Data Status Tracking (242) is a transaction set used to report the status of previously transmitted data and track its progress through various processing stages. Typically sent by a service provider or intermediary to a trading partner, it provides visibility into data receipt, validation, and processing outcomes. The transaction responds to requests for status information or is sent unsolicited as part of routine status reporting. The BGN (Beginning Segment) establishes the report purpose and timeframe, the DTP (Date or Time or Period) segments convey critical dates such as report generation or data receipt times, and the REF (Reference Identification) segments tie the status report to specific transactions or batches being tracked.

For example, TechLogistics Inc., a logistics service provider, sends a 242 transaction to its client SupplyCorp to report on a batch of 850 purchase orders received the previous day. The report uses the HL loop structure to organize status information by hierarchical level—first identifying the overall data batch, then drilling down to individual transaction groups. Within each level, STS (Interchange Status Segment) entries indicate whether items were accepted, rejected, or are pending further processing, while QTY segments quantify the number of records in each status category. SupplyCorp receives this tracking data and can quickly identify which orders have been successfully processed versus those requiring resubmission or investigation.