EDIFACT DESADV: The Despatch Advice, Explained

DESADV is the UN/EDIFACT Despatch Advice - the international equivalent of the X12 856 advance ship notice. The supplier sends it when goods are despatched, so the buyer knows what is in the shipment and how it is packed before it arrives.

What the DESADV does

Just like the 856 ASN, the DESADV lets a buyer prepare to receive a shipment efficiently. It describes the goods, the quantities, and the packaging structure, enabling scan-based receiving and cross-docking. In European retail in particular, an accurate DESADV is often a strict requirement, and the packaging detail it carries is used to validate pallet and carton labels (typically SSCC) at the dock.

The packing hierarchy: CPS

Where the X12 856 uses HL loops to express its shipment-order-pack-item tree, the DESADV uses the CPS (Consignment Packing Sequence) segment to describe nested packaging. A CPS can contain packaging detail (PAC), package identification (PCI) with the SSCC barcode, and the line items (LIN) inside that package. Nested CPS segments express pallets containing cartons containing items.

The key segments of a DESADV

BGM - Beginning of Message

BGM+351+DESP-7781+9 means a despatch advice (document code 351), number DESP-7781, function 9 (original).

DTM - Date/Time

Carries the despatch date and often the estimated delivery date, each by qualifier.

NAD - Parties

NAD+SU supplier, NAD+ST ship-to, NAD+BY buyer. The ship-to is especially important for routing the physical goods.

CPS - Consignment Packing Sequence

Opens a level of the packing hierarchy. Nested CPS segments build the pallet/carton/item tree.

PAC and PCI - Packaging and package identification

PAC gives the number and type of packages; PCI carries marks and the SSCC barcode used for scanning.

LIN, QTY - Line items

Within a packing level, LIN identifies the product and QTY+12:100 gives the despatched quantity (qualifier 12 = despatch quantity).

A simplified worked example

UNH+1+DESADV:D:96A:UN'
BGM+351+DESP-7781+9'
DTM+11:20240220:102'
NAD+SU+4012345000094::9'
NAD+ST+5412345000013::9'
CPS+1'
PAC+1++201'
PCI+33E'
LIN+1++5410738377056:EN'
QTY+12:100'
UNT+10+1'

In plain English: the supplier despatched shipment DESP-7781 on 2024-02-20 to the ship-to party, containing one package with 100 units of the blue widget.

Common pitfalls when reading a DESADV

• Missing the CPS nesting. As with the 856's HL loops, the meaning of a LIN depends on which CPS packing level it sits under.
• Despatch vs ordered quantity. The QTY qualifier 12 means despatched quantity, which can differ from what was ordered.
• SSCC mismatches. If the PCI barcode does not match the physical label, scan-based receiving fails.

Frequently asked questions