X12 945 warehouse shipping advice: format and example

945 structure

The full X12 945 layout from its OpenEDI definition, the same model ediFabric uses to parse, validate and generate it: 9 loops and 47 segment positions, in file order. Loops are shaded and their segments indented; Max use is how many times a segment or loop may repeat.

Segment / loop	Name	Usage	Max use
`ST`	Transaction Set Header	Mandatory	1
`W06`	Warehouse Shipment Identification	Mandatory	1
N1 loop	Name	Mandatory	10
`N1`	Name	Mandatory	1
`N2`	Additional Name Information	Optional	1
`N3`	Address Information	Optional	2
`N4`	Geographic Location	Optional	1
`PER`	Administrative Communications Contact	Optional	5
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	10
`G61`	Contact	Optional	3
`G62`	Date/Time	Optional	5
`NTE`	Note/Special Instruction	Optional	20
`W27`	Carrier Detail	Optional	1
`W6`	Special Handling Code, Special Handling Code, Special Handling Code	Optional	1
`W28`	Consolidation Information	Optional	1
`W10`	Unit Load Detail	Optional	10
`G72`	Allowance or Charge	Optional	5
LM loop	Code Source Information	Optional	10
`LM`	Code Source Information	Mandatory	1
`LQ`	Industry Code	Mandatory	100
LX loop	Assigned Number	Optional	>1
`LX`	Assigned Number	Mandatory	1
`MAN`	Marks and Numbers	Optional	>1
`PAL`	Pallet Information	Optional	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	5
W12 loop	Warehouse Item Detail	Optional	>1
`W12`	Warehouse Item Detail	Mandatory	1
`G69`	Line Item Detail - Description	Optional	5
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	200
`G62`	Date/Time	Optional	10
`QTY`	Quantity	Optional	10
`MEA`	Measurements	Optional	5
`AMT`	Monetary Amount	Optional	1
`R4`	Port or Terminal	Optional	5
`W27`	Carrier Detail	Optional	1
`N1`	Name	Optional	5
`G72`	Allowance or Charge	Optional	5
LM loop	Code Source Information	Optional	10
`LM`	Code Source Information	Mandatory	1
`LQ`	Industry Code	Mandatory	100
LS loop	Loop Header	Optional	1
`LS`	Loop Header	Mandatory	1
LX loop	Assigned Number	Optional	>1
`LX`	Assigned Number	Mandatory	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	>1
`G62`	Date/Time	Optional	10
`N1`	Name	Optional	1
LM loop	Code Source Information	Optional	10
`LM`	Code Source Information	Mandatory	1
`LQ`	Industry Code	Mandatory	100
`LE`	Loop Trailer	Mandatory	1
FA1 loop	Type of Financial Accounting Data	Optional	>1
`FA1`	Type of Financial Accounting Data	Mandatory	1
`FA2`	Accounting Data	Mandatory	>1
`W03`	Total Shipment Information	Optional	1
`SE`	Transaction Set Trailer	Mandatory	1

Mandatory segments must be sent, Optional ones only when the data applies. Trading partners often add their own rules in companion guides - ediFabric templates can be adjusted to match. Open the element-level definition in the EdiNation spec library.

Sample 945 file

A shipping advice for one depositor order with item details. Paste it into EdiNation to see every element named and validated.

ISA*00*          *00*          *16*SENDER1        *14*RECEIVER1      *071216*1406*U*00204*000000263*1*T*>~
GS*IN*SENDER1*RECEIVER1*20071216*1406*000000001*X*004010~
ST*945*0001~
W06*X*12345*CCYYMMDD*123456*1234**01*9999****Z~
N1*WH*Warehouse Name*9*123456~
N1*DE*Depositor Name*9*0123456789000~
N9*SN*Seal Number~
N9*ZZ*Temperature Recording Device Number~
W27*H*TRUK*TRUCKING*CC***Equipment ID~
LX*1~
W12*CC*72*72**CA*007117901645*UK*10071179016458*40550*799*G*L~
G69*Some description~
N9*LI*1000~
N9*PC*989JAN281301~
N9*LV*00100752782101847618*36~
N9*LV*00100752782101847619*36~
LX*2~
W12*CC*72*72**CA*007117901645*UK*10071179016458*40551*884*G*L~
G69*Some description~
N9*LI*1000~
N9*PC*989JAN291301~
N9*LV*00100752782101847620*72~
W03*240*15360*LB~
SE*22*0001~
GE*2*000000001~
IEA*1*000000263~

The same 945 as JSON

ediFabric turns every loop, segment and element into a named field. This is the transaction from the sample, in the JSON that ediFabric Native and Cloud return and accept.

{
  "ST": {
    "TransactionSetIdentifierCode_01": "945",
    "TransactionSetControlNumber_02": "0001"
  },
  "W06": {
    "ReportingCode_01": "X",
    "DepositorOrderNumber_02": "12345",
    "Date_03": "CCYYMMDD",
    "ShipmentIdentificationNumber_04": "123456",
    "AgentShipmentIDNumber_05": "1234",
    "MasterReferenceLinkNumber_07": "01",
    "LinkSequenceNumber_08": "9999",
    "ActionCode_12": "Z"
  },
  "N1Loop": [
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "WH",
        "Name_02": "Warehouse Name",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "9",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "123456"
      }
    },
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "DE",
        "Name_02": "Depositor Name",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "9",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "0123456789000"
      }
    }
  ],
  "N9": [
    {
      "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "SN",
      "ReferenceIdentification_02": "Seal Number"
    },
    {
      "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "ZZ",
      "ReferenceIdentification_02": "Temperature Recording Device Number"
    }
  ],
  "W27": {
    "TransportationMethodTypeCode_01": "H",
    "StandardCarrierAlphaCode_02": "TRUK",
    "Routing_03": "TRUCKING",
    "ShipmentMethodofPayment_04": "CC",
    "EquipmentNumber_07": "Equipment ID"
  },
  "LXLoop": [
    {
      "LX": {
        "AssignedNumber_01": "1"
      },
      "W12Loop": [
        {
          "W12": {
            "ShipmentOrderStatusCode_01": "CC",
            "QuantityOrdered_02": "72",
            "NumberofUnitsShipped_03": "72",
            "UnitorBasisforMeasurementCode_05": "CA",
            "UPCCaseCode_06": "007117901645",
            "ProductServiceIDQualifier_07": "UK",
            "ProductServiceID_08": "10071179016458",
            "WarehouseLotNumber_09": "40550",
            "Weight_10": "799",
            "WeightQualifier_11": "G",
            "WeightUnitCode_12": "L"
          },
          "G69": [
            {
              "FreeformDescription_01": "Some description"
            }
          ],
          "N9": [
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "LI",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "1000"
            },
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "PC",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "989JAN281301"
            },
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "LV",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "00100752782101847618",
              "FreeformDescription_03": "36"
            },
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "LV",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "00100752782101847619",
              "FreeformDescription_03": "36"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "LX": {
        "AssignedNumber_01": "2"
      },
      "W12Loop": [
        {
          "W12": {
            "ShipmentOrderStatusCode_01": "CC",
            "QuantityOrdered_02": "72",
            "NumberofUnitsShipped_03": "72",
            "UnitorBasisforMeasurementCode_05": "CA",
            "UPCCaseCode_06": "007117901645",
            "ProductServiceIDQualifier_07": "UK",
            "ProductServiceID_08": "10071179016458",
            "WarehouseLotNumber_09": "40551",
            "Weight_10": "884",
            "WeightQualifier_11": "G",
            "WeightUnitCode_12": "L"
          },
          "G69": [
            {
              "FreeformDescription_01": "Some description"
            }
          ],
          "N9": [
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "LI",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "1000"
            },
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "PC",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "989JAN291301"
            },
            {
              "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "LV",
              "ReferenceIdentification_02": "00100752782101847620",
              "FreeformDescription_03": "72"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "W03": {
    "NumberofUnitsShipped_01": "240",
    "Weight_02": "15360",
    "UnitorBasisforMeasurementCode_03": "LB"
  },
  "SE": {
    "NumberofIncludedSegments_01": "22",
    "TransactionSetControlNumber_02": "0001"
  }
}

Parse and validate a 945 file

Read the file into typed objects with ediFabric .NET, convert it to JSON in process with the ediFabric Native bindings for Python, Java and C, or post it to the ediFabric Cloud REST API from any language.

.NET
Python
Java
C
Cloud

using EdiFabric.Templates.X12004010;

License.SetSerial("YOUR_SERIAL_KEY");

using (var stream = File.OpenRead(@"C:\edi\WarehouseShippingAdvice.txt"))
using (var reader = new X12Reader(stream, "EdiFabric.Templates.X12"))
{
    var items = await reader.ReadToEndAsync();
    foreach (var transaction in items.OfType<TS945>())
    {
        if (transaction.IsValid(out MessageErrorContext errors))
            Console.WriteLine($"{transaction.ST.TransactionSetControlNumber_02} is valid");
        else
            Console.WriteLine(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, errors.Flatten()));
    }
} Install and get started 945 example project Walkthrough
import json
import edifabric_x12 as ef

serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY"
ef.load_library()
ef.set_serial(serial)
ef.set_map(json.dumps({"default": serial, "maps": {}}))

edi = open("WarehouseShippingAdvice.txt", "rb").read()
output, offset = ef.parse(edi, ef.ParseMode.JSON_VALIDATE)
transactions = output[:offset]
report = json.loads(output[offset:])
print(report["errors_count"]) Python bindingsediFabric Native
import com.edifabric.nativex12.EdiFabricX12;
import com.edifabric.nativex12.ParseMode;
import com.edifabric.nativex12.ParseResult;

String serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY";
EdiFabricX12.loadLibrary();
EdiFabricX12.setSerial(serial);
EdiFabricX12.setMap("{\"default\":\"" + serial + "\",\"maps\":{}}");

String edi = Files.readString(Path.of("WarehouseShippingAdvice.txt"));
ParseResult result = EdiFabricX12.parse(edi, ParseMode.JSON_VALIDATE);
System.out.println(result.getTransactions());
System.out.println(result.getReport()); Java bindingsediFabric Native
#include "edifabric_x12.h"

const char *serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY";
ef_parse_result result;

if (ef_load_library(NULL) != 0)
    return 1;
ef_set_serial(serial);
ef_set_map("{\"default\":\"YOUR_SERIAL_KEY\",\"maps\":{}}");

char *edi = read_file("WarehouseShippingAdvice.txt", NULL);   /* helper in example_all_functions.c */
if (ef_parse(edi, EF_PARSE_JSON_VALIDATE, NULL, &result) == 0) {
    /* transactions = output[0 .. offset), report = output[offset .. length) */
    fwrite(result.output.data, 1, (size_t)result.output.length, stdout);
    ef_free(result.output.data);
} C bindingsediFabric Native
curl -X POST 'https://api.edination.com/v2/x12/read' \
-H 'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: YOUR_SERIAL_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/octet-stream' \
--data-binary '@WarehouseShippingAdvice.txt' TranslateValidateediFabric Cloud

Generate a 945 file

Populate a TS945 object in .NET, or pass JSON in the shape shown above to ediFabric Native or ediFabric Cloud, and get a valid 945 file back.

.NET
Python
Java
C
Cloud

using EdiFabric.Templates.X12004010;

License.SetSerial("YOUR_SERIAL_KEY");

var transaction = new TS945();

//  Transaction Set Identifier Code = "945"
//  (Receiving Advice / Acceptance Certificate)
//  Transaction Set Control Number = 0002
transaction.ST = new ST();
transaction.ST.TransactionSetIdentifierCode_01 = "945";
transaction.ST.TransactionSetControlNumber_02 = "0001";

// ... set the remaining loops and segments the same way

// SegmentBuilders is in the Common project of the example repository
using (var stream = new MemoryStream())
{
    using (var writer = new X12Writer(stream))
    {
        writer.Write(SegmentBuilders.BuildIsa("1"));
        writer.Write(SegmentBuilders.BuildGs("1"));
        writer.Write(transaction);
    }
    Console.WriteLine(Encoding.UTF8.GetString(stream.ToArray()));
} Install and get started Full 945 build methodExample repository
import json
import edifabric_x12 as ef

serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY"
ef.load_library()
ef.set_serial(serial)
ef.set_map(json.dumps({"default": serial, "maps": {}}))

# the transactions JSON returned by ef.parse, edited or produced by your application
transactions = open("WarehouseShippingAdvice.json", "rb").read()
edi = ef.build(transactions, postfix="\r\n")
print(edi) Python bindings
import com.edifabric.nativex12.EdiFabricX12;

String serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY";
EdiFabricX12.loadLibrary();
EdiFabricX12.setSerial(serial);
EdiFabricX12.setMap("{\"default\":\"" + serial + "\",\"maps\":{}}");

// the transactions JSON returned by parse, edited or produced by your application
String transactions = Files.readString(Path.of("WarehouseShippingAdvice.json"));
String edi = EdiFabricX12.build(transactions, "\r\n");
System.out.println(edi); Java bindings
#include "edifabric_x12.h"

ef_buffer edi;

if (ef_load_library(NULL) != 0)
    return 1;
ef_set_serial("YOUR_SERIAL_KEY");
ef_set_map("{\"default\":\"YOUR_SERIAL_KEY\",\"maps\":{}}");

/* the transactions JSON returned by ef_parse, edited or produced by your application */
char *transactions = read_file("WarehouseShippingAdvice.json", NULL);
if (ef_build(transactions, "\r\n", &edi) == 0) {
    fwrite(edi.data, 1, (size_t)edi.length, stdout);
    ef_free(edi.data);
} C bindings
# the JSON returned by /read, edited or produced by your application
curl -X POST 'https://api.edination.com/v2/x12/write' \
-H 'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: YOUR_SERIAL_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-binary '@WarehouseShippingAdvice.json' \
-o 'WarehouseShippingAdvice.txt' How-tosediFabric Cloud

945 questions

What is the difference between the 940 and the 945?

The 940 is the depositor's instruction to ship an order. The 945 is the warehouse's confirmation of what was actually shipped.

How are short shipments reported?

W12 carries the quantity ordered, the quantity shipped and the difference for each item.

How does the 945 relate to the 856?

The 945 goes to the owner of the goods. The 856 goes to the customer receiving them, and is often generated from the same data.

How do I parse and generate X12 945 files in .NET, Python, Java and C?

In .NET, install EdiFabric and EdiFabric.Templates.X12, read the file with X12Reader into TS945 objects and write them back with X12Writer. From Python, Java or C, use ediFabric Native, which converts 945 files to JSON and JSON back to X12 inside your process. From any other language, post the file to the ediFabric Cloud REST API.

Related transactions

X12 856 - Ship Notice/Manifest (ASN)
X12 214 - Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message
X12 850 - Purchase Order
All EDI transactions →

X12 945 Warehouse Shipping Advice

At a glance