01
Purchase Order Number and Date
Ties the acknowledgement back to the original EDI 850, so both systems can match the response to the correct order automatically.
EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment
An EDI 855 is the electronic response a supplier sends after receiving an EDI 850 Purchase Order. Instead of a generic "order received" message, it spells out exactly what the supplier is committing to: which quantities are confirmed, which prices apply, which dates are realistic, and which lines (if any) can't be fulfilled as requested.
EDI 855 at a Glance
Responds to EDI 850
Sent by the supplier after a purchase order is received.
Confirms the Business Decision
Accept, reject, backorder, or confirm with changes.
Supports Line-Level Detail
Communicates quantities, prices, dates, and discrepancies.
Automates in Odoo
Generate acknowledgments directly from live sales order data.
EDI 855 Overview
What Is an EDI 855?
Electronic Supplier Response
An EDI 855 is the electronic response a supplier sends after receiving an EDI 850 Purchase Order. Instead of a generic "order received" message, it spells out exactly what the supplier is committing to: which quantities are confirmed, which prices apply, which dates are realistic, and which lines (if any) can't be fulfilled as requested.
Why Buyers Require It
Retailers and distributors increasingly require an 855 as a condition of doing business, because it closes the gap between what a buyer asked for and what actually gets shipped - catching mismatches days before the truck leaves the warehouse, not after.
The EDI 855 communicates the supplier's actual commitment before fulfillment moves forward.
Acknowledgment Data
Key Components of an EDI 855 Document
The EDI 855 carries the order references, line decisions, changes, and dates a buyer needs to understand what the supplier will fulfill.
02
Buyer and Seller Information
Trading partner identifiers, vendor numbers, and contact details for both sides of the transaction.
03
Line Item Details
Product SKUs, descriptions, confirmed quantities, price adjustments, and any substituted items.
04
Order Discrepancies or Issues
Flags stock shortages, pricing mismatches, delivery-date conflicts, or discontinued products that affect fulfillment.
05
Delivery or Backorder Information
Updated ship or delivery dates, plus expected availability for any backordered lines.
06
Acknowledgment Status
The overall decision - fully accepted, partially accepted with changes, or rejected.
Order Lifecycle
Where the 855 Sits in the Order Lifecycle
A purchase order rarely travels alone. It moves through a short chain of EDI documents, each with a distinct job:
| Step | Document | Sent By | What It Confirms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EDI 850 | Buyer → Supplier | The original purchase order |
| 2 | EDI 997 | Supplier → Buyer | The file was received and technically valid |
| 3 | EDI 855 | Supplier → Buyer | What the supplier will actually fulfill |
| 4 | EDI 856 | Supplier → Buyer | Shipment details (Advance Ship Notice) |
| 5 | EDI 810 | Supplier → Buyer | The invoice for goods shipped |
A common point of confusion: a 997 only proves the file arrived intact. It says nothing about whether the order was accepted. Only the 855 carries that business decision - which is why buyers who rely solely on the 997 often get caught off guard by fulfillment gaps.
Acknowledgment Outcomes
The Four Ways a Supplier Can Respond
Every EDI 855 boils down to one of four outcomes:
01
Full Acceptance
Every line ships as ordered - same quantity, same price, same date. No action needed from the buyer.
02
Full Rejection
The supplier can't fulfill the order at all, often due to a credit hold, an invalid ship-to address, a duplicate PO, or discontinued products.
03
Accepted With Changes
The order goes through, but something shifts - a lower quantity, a revised unit price, or a later ship date than originally requested.
04
Partial Acceptance
Some lines are confirmed as-is, while others are backordered, rejected, or modified. This is the most common outcome for multi-line orders with mixed stock availability.
ANSI X12 Structure
Inside the EDI 855: Segment Breakdown
An 855 is built from a handful of ANSI X12 segments, each carrying a specific piece of the acknowledgment:
| Segment | Carries |
|---|---|
| BAK | The header — PO number, PO date, and overall acknowledgment type |
| REF | Reference numbers, such as the supplier's internal acknowledgment ID |
| N1 | Party details — buyer, ship-to, warehouse, or bill-to location |
| PO1 | Each ordered line — product, quantity, unit of measure, price |
| ACK | The line-level decision — accepted, rejected, backordered, or changed |
| DTM | Dates — confirmed ship date, delivery date, or backorder date |
| PID | A plain-text product description, when the buyer requires one |
| CTT | A control total for how many lines the acknowledgment covers |
Business Value
Why the 855 Matters for Both Sides
Accurate Receiving Expectations
Buyers get an accurate picture of what's actually arriving, days before shipment — not a surprise on delivery day.
Fewer Chargebacks and Disputes
Suppliers reduce chargebacks and disputes tied to short shipments or price mismatches.
Less Manual Follow-Up
Both sides cut down on manual follow-up emails and phone calls to confirm order status.
Earlier Risk Visibility
Stock shortages and delivery risks surface early enough to plan around them.
Complete Audit Trail
A complete, timestamped audit trail exists for every order decision.
Odoo EDI Automation
How Odoo Automates EDI 855 Generation
In an Odoo-based EDI setup, the 855 doesn't need to be built by hand for every order. Once an EDI 850 arrives - over AS2, SFTP, VAN, or a provider like SPS Commerce or TrueCommerce - Odoo can carry the acknowledgment through end to end:
Generate the 855 from Live Odoo Data
Because the acknowledgment is generated directly from live sales order data, there's no separate system to keep in sync - what Odoo confirms is what actually gets shipped.
01
The incoming 850 is matched to the correct customer, ship-to address, and trading partner profile.
02
Buyer SKUs are mapped to the corresponding Odoo products automatically.
03
A sales order is created, and Odoo checks on-hand stock, incoming receipts, and contract pricing against what was ordered.
04
Based on configured business rules, the order is confirmed, partially confirmed, held for review, or rejected.
05
Odoo generates the 855 from the sales order's actual status - so the acknowledgment always reflects what's really in stock and priced, not a manual guess.
06
The file is validated and transmitted back to the buyer through the same EDI channel, with the transmission logged for traceability.
Frequently Asked Questions
EDI 855 FAQ
1. Do we have to send an 855 for every PO we receive, even ones we're accepting exactly as-is?
Most trading partner agreements require it - a straight acceptance still needs an 855 confirming you're fulfilling the order as sent. Skipping it on 'easy' orders is one of the most common causes of chargebacks we see, because the buyer's system is often waiting on that acknowledgment before it releases the order for fulfillment on their end.
2. What's actually different between an EDI 855 and an EDI 810 (invoice)? Our team keeps mixing them up.
The 855 comes right after the PO and answers one question: 'will you fulfill this order as written, or not?' The 810 comes much later, after the order ships, and is the actual bill. Think of the 855 as a confirmation and the 810 as a payment request - they're triggered by completely different events in the order lifecycle.
3. Can we use an 855 to flag a price or quantity change, or does that need a phone call?
Yes - that's exactly what an 855 is built for. A 'accepted with changes' response lets you adjust price, quantity, or ship date on specific line items and send that back electronically instead of calling or emailing the buyer. Most retailers expect this to happen through EDI, not a manual follow-up.
4. What happens if we just don't send an 855 at all?
Depending on the trading partner's routing guide, this usually shows up as a compliance violation and can trigger a chargeback - some retailers charge a per-incident fee for missing acknowledgments. Beyond the penalty, the buyer's system may also flag the order as unconfirmed, which delays warehouse allocation on their side.
5. Is the 855 the same thing as the 997 acknowledgment our EDI provider mentioned?
No, and this is a common mix-up. The 997 is a technical receipt - it just confirms the PO file arrived and was readable. The 855 is a business response - it tells the buyer what you're actually going to do about the order. You typically send both: a 997 first, then an 855 shortly after.
6. Does Odoo generate the 855 automatically, or does someone on our team have to build it manually each time?
Once it's mapped to your trading partners' specs, Odoo can generate and transmit the 855 automatically as soon as a sales order is confirmed, rejected, or edited - no manual re-keying. The initial setup is where the real work happens: mapping your order statuses to the right 855 response codes for each partner.
7. Which of our retail partners actually require an 855, and which don't bother?
It varies by trading partner routing guide rather than being universal - larger retailers (big-box, grocery, and many drop-ship programs) commonly require it, while some smaller or direct partners don't ask for it at all. We'd check your specific partners' EDI implementation guides before assuming either way, since requirements differ even within the same industry.
8. How long does it realistically take to get 855 automation working with our Odoo setup?
For a single trading partner with a standard spec, implementation and testing typically runs a couple of weeks. It stretches out when a partner has non-standard qualifiers, multiple ship-to locations, or when we're mapping several partners at once - each one usually needs its own test cycle before going live.
9. If we reject a line item on the 855, does that automatically cancel it in the buyer's system, or do we still need to follow up?
The rejection code itself notifies the buyer's system, but most partners still expect a follow-up through their usual channel (portal note, email, or a phone call for time-sensitive orders) - the EDI message isn't always treated as the final word on a cancellation. Worth confirming this per partner rather than assuming.
Vraja Technologies
Vraja Technologies – Automate EDI 855 Directly in Odoo
At Vraja Technologies, we build direct EDI 855 integration for suppliers responding to purchase orders, right inside your Odoo ERP. With our Odoo-based EDI solutions, you can acknowledge orders straight from your live inventory and pricing data - no third-party middleware sitting in between.
Our solution allows you to:
01
Auto-generate EDI 855 acknowledgments the moment a PO is received and checked against stock
02
Accept, reject, or flag changes to quantity, price, or delivery date directly from Odoo
03
Sync every acknowledgment with your live sales order data - no separate system to update
04
Cut response time by removing manual review and re-entry from the process
05
Stay compliant with each trading partner's specific EDI implementation guide
Automate EDI 855 in Odoo
Generate purchase order acknowledgments from live Odoo sales order, inventory, pricing, and trading partner data.
