This transaction set is sent by a receiving party (typically a warehouse, distribution center, or buyer organization) to acknowledge and report on goods received from a supplier or vendor. The receiving party uses the BRA (Beginning Segment for Receiving Advice or Acceptance Certificate) segment to indicate the type and status of the receipt, while mandatory DTM (Date/Time Reference) segments establish when the goods arrived and other critical timing information. The structure supports detailed item-level reporting through the RCD loop, which can repeat up to 200,000 times to accommodate large shipments, with each line item captured through segments like SN1 (Item Detail/Shipment), LIN (Item Identification), and PID (Product/Item Description). Optional carrier information segments (TD1, TD3, TD4, TD5) allow the receiving party to document transportation details if needed for logistics reconciliation.

Consider a scenario where TechDistro Inc. receives a shipment of computer components from SupplyChain Partners Ltd. Upon unloading 500 units of network switches and 300 units of power supplies, TechDistro’s warehouse manager generates an 861 transaction to confirm receipt. The message includes the shipment date and time, references to the original purchase orders via PRF segments, item counts and weights in SN1 and MEA segments, and details identifying SupplyChain Partners through the N1 loop. If any items arrived damaged or short, the RCD (Receiving Conditions) segment flags the condition, and individual line items in the RCD loop document exactly which SKUs were affected. This 861 receipt acknowledgment flows back through TechDistro’s EDI system to SupplyChain Partners, providing proof of delivery and enabling both parties to reconcile inventory and accounting records.