Delivery forecast (DELFOR)
DELFOR is frequently used in the automotive industry to plan delivery dates, packaging, and quantities.
Instruction to despatch (INSDES)
INSDES is used to instruct logistics partners or suppliers to inform the recipient about the pickup or delivery of ordered goods. It is also used to instruct business partners to deliver ordered goods.
Instruction to transport (IFTMIN)
IFTMIN informs the freight forwarder about the transport order and the associated details such as agreed delivery terms.
Order response (ORDRSP)
ORDRSP confirms an order and informs the buyer which items will be delivered or which quantities are covered.
Order change (ORDCHG)
ORDCHG is sent when a customer wishes to make changes to an order.
Inventory report (INVRPT)
INVRPT informs the supplier about current inventory levels and assists with inventory planning. The report includes information on the stock levels of individual products at specific locations as well as data on the quantities of goods sold or newly received.
Sales report (SLSRPT)
SLSRPT provides sales data over a specific period at various locations and is often sent by the seller to their suppliers. SLSRPT can also be generated by a sales coordinator or a distribution center and sent directly to manufacturers or third-party suppliers..
Announcement of the return of goods (RETANN)
RETANN notifies the supplier when goods are being returned, for example, due to defects or incorrect deliveries.
Remittance advice (REMADV)
REMADV informs the supplier about an upcoming payment, facilitating financial and liquidity planning.
Commercial dispute message (COMDIS)
COMDIS indicates discrepancies between an invoice and the goods actually delivered. The discrepancy is usually addressed by the buyer to inform the supplier that something is wrong with the INVOIC message (incorrect price, incorrect identification of goods, undelivered or incorrectly delivered goods, etc.). The COMDIS message provides a detailed description of the goods delivered or services rendered.
Multiple payment (PAYMUL)
PAYMUL is used to initiate multiple payments simultaneously, for example, to different recipients.
Multiple credits (CREMUL)
CREMUL notifies the supplier about credited amounts. The message can be used to automatically reconcile outstanding balances in the accounts receivable system using information from the payer.
Application error and acknowledgment (APERAK)
APERAK informs the sender that a message has been received. It can also be used to list errors that occurred during processing within the application.
Control message (CONTRL)
CONTRL confirms the receipt of a message and indicates whether it was processed correctly. It accepts or rejects the received EDI exchange or generates a message listing syntax errors.
EDI Standards in the Era of Digitalization
In addition to these formats, there are numerous other standardized message formats. UN/EDIFACT (United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport), as it is officially known, now includes more than 200 different message types used across multiple industries. In certain sectors, such as the automotive industry, additional specialized standards are employed, like Odette in Europe or VDA in the German automotive industry.
The increasing digitalization through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has led to the emergence of more industry-specific message formats—for example, in the financial industry or the public sector. Here, legal requirements for electronic invoicing have spurred the development of additional formats. A good example is Peppol, which is particularly used in the public sector as a network for the secure and standardized transmission of documents like electronic invoices.
