EDI 856 BSN Segment: Beginning Segment for Ship Notice Guide

Explore live BSN segments in our Target 856 sample below. Learn why BSN05="0001" is required for Pick-and-Pack (SOTPI/SOPI) retail shipments.

Drop your file below, check the order, then download for Excel (.XLSX) & CSV.

Looking for the raw X12 segments (BSN)? Orders open as a readable document. Select View raw EDI code (for IT) at the top right of the document to see the ANSI X12 segments side by side.

1Load your order file
2Check it and match your SKUs

Drop your EDI order file here

.edi, .x12 or .txt. The file is read on your computer and is not uploaded.

Now showing

target-856-asn-sotpi.edi

No file handy? Open a sample:

No chargeback risks found. This order passes every check.

Checked against the Target supplier guide for EDI 856.

Verified 3 GS1-128 (SSCC-18) Modulo 10 barcodes across 7 HL hierarchy nodes.

Raw EDI Code Inspector

39 lines

1ISAISA*00* *00* *12*5551234567 *08*6111470100 *261109*1415*U*00401*000020856*0*P*>~

2GSGS*SH*5551234567*6111470100*20261109*1415*20856*X*004010VICS~

3STST*856*0001~

4BSNBSN*00*SHP-20261109-01*20261109*1415*0001~

5HLHL*1**S~

6TD1TD1*CTN25*2****G*48.5*LB~

7TD5TD5*B*2*ODFL*M*OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE~

8REFREF*BM*BOL-99887766~

9REFREF*CN*PRO-1122334455~

10DTMDTM*011*20261109~

11DTMDTM*017*20261113~

12N1N1*SF*ACME HOME GOODS WAREHOUSE*92*WH-01~

13N3N3*1200 INDUSTRIAL PKWY~

14N4N4*DALLAS*TX*75201*US~

15N1N1*ST*TARGET REGIONAL DC 0555*92*0555~

16N3N3*3000 TARGET WAY~

17N4N4*MIDLOTHIAN*TX*76065*US~

18HLHL*2*1*O~

19PRFPRF*TGT-PO-889900***20261105~

20REFREF*DP*049~

21REFREF*IA*9876543~

22HLHL*3*2*T~

23MANMAN*GM*00106141410000099990~

24HLHL*4*3*P~

25MANMAN*GM*00006141410000010004~

26HLHL*5*4*I~

27LINLIN*1*IN*049-12-3456*UP*012345678905*VN*SKU-TOWEL-BLU-L~

28SN1SN1*1*50*EA~

29PIDPID*F****ORGANIC COTTON BATH TOWEL ROYAL BLUE~

30HLHL*6*3*P~

31MANMAN*GM*00006141410000010011~

32HLHL*7*6*I~

33LINLIN*2*IN*049-12-3499*UP*012345678912*VN*SKU-ROBE-WHT-XL~

34SN1SN1*2*30*EA~

35PIDPID*F****LUXURY WAFFLE ROBE WHITE XL~

36CTTCTT*7*80~

37SESE*35*0001~

38GEGE*1*20856~

39IEAIEA*1*000020856~

BSNBeginning Segment for Ship Notice (856)

Line #4

Identifies the physical shipment in an EDI 856 ASN and declares the hierarchy structure (e.g., 0001 for SOTPI/SOPI).

BSN01Transaction Set Purpose Code

BSN02Shipment Identification (SID)

SHP-20261109-01

BSN03ASN Creation Date (YYYYMMDD)

20261109

BSN04ASN Creation Time (HHMM)

1415

BSN05Hierarchical Structure Code

0001

Packing List & Advance Ship Notice (ASN)

Shipment ID

SHP-20261109-01

Carrier

ODFL · OLD DOMINION F

BOL / Tracking #

BOL-99887766

Total Shipped Units

80 EA (2 Cartons)

Carton Barcode (SSCC-18)	Purchase Order #	Ship-To Warehouse / DC	Your SKU & Item ID	Shipped Qty
00006141410000010004 Pallet: 00106141410000099990	TGT-PO-889900 Dept: 049	TARGET REGIONAL DC 0555 DC #0555 · ZIP 76065	Item: 049-12-3456 · UPC: 012345678905	50 EA
00006141410000010011 Pallet: 00106141410000099990	TGT-PO-889900 Dept: 049	TARGET REGIONAL DC 0555 DC #0555 · ZIP 76065	Item: 049-12-3499 · UPC: 012345678912	30 EA

View Advanced Packaging Hierarchy (Optional)

Level #1 (Shipment) [S]

Level #2 (←1) [O]

Level #3 (←2) [T]

Level #4 (←3) [P]

Level #5 (←4) [I]

Level #6 (←3) [P]

Level #7 (←6) [I]

Download for your software

Pick where the order is going, then download. Files are ready for Excel, QuickBooks, Shopify or a thermal printer.

Clean Excel spreadsheet with all order lines, store breakdown, quantities, and prices ready to open in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Field mapping table: which EDI segment fills which column (for IT & bookkeepers)

BSN Segment Elements (BSN01 – BSN05) Specification

Deterministic segment-to-column mapping rules enforced by our client-side X12 engine

Source X12 Segment / Element	Sample Raw Value	Target ERP / CSV Column	Transformation & Validation Logic
BSN01 (Transaction Set Purpose Code)	00	ASN Purpose	00 = Original; 01 = Cancellation; 05 = Replace.
BSN02 (Shipment Identification)	SHP-20261109-01	Unique Shipment ID (SID)	Vendor-assigned shipment reference number (must not be duplicated within 1 year).
BSN03 & BSN04	20261109 * 1415	ASN Date & Time	Date (YYYYMMDD) and 24-hour Time (HHMM) the ASN was generated.
BSN05 (Hierarchical Structure Code)	0001	HL Tree Blueprint	0001 = Shipment, Order, Packaging (Tare/Pack), Item (SOTPI / SOPI).

Critical Chargeback & Import Pitfalls We Prevent

Common EDI mistakes that trigger $250+ retailer fines or accounting balance errors

Reusing Duplicate BSN02 Shipment IDs

Risk: 824 Duplicate ASN Rejection

Retailers reject an 856 if BSN02 matches a previously transmitted shipment ID.

Tie BSN02 to your unique PO + BOL or sequential shipment counter.

Omitting BSN04 Time Stamp

Risk: 997 Syntax Rejection

Many retail 856 companion guides mark BSN04 (HHMM) as mandatory.

Our 856 generator always populates a valid 4-digit HHMM time in BSN04.

Wrong BSN05 Code for Pick-and-Pack Shipments

Risk: HL Loop Parse Failure

Using BSN05=0002 or leaving it blank when sending an SOTPI hierarchy causes Walmart and Target translators to reject the HL loops.

Use BSN05=0001 for standard retail SOTPI / SOPI structures.

How to Inspect or Generate Compliant BSN Segments

Zero middleware setup — complete in under 60 seconds

1. Inspect the Target 856 Sample Below

Click Line #4 (BSN) in the left AST tree to see BSN01–BSN05.

2. Flatten the ASN to Excel or Print 4x6 Labels

See how BSN02 Shipment ID is inherited by every flattened carton row.

3. Generate New 856 ASNs from Any 850 PO

Switch to the Walmart 850 sample and open the Turnaround Wizard.

Frequently Asked Technical Questions

ANSI X12 specification details, retail companion rules, and ERP import answers

What does BSN05=0001 mean in an EDI 856?

BSN05="0001" tells the receiving EDI translator that the HL segments follow the standard Pick-and-Pack hierarchy order: Shipment (S) -> Order (O) -> Tare/Pallet (T) -> Pack/Carton (P) -> Item (I).

Should BSN02 be the same as the Bill of Lading (REF*BM)?

They can be the same or distinct, provided BSN02 is unique per shipment and <= 30 alphanumeric characters.