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X12 transaction guide · Communications

EDI 996 File Transfer

The X12 document used to transmit file information in formats agreed between the sending and receiving parties.

Sent by
Any trading partner
Received by
Any trading partner
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 996?

The EDI 996 File Transfer is the ANSI X12 transaction set used to transmit file information in formats agreed between the sending and receiving parties. It is not intended to replace or bypass existing X12 transaction sets for data they already accommodate.

The 996 lets partners carry data for which no transaction set exists, such as a proprietary file, inside the X12 envelope, so it travels over the same network and benefits from the same tracking and acknowledgments. Because the content is not standardized, both sides must agree its format separately.

How the EDI 996 worksDiagram of the EDI 996 File Transfer. Any trading partner sends it to any trading partner. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BGF (Beginning Segment for File Transfer Information) and K3 (File Information). 0 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 996 worksFile Transfer: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 996SENDERAny trading partnerRECEIVERAny trading partner997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code FTGS … GETransaction set 996ST … SEHEADINGBGFBeginning Segment for File Transfer InformationK3File InformationBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 996. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 996 worksDiagram of the EDI 996 File Transfer. Any trading partner sends it to any trading partner. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BGF (Beginning Segment for File Transfer Information) and K3 (File Information). 0 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 996 worksFile Transfer: who sends it, where it fits andwhat the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 996SENDERAny tradingpartnerRECEIVERAny tradingpartner997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code FT (GS … GE)Transaction set 996 (ST … SE)HEADINGBGFBeginning Segment for FileTransfer InformationK3File InformationBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 996. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 996, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 996 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Sending proprietary files over an existing EDI connection
  • Transferring data that no transaction set covers
  • Keeping file exchanges within EDI tracking

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 996 File Transfer
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 996 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • BGF
  • K3
  • SE

Practical example

The 996 in practice

A manufacturer and a supplier exchange engineering change data in a proprietary file format. To keep it on their EDI connection, the manufacturer wraps the file in a 996. The supplier's translator extracts the file and passes it to the engineering system, and returns a 997 confirming receipt.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 996

  • Use a standard transaction set when one fits the data.
  • Document the agreed file format separately.
  • Check file size limits on the EDI network.
  • Consider managed file transfer for large or binary files.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 996 with ECOM

Solution

Managed File Transfer

Design, migrate and operate secure, auditable file exchange across partners and systems.

Solution

EDI Integration

Exchange X12 and EDIFACT documents with partners and integrate them directly with your ERP.

Solution

B2B Integration

Connect every customer, supplier, carrier and bank across EDI, API, file and portal channels.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

Related transactions

Related communications documents

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