EDI Structure descriptor

The primary goal of the structure descriptor is to outline the elements of an EDI message in a logical and organized manner, making it easier to manage and parse the data. By accurately reflecting the hierarchy of the message.

Elements of the structure descriptor

N1 – Contains the following fields:

• N1 – Name or Identifier of the entity (e.g., party, organization).

• N2 – Additional name information (usually a secondary name for the entity).

• N3 – Address information (typically the street address).

• N4 – Geographic location (city, state, ZIP code, country).

N9 – Contains the following field:

• N9 – Reference identifier (e.g., purchase order number or control number).

• Loops:

  • MSG01 – Contains the following field:

    • MSG01 – Free-form message text (usually a note or special instruction related to the transaction).

IT1 – Contains the following fields:

• IT1 – Line item identifier (e.g., item number or product code).

• QTY – Quantity of the item in the transaction (e.g., units ordered or shipped).

• TXI – Tax information (e.g., tax rates, amounts, or classifications for the item).

• REF – Reference information (e.g., lot number, serial number, or other identifiers related to the item).

• Loops:

  • SAC – Can repeat and contains the following fields:

    • SAC – Service, promotion, allowance, or charge information (e.g., additional costs or discounts related to the item).

    • TXI – Tax information related to SAC (e.g., taxes on charges or allowances).

SAC – Contains the following fields:

• SAC – Service, promotion, allowance, or charge information (can be used independently or within the IT1 loop to represent additional charges/discounts).

• TXI – Tax information related to SAC (e.g., taxes on charges or allowances).

Here is the full example of a structure descriptor in a JSON format:

{
    "N1": {
        "fields": [
            "N1",  
            "N2",   
            "N3",   
            "N4"    
        ]
    },
    "N9": {
        "fields": [
            "N9"    
        ],
        "loops": {
            "MSG01": {
                "fields": [
                    "MSG01"   
            }
        }
    },
    "IT1": {
        "fields": [
            "IT1",   
            "QTY",   
            "TXI",   
            "REF"    
        "loops": {
            "SAC": {
                "fields": [
                    "SAC",   
                    "TXI"    
        }
    },
    "SAC": {
        "fields": [
            "SAC",   
            "TXI"    
        ]
    }
}