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What is an EDI 852?

The EDI 852, also called SLSRPT, is the electronic exchange of detailed sales and inventory information between buyers and sellers: what sold, where, and what is on hand.

Retailer or distributor → supplier
Written by EDI specialists
Everything is on the page, nothing to fill in

Last reviewed October 6, 2026 by Effective Data's EDI specialists.

Where it fits

When the 852 is used, and which way it travels

How the EDI 852 travelsThe 852 Product Activity Data goes from Retailer or distributor to Supplier. In sequence with: 846, 852, 830, 850.Retailer ordistributorSupplier852Product Activity DataIn sequence846Inventory advice852Product activity830Planning schedule850Purchase order
How the EDI 852 travelsThe 852 Product Activity Data goes from Retailer or distributor to Supplier. In sequence with: 846, 852, 830, 850.Retailer ordistributorSupplier852Product Activity DataIn sequence846Inventory advice852Product activity830Planning schedule850Purchase order
Which way the 852 travels, and the documents it is usually traded alongside. Partner implementation guides can add or drop documents from this set.

The 852 gives suppliers and buyers visibility into item and quantity sold in units and dollars, sales by location, quantity on hand, inventory adjustments, quantities on order and received, and out-of-stock items.

With that data, sellers partner with buyers on inventory planning and management, store-level and product-level sales performance, and reducing stockout and overstock risk.

Regular 852 exchange is what enables ongoing collaboration, scan-based trading and vendor-managed inventory.

Also called the SLSRPT. Same document, same number.

Inside the document

The segments, and what each one carries

The published X12 structure, minus the segments most partners never use. Each partner's implementation guide narrows this further: which qualifiers, which identifiers, how many decimals. That guide, not the standard, is what your file is validated against.

Structure of the EDI 852An ISA/IEA interchange envelope wraps a GS/GE functional group, which wraps the 852 transaction set from ST to SE. Header: XQ, N1. Detail: LIN, ZA, SDQ. Summary: CTT.ISAInterchange envelopeIEAGSFunctional groupGESTTransaction set 852SEHeaderXQN1Detailrepeats per line or loopLINZASDQSummaryCTT
Structure of the EDI 852An ISA/IEA interchange envelope wraps a GS/GE functional group, which wraps the 852 transaction set from ST to SE. Header: XQ, N1. Detail: LIN, ZA, SDQ. Summary: CTT.ISAInterchange envelopeIEAGSFunctional groupGESTTransaction set 852SEHeaderXQN1Detailrepeats per line or loopLINZASDQSummaryCTT
The 852 inside its X12 envelope. ISA and GS wrap every interchange; ST and SE open and close this document; the segments between them are the ones listed below, in the part of the document they belong to.
SegmentNamePartWhat it carries
ST Transaction Set Header Header Identifies the document as an 852 and opens the control number the trailer must match.
XQ Reporting Date/Action Header The reporting period this activity covers.
N1 Party Identification Header Who is reporting and whose product it concerns.
LIN Item Identification Detail The product, by UPC, EAN, GTIN or vendor part number.
ZA Product Activity Reporting Detail The activity itself, one code per kind: sold, on hand, on order, received, adjusted.
SDQ Destination Quantity Detail The same activity broken out by location, which is how sales by store travel.
CTT Transaction Totals Summary The line count, as an integrity check.
SE Transaction Set Trailer Summary Closes the set. Segment count and control number must match the ST.
ST Transaction Set Header Header
Identifies the document as an 852 and opens the control number the trailer must match.
XQ Reporting Date/Action Header
The reporting period this activity covers.
N1 Party Identification Header
Who is reporting and whose product it concerns.
LIN Item Identification Detail
The product, by UPC, EAN, GTIN or vendor part number.
ZA Product Activity Reporting Detail
The activity itself, one code per kind: sold, on hand, on order, received, adjusted.
SDQ Destination Quantity Detail
The same activity broken out by location, which is how sales by store travel.
CTT Transaction Totals Summary
The line count, as an integrity check.
SE Transaction Set Trailer Summary
Closes the set. Segment count and control number must match the ST.
The part that costs money

Why yours is being rejected

Every EDI provider publishes what an 852 is. What matters in production is why one fails, and these are the failure modes we can put a source against today:

  1. Activity codes misread. ZA codes distinguish sold from on hand from on order; a feed loaded with the codes confused reports sales that are actually stock, and planning built on it inherits the error.

If one of these is happening to you right now, skip to the bottom of the page and describe it. Diagnosing rejected documents is most of what we do.

Related documents

The documents the 852 travels with

846

Inventory Inquiry/Advice

Read it →
850

EDI 850

Read it →
830

Planning Schedule with Release Capability

Read it →

Frequently asked

+ What is an EDI 852?

The Product Activity Data transaction, also called SLSRPT or X12 852. It enables electronic exchange of detailed sales and inventory information between sellers and buyers.

+ What visibility does an 852 provide?

Item and quantity sold in units and dollars, sales by location, quantity on hand, inventory adjustments, quantities on order and received, and out-of-stock items.

+ What is the 852 used for commercially?

Optimized inventory planning and management, improved store-level and product-level sales performance, and reduced stockout and overstock risk. Regular exchange enables scan-based trading and vendor-managed inventory.

+ What is the difference between an 852 and an 846?

The 852 reports movement: what actually sold through, by location. The 846 reports position: what the supplier has on hand and what will be available. Sales versus stock.

Is your 852 failing, or being mandated by a partner?

Describe the situation and a named EDI specialist will tell you what it takes, including when the answer is that you do not need us.

Or call 847.969.9300

Answered by a named EDI specialist on the same business day. If we are not the right answer we will say so on the first call.