In Electronic Document Interchange (EDI), an EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry is most commonly utilized when suppliers want to provide available and future inventory quantities, either corporately or by ship from location.

an image of encompass solutions EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry

The primary purpose of an EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry is for a supplier to provide a purchaser with a number of goods currently on-hand and on-order, including the future date. This allows better management of buying needs and is used primarily in a drop ship order management model to support e-commerce management.

EDI 846 Format

ISA*01*0000000000*01*0000000000*ZZ*ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO*ZZ*123456789012345*101127*1719*U*00400*000003438*0*P*>
GS*IB*4405197800*999999999*20101127*1719*1421*X*004010VICS
ST*846*1001
BIA*13*PI*4589*20001104
DTM*040*20001108
N1*DS*OP DISTRIBUTOR*21*78YU0JN90
PER*IC*I.R. O’NERY*TE*888-555-0234*EM*

EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry Key Data

The EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry contains several key data elements that help suppliers communicate inventory levels to buyers, who can, in turn, respond accordingly to customers. These data are:

  • Identifying number
  • Inventory date
  • Product and service identifiers, including UPC/EAN/GTIN, as well as their quantities

It is not uncommon for additional data to be included in an EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry, depending on the client’s needs and level of customization. Additional data may include:

  • Out of stock items and their respective restock dates
  • Products that have been discontinued
  • Supplier warehouse locations with on-hand items, including amounts
  • Vendor numbers
  • Additional item identifiers such as buyer item number and vendor part number
  • Item descriptions

EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry Benefits

EDI 846 offers plenty of benefits to both the purchaser and the supplier. When implementing electronic trading of inventory data, benefits can include:

  • Better visibility into when a product is out of stock or no longer being made and the ability to advise other actions as a result
  • Better management of e-commerce drop shipping
  • Communicates when items will be available if out of stock
  • Better forecasting when planning warehouse levels and ordering
  • Easier Management of details on eCommerce websites, for instance, when items are out of stock, quantities available, or remove the items from the website
  • Enables ordering of non-stock items and special orders

For more information on Encompass Solutions’ EDI offerings, read more about our Rapid EDI Implementation.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.