Specifications/Technical Information

Specifications/Technical Information documents contain detailed product, service, or component specifications exchanged between organizations during procurement, quality management, or technical collaboration processes. Suppliers typically send this transaction set to customers, engineers, or procurement teams in response to requests for technical data, or proactively to communicate specification updates and revisions. The transaction uses the SPI (Specification Identifier) segment to uniquely identify the specification being transmitted, the HL (Hierarchical Level) segment to organize specifications into logical structures (such as assemblies and sub-components), and the PID (Product/Item Description) segment to provide detailed product characteristics, dimensions, materials, and performance requirements.

For example, an aerospace supplier such as Precision Manufacturing Inc. sends an X12 841 to its customer Integrated Defense Systems to communicate updated technical specifications for a landing gear component. The document includes the component’s identification through the SPI segment, hierarchical breakdowns of sub-assemblies via HL loops, product descriptions and measurements through PID and MEA segments showing dimensions and tolerances, revision history through RDT (Revision Date/Time) entries, and quality or sampling parameters via the LX loop containing test methods and measurement requirements. The specification remains valid until Precision Manufacturing sends a new 841 with updated revision dates, allowing Integrated Defense Systems to maintain current technical records and ensure manufacturing compliance.