EDI

EDI 997 Functional Acknowledgment

An EDI 997 is a functional acknowledgment, the electronic receipt that confirms one trading partner received another's EDI transmission. It does not say the order was accepted, only that the file arrived and passed structural validation. Missing 997s are a common compliance failure because partners expect them within a set window.

What the 997 confirms

After you receive an 850 purchase order, your system returns a 997 to confirm the interchange arrived and was syntactically valid. The 997 reports accepted, accepted with errors, or rejected at the functional-group level. It is not a business response. Whether you can actually fill the order is answered by the 855 acknowledgment.

Why the 997 matters for compliance

Trading partners track 997s to prove delivery. If a retailer sends an 850 and gets no 997 back, they assume you never received it. Many programs require the 997 within minutes to an hour. Returning it automatically removes a silent source of missed orders and chargebacks.

Related Terms

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents like purchase orders and invoices in a standard electronic format. It replaces paper, fax, and email so two trading partners' systems can transact directly, without anyone re-keying the data.

Advance Ship Notice (ASN)

An Advance Ship Notice (ASN) is an electronic notification a supplier sends before a shipment arrives, detailing its contents, packing structure, and carrier. In EDI it is the 856 transaction. It tells the buyer exactly what is coming, how it is packed, and when, so receiving can be scanned and verified at the dock.

Purchase Order (PO)

A purchase order (PO) is a buyer's official offer to purchase goods, listing items, quantities, prices, delivery dates, and ship-to location. It becomes a binding contract once the seller accepts it. In EDI it is the 850 transaction, the document that starts most B2B order flows.

Learn More

EDI 997 Functional Acknowledgment Guide EDI 855 PO Acknowledgment Guide Free EDI Inspector EDI Document Types Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

The 997 confirms that an EDI file was received and was structurally valid. The 855 is the business acknowledgment of the order itself, telling the buyer whether each line is accepted, rejected, or changed.

Most trading-partner specifications require a 997 for every inbound transaction, usually within a defined time window. Skipping it is treated as a compliance failure.

Sources: ASC X12 standards body

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