazon
- American Signature, Inc.
- Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC
- AutoZone
- BabyList
- Backcountry.com
- BASS PRO DSCO
- Bass Pro Outdoor World LLC
- Bealls Inc.
- Belk
- Best Buy
- Beyond, Inc. (fka Overstock.com)
- Bison Office
- BJ's Wholesale Club
- Bloomingdale's
- Bluestem Dropship
- Boscov's Department Stores
- BrandX
- Browns Shoe Fit Company
- Camping World
- Canadian Tire Corporation
- Cavender's
- Chewy
- Cole Haan
- Costco
- Crate & Barrel
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- Dillard's Department Stores, Inc.
- DSW (formerly Shoes.com)
- DSW Inc.
- Evereve.com
- ExpertVoice
- Family Farm & Home, Inc.
- Fanatics
- Fastenal
- Ferguson Enterprises Inc.
- Food52
- Glen's Army Navy (Glen's Outdoors)
- Global Industrial Company
- GovX Inc.
- Harlem Furniture (formerly known as The RoomPlace)
- HD Supply (via Logicbroker)
- HD Supply Holdings, Inc.
- Houzz
- Indigo Books & Music Inc.
- Ingram Micro
- JCPenney
- Jerome's Furniture
- JOANN
- Jordan's Furniture
- Joy
- Kirkland's, Inc.
- Leslies Poolmart Inc.
- Living Spaces
- Lowe's
- Lumens, Inc.
- Macy's
- Marchon Eyewear
- MARQUEE
- Master Electronics
- Mathis Home
- Mattress Firm (via SPS Commerce)
- McGee & Co.
- Men's Wearhouse via DSCO
- Michaels Stores
- MidwayUSA
- Mountain High Outfitters
- MSC Industrial Supply Co.
- Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM)
- Neiman Marcus
- NEXCOM (Navy Exchange Service Command)
- Nexemo (via Logicbroker)
- NLS (National Logistics Services)
- Nordstrom
- Optics Planet
- Peltz Shoes
- PetSmart
- QVC
- QVC Group (dba Cornerstone Brands Inc)
- RACK ROOM SHOES
- Rally House
- Raymour & Flanigan
- RJW Logistics, LLC
- Road Runner Sports
- Rooms To Go
- Rue Gilt Groupe (formerly Retail Convergence)
- Saks Fifth Avenue & Saks OFF 5th
- Scheels All Sports, Inc.
- Sheplers
- Shoe Carnival Drop Ship
- Shopbop (BOP LLC)
- Sports Basement
- Sportsman's Guide
- Sportsman's Warehouse
- Staples Advantage
- Staples Inc.
- Stord
- Summit Racing Equipment
- Superior Communications
- Sur La Table
- Target
- The Aaron's Company, Inc.
- The Home Depot
- The Paper Store
- URBN
- Ventura Foods
- VEYER, LLC
- Walmart
- Wayfair LLC
- West Coast Kids
- Williams Sonoma
- Zappos
- Zoro Tools, Inc.
Catalog breakdown
Where X12 846 Inventory Inquiry Advice appears in this catalog
The largest groups of classified 846 catalog entries are in retail, apparel & footwear and e-commerce & marketplaces.
By industry
- retail 34 channels
- apparel & footwear 31 channels
- e-commerce & marketplaces 21 channels
- furniture & home 20 channels
- building & hardware 7 channels
- electronics & technology 7 channels
By network
- SPS Commerce 29 channels
- Rithum 24 channels
- Logicbroker 9 channels
- TrueCommerce 8 channels
- InterTrade 2 channels
- CommerceHub 2 channels
FAQ
X12 846 questions
What is X12 846 Inventory Inquiry Advice used for?
846 is used when stock availability is reported or requested. It carries information for the inventory availability record. Match it to your business system using item, location, quantity type and snapshot time.
Which partners list X12 846?
The directory on this page links 117 partner entries that list this message. Choose your partner and channel, then confirm which messages and versions your account requires.
What should I map for X12 846?
Start with item, location, quantity type and snapshot time and the target inventory availability record. Define duplicate detection, allowed updates and response correlation before mapping individual fields. Use the partner guide to check required fields and their formats.
How should I test 846 error handling?
Distinguish on-hand, available and reserved quantities before publishing availability. Deliver an old snapshot after a new one and prevent stale stock from replacing current values. Also test a lost response after destination processing so that a retry cannot create an unintended duplicate or repeated adjustment.
How does 846 relate to other EDI messages?
X12 832 Price Sales Catalog; X12 850 Purchase Order; X12 852 Product Activity Data are related documents linked from this page. Match these documents through their order, shipment or invoice references. Agree which response marks each business step as complete.
What is the difference between 846 and 832?
846 is used when stock availability is reported or requested. 832 is used when catalog entries or commercial details are published. Each message represents a different business step. Keep their record references connected and track the processing result for each message.
Connect EDI to your business systems
See how Stacksync can fit your enterprise EDI workflow. Bring one partner guide and a sample exchange to plan the system mapping, exception handling and production rollout.
