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X12 transaction guide · Ordering

EDI 869 Order Status Inquiry

The X12 document a buyer sends to ask a supplier for the status of a purchase order, selected lines or products, or all open orders.

Sent by
Buyer or customer
Received by
Supplier or vendor
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 869?

The EDI 869 Order Status Inquiry is the ANSI X12 transaction set a buyer uses to request status information from a supplier. The inquiry can cover an entire purchase order, selected lines or products on an order, or a defined portion of the customer's orders, such as all unshipped items or all shipped items.

The supplier answers with an 870 order status report. Together, the 869 and 870 replace phone calls and emails about where an order stands, and give the buyer status data it can load into its own systems.

How the EDI 869 worksDiagram of the EDI 869 Order Status Inquiry. Buyer or customer sends it to supplier or vendor. It usually follows 850. It is usually followed by 870 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BSI (Beginning Segment for Order Status Inquiry) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level). 4 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 869 worksOrder Status Inquiry: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS850Purchase OrderEDI 869SENDERBuyer or customerRECEIVERSupplier or vendor997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY870Order Status Report997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code RSGS … GETransaction set 869ST … SEHEADINGBSIBeginning Segment for Order Status InquiryDETAILRequired loop HL · repeats many timesHLHierarchical Level+ 4 optional loops, starting with:REFN1LMFA1Blue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 869. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 869 worksDiagram of the EDI 869 Order Status Inquiry. Buyer or customer sends it to supplier or vendor. It usually follows 850. It is usually followed by 870 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BSI (Beginning Segment for Order Status Inquiry) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level). 4 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 869 worksOrder Status Inquiry: who sends it, where it fitsand what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS850Purchase OrderEDI 869SENDERBuyer orcustomerRECEIVERSupplier orvendor997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY870Order Status Report997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code RS (GS … GE)Transaction set 869 (ST … SE)HEADINGBSIBeginning Segment for OrderStatus InquiryDETAILRequired loop HL · repeats manytimesHLHierarchical Level+ 4 optional loops, starting with:REFN1LMFA1Blue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 869. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 869, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 869 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Checking the status of an urgent or late order
  • Asking for the status of all unshipped items
  • Confirming status before a promotion or production run

Where it fits in the document flow

Usually follows 850 Purchase Order
This document 869 Order Status Inquiry
Usually followed by 870 Order Status Report997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 869 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • BSI
  • HL
  • REF
  • N1
  • LM
  • LQ
  • FA1
  • FA2
  • SE

Practical example

The 869 in practice

A distributor is preparing for a seasonal promotion and needs to know whether three key purchase orders will arrive in time. Its buying system sends an 869 asking for the status of the unshipped lines on those orders. The supplier's system answers with an 870 showing one line back-ordered and the others scheduled to ship, so the buyer can adjust the promotion plan.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 869

  • Define which inquiry types the supplier will answer, such as a single order or all open orders.
  • Answer from the same order and shipping data that drives ship notices, so status does not conflict with the 856.
  • Agree a response time, because a status answer that arrives late has little value.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 869 with ECOM

Solution

Order-to-Cash Automation

Automate the flow from purchase order to payment across every customer channel.

Industry

Wholesale Distribution

Customer orders, supplier purchasing, catalogs and drop-ship for distributors.

Solution

EDI Integration

Exchange X12 and EDIFACT documents with partners and integrate them directly with your ERP.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

Related transactions

Related ordering documents

All 13 ordering documents

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