Canonical Inventory Feed Implementation Guide and Specifications

Modified on Tue, May 26 at 9:29 AM

ECGrid Simplify

Canonical Inventory Feed Format Specification

Version: 1.0 Date: May 26, 2026 Owner: ECGrid Product

1. Purpose

This document defines the canonical Inventory Feed format used by ECGrid Simplify. It is the single source of truth for inventory report structure, field definitions, data types, length limits, required fields, and serialization rules across XML and JSON.

The Inventory Feed enables suppliers and warehouses to report current stock levels, product information, and inventory metrics to buyers. Both XML and JSON representations convey the same logical inventory data. A JSON Schema (Simplify_Inventory_Feed.schema.json) provides machine-enforceable validation. This document is the human-readable companion.

2. Scope

In scope:

Inventory feed document structure (header and product lines).
Field-level definitions, data types, length limits, and validation rules.
Canonical XML and JSON representations.
Party identification for warehouse, supplier, shipFrom, and shipTo locations.
Product identification using multiple identifier types (SKU, GTIN, part numbers, etc.).
Inventory quantity reporting with location-based breakdowns.

Out of scope:

Transport (HTTPS, AS2, SFTP). Covered in ECGrid Simplify API docs.
Functional acknowledgments and application responses.
Warehouse management system (WMS) logic and allocation algorithms.
Real-time inventory synchronization or delta updates.

3. Document Structure

An Inventory Feed payload contains a single inventory report. Each report has a header section with trading partner information, report metadata, party locations, and one or more product records representing inventory items being reported.

Top-level shape:

inventoryFeed

└── inventory (required, exactly one)

├── header (required information)

│ ├── tradingPartnerId

│ ├── documentId

│ ├── sender / senderQualifier

│ ├── receiver / receiverQualifier

│ ├── creationDateTime

│ ├── reportTypeCode

│ └── inventoryRefNum

├── warehouse, supplier, shipFrom, shipTo (party blocks)

└── product[] (1..n line items)

4. Header Fields

The header section contains inventory report metadata and routing information.

Field	Type	Length	Req	Description	Example
tradingPartnerId	string	1–35	Yes	ECGrid trading partner identifier. Routes the document.	SEV2TEST01
documentId	string	1–35	Yes	Unique identifier for this inventory feed document.	INV-FEED-2026-001
sender	string	2–17	Yes	Sender ID in the qualifier namespace (warehouse or supplier).	SEV2TEST01
senderQualifier	string	1–4	Yes	Qualifier for sender ID (e.g. SE, ZZ, 01, 14).	SE
receiver	string	2–17	Yes	Receiver ID in the qualifier namespace (buyer).	SEV2TEST02
receiverQualifier	string	1–4	Yes	Qualifier for receiver ID.	SE
vendorId	string	1–35	No	Vendor/supplier identifier for inventory owner.	VEND12345
groupSender	string	1–9	No	EDI functional group sender ID.	1
groupReceiver	string	1–9	No	EDI functional group receiver ID.	1
creationDateTime	string	14–17	Yes	Date/time inventory feed was created. YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.	20260526143001
transactionPurposeCode	string	1–3	Yes	Purpose of transaction (e.g., 00=Original, 01=Replace, 05=Status Update).	00
inventoryRefNum	string	1–35	No	Reference number for tracking inventory report cycles.	INV-REF-001
purchaseOrderNumber	string	1–22	No	Associated purchase order number if applicable.	123456
releaseNumber	string	1–6	No	Release number if inventory is for a specific PO release.	1
reportTypeCode	string	1–3	Yes	Type of inventory report (e.g., 00=Full Stock, 01=On-Hand, 02=Available-to-Promise).	00

5. Party Address Block

The same party structure is used for warehouse, supplier, shipFrom, and shipTo. These identify the locations and parties involved in the inventory report.

Field	Type	Length	Req	Description	Example
partyIdentification	string	1–80	Yes	Party identifier value (DUNS, GLN, internal code, etc.).	12345
partyIdentificationTypeCode	string	1–5	Yes	Qualifier for the identifier (e.g. 92=internal, 1=DUNS, UL=GLN).	92
name	string	1–60	Yes	Legal name of the party.	Acme Warehouse
name2	string	1–60	No	Secondary name line.	East Coast Distribution
name3	string	1–60	No	Tertiary name line.
streetAddress1	string	1–55	Yes	Street address line 1.	789 Warehouse Way
streetAddress2	string	1–55	No	Street address line 2.	Building C
streetAddress3	string	1–55	No	Street address line 3.
city	string	2–30	Yes	City.	Newark
stateCode	string	2	No	State or province code. 2 chars for US/CA.	NJ
postalCode	string	3–15	Yes	Postal/ZIP code.	07101
countryCode	string	2	Yes	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code. 2 chars exact.	US
provinceCode	string	2–5	No	Province code (alternative to stateCode).
vatNumber	string	1–20	No	VAT/Tax ID number for the party.
dockNumber	string	1–10	No	Dock number or code at location.	DOCK-A1
storeNumber	string	1–10	No	Store number or retail location code.	STORE-001

6. Product Line Item

The product array contains one or more inventory line items. Each item represents a stock-keeping unit (SKU) and its associated quantity, pricing, and descriptive information.

Field	Type	Length	Req	Description	Example
lineItemNumber	integer	1–6	Yes	Sequential line number within the inventory feed.	1
confirmedUnitPrice	number	1–17	No	Confirmed unit price for the SKU (including or excluding tax per agreement).	45.99
currency	string	3	No	ISO 4217 currency code. 3 chars exact.	USD
supplierAssignedPartNumber	string	1–48	Yes	Supplier's part number for the item.	VN123456789
supplierAssignedPartCode	string	1–48	No	Alternative supplier part code or legacy number.	SUP-CODE-001
buyerAssignedPartNumber	string	1–48	Yes	Buyer's part number for the item.	BY123456789
buyerAssignedPartCode	string	1–48	No	Alternative buyer part code.	BUY-CODE-001
buyerStyleNumber	string	1–35	No	Buyer's style number or collection code.	STYLE-2026-A
vendorStyleNumber	string	1–35	No	Vendor/supplier style number.	VENDOR-STYLE-X
sku	string	1–48	Yes	Stock keeping unit identifier.	SKU-ABC-001
gtin14	string	14	No	Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-14).	01234567890123
gtin13	string	13	No	Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-13/EAN).	1234567890123
gtin12	string	12	No	Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-12/UPC).	123456789012
gtin8	string	8	No	Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-8).	12345678
modelNumber	string	1–35	No	Product model number or code.	MODEL-XYZ-2026
mfgPartNumber	string	1–35	No	Manufacturer's part number.	MFG-12345
mfgName	string	1–60	No	Manufacturer name.	Acme Manufacturing Co.
catalogNumber	string	1–35	No	Catalog or reference number.	CAT-2026-001
brandName	string	1–60	No	Brand or trade name.	Acme Brand
productType	string	1–35	No	Product type classification.	Widget
buyerColor	string	1–35	No	Color description from buyer's perspective.	Blue
vendorColor	string	1–35	No	Color code or description from vendor perspective.	BLU-001

7. Quantity Information

Quantity details for inventory items, including unit of measure and timing.

Field	Type	Length	Req	Description	Example
quantity.quantityQualifier	string	1–3	Yes	Quantity type qualifier (e.g., 1=Discrete, 2=On-hand, 3=Reserved, 4=Available).	2
quantity.quantity	number	1–15	Yes	Quantity value. Decimals allowed up to 15 digits.	500.5
quantity.uom	string	2–3	Yes	Unit of measure (e.g. EA=Each, CS=Case, LB=Pound, KG=Kilogram).	EA
quantity.dateQualifier	string	1–3	No	Date qualifier for the quantity (e.g., 007=Effective Date).	007
quantity.date	string	8	No	Date the quantity is effective. YYYYMMDD.	20260526
shipDestinationQty.quantity	number	1–15	No	Quantity designated for a specific destination/location.	250.0
shipDestinationQty.uom	string	2–3	No	Unit of measure for destination quantity.	EA
shipDestinationQty.destinationLocationCode	string	1–35	No	Code or identifier for the destination location.	LOC-EAST-01

8. Description and Date Information

Field	Type	Length	Req	Description	Example
partDescription.partDescription	string	1–255	No	Text description of the product line item.	Blue nylon widget, 5-inch, pre-drilled
partDescription.partDescriptionType	string	1–5	No	Type of description (e.g., TXN=Text, UND=Undefined).	TXN
partDescription.partDescriptionID	string	1–35	No	Reference ID for the description or specification.	DESC-2026-001
dateInformation.replacementEffective.dateCode	string	1–3	No	Date code qualifier for effective date (e.g., 007=Effective, 010=Publication).	007
dateInformation.replacementEffective.date	string	8	No	Effective date for replacement or update. YYYYMMDD.	20260601
dateInformation.replacementEffective.time	string	0 or 4	No	Effective time. HHMM (24-hour) or empty.	0000

9. Naming Conventions

XML: PascalCase for all element names (e.g. InventoryFeed, LineItemNumber, ConfirmedUnitPrice).
JSON: camelCase for all field names (e.g. inventoryFeed, lineItemNumber, confirmedUnitPrice).
Field semantics and length limits are identical across both. Only casing differs.
Empty optional values in XML use self-closing tags (e.g. <VendorColor/>). In JSON, use empty string for string fields or null for complex objects.

10. XML Example

<InventoryFeed>
<Inventory>
<TradingPartnerId>SEV2TEST01</TradingPartnerId>
<DocumentId>INV-FEED-2026-001</DocumentId>
<SenderQualifier>SE</SenderQualifier>
<Sender>SEV2TEST01</Sender>
<ReceiverQualifier>SE</ReceiverQualifier>
<Receiver>SEV2TEST02</Receiver>
<VendorId>VEND12345</VendorId>
<CreationDateTime>20260526143001</CreationDateTime>
<TransactionPurposeCode>00</TransactionPurposeCode>
<InventoryRefNum>INV-REF-001</InventoryRefNum>
<PurchaseOrderNumber>123456</PurchaseOrderNumber>
<ReportTypeCode>00</ReportTypeCode>
<Warehouse>
<PartyIdentification>12345-WH</PartyIdentification>
<PartyIdentificationTypeCode>92</PartyIdentificationTypeCode>
<Name>Acme Warehouse East</Name>
<StreetAddress1>789 Warehouse Way</StreetAddress1>
<City>Newark</City>
<StateCode>NJ</StateCode>
<PostalCode>07101</PostalCode>
<CountryCode>US</CountryCode>
<DockNumber>DOCK-A1</DockNumber>
</Warehouse>
<Supplier>
<PartyIdentification>54321</PartyIdentification>
<PartyIdentificationTypeCode>92</PartyIdentificationTypeCode>
<Name>Widget Supplier Inc</Name>
<StreetAddress1>456 Oak Ave</StreetAddress1>
<City>Springfield</City>
<StateCode>IL</StateCode>
<PostalCode>62701</PostalCode>
<CountryCode>US</CountryCode>
</Supplier>
<Product>
<LineItemNumber>1</LineItemNumber>
<ConfirmedUnitPrice>45.99</ConfirmedUnitPrice>
<Currency>USD</Currency>
<SupplierAssignedPartNumber>VN123456789</SupplierAssignedPartNumber>
<BuyerAssignedPartNumber>BY123456789</BuyerAssignedPartNumber>
<Sku>SKU-ABC-001</Sku>
<Gtin14>01234567890123</Gtin14>
<ModelNumber>MODEL-XYZ-2026</ModelNumber>
<BrandName>Acme Brand</BrandName>
<ProductType>Widget</ProductType>
<BuyerColor>Blue</BuyerColor>
<Quantity>
<QuantityQualifier>2</QuantityQualifier>
<Quantity>500.5</Quantity>
<UOM>EA</UOM>
<DateQualifier>007</DateQualifier>
<Date>20260526</Date>
</Quantity>
<ShipDestinationQty>
<Quantity>250.0</Quantity>
<Uom>EA</Uom>
<DestinationLocationCode>LOC-EAST-01</DestinationLocationCode>
</ShipDestinationQty>
<PartDescription>
<PartDescription>Blue nylon widget, 5-inch, pre-drilled</PartDescription>
<PartDescriptionType>TXN</PartDescriptionType>
</PartDescription>
<DateInformation>
<ReplacementEffective>
<DateCode>007</DateCode>
<Date>20260601</Date>
<Time/>
</ReplacementEffective>
</DateInformation>
</Product>
<Product>
<LineItemNumber>2</LineItemNumber>
<ConfirmedUnitPrice>120.00</ConfirmedUnitPrice>
<Currency>USD</Currency>
<SupplierAssignedPartNumber>VN987654321</SupplierAssignedPartNumber>
<BuyerAssignedPartNumber>BY987654321</BuyerAssignedPartNumber>
<Sku>SKU-XYZ-002</Sku>
<Gtin13>1234567890123</Gtin13>
<ModelNumber>MODEL-ABC-2026</ModelNumber>
<BrandName>Acme Brand</BrandName>
<ProductType>Super Widget</ProductType>
<BuyerColor>Red</BuyerColor>
<Quantity>
<QuantityQualifier>2</QuantityQualifier>
<Quantity>150.0</Quantity>
<UOM>CS</UOM>
<Date>20260526</Date>
</Quantity>
<PartDescription>
<PartDescription>Red super widget, case of 10 units</PartDescription>
</PartDescription>
</Product>
</Inventory>
</InventoryFeed>

11. JSON Example

{
"inventoryFeed": {
"inventory": {
"tradingPartnerId": "SEV2TEST01",
"documentId": "INV-FEED-2026-001",
"senderQualifier": "SE",
"sender": "SEV2TEST01",
"receiverQualifier": "SE",
"receiver": "SEV2TEST02",
"vendorId": "VEND12345",
"creationDateTime": "20260526143001",
"transactionPurposeCode": "00",
"inventoryRefNum": "INV-REF-001",
"purchaseOrderNumber": "123456",
"reportTypeCode": "00",
"warehouse": {
"partyIdentification": "12345-WH",
"partyIdentificationTypeCode": "92",
"name": "Acme Warehouse East",
"streetAddress1": "789 Warehouse Way",
"city": "Newark",
"stateCode": "NJ",
"postalCode": "07101",
"countryCode": "US",
"dockNumber": "DOCK-A1"
},
"supplier": {
"partyIdentification": "54321",
"partyIdentificationTypeCode": "92",
"name": "Widget Supplier Inc",
"streetAddress1": "456 Oak Ave",
"city": "Springfield",
"stateCode": "IL",
"postalCode": "62701",
"countryCode": "US"
},
"product": [
{
"lineItemNumber": 1,
"confirmedUnitPrice": 45.99,
"currency": "USD",
"supplierAssignedPartNumber": "VN123456789",
"buyerAssignedPartNumber": "BY123456789",
"sku": "SKU-ABC-001",
"gtin14": "01234567890123",
"modelNumber": "MODEL-XYZ-2026",
"brandName": "Acme Brand",
"productType": "Widget",
"buyerColor": "Blue",
"quantity": {
"quantityQualifier": "2",
"quantity": 500.5,
"uom": "EA",
"dateQualifier": "007",
"date": "20260526"
},
"shipDestinationQty": {
"quantity": 250.0,
"uom": "EA",
"destinationLocationCode": "LOC-EAST-01"
},
"partDescription": {
"partDescription": "Blue nylon widget, 5-inch, pre-drilled",
"partDescriptionType": "TXN"
},
"dateInformation": {
"replacementEffective": {
"dateCode": "007",
"date": "20260601",
"time": ""
}
}
},
{
"lineItemNumber": 2,
"confirmedUnitPrice": 120.00,
"currency": "USD",
"supplierAssignedPartNumber": "VN987654321",
"buyerAssignedPartNumber": "BY987654321",
"sku": "SKU-XYZ-002",
"gtin13": "1234567890123",
"modelNumber": "MODEL-ABC-2026",
"brandName": "Acme Brand",
"productType": "Super Widget",
"buyerColor": "Red",
"quantity": {
"quantityQualifier": "2",
"quantity": 150.0,
"uom": "CS",
"date": "20260526"
},
"partDescription": {
"partDescription": "Red super widget, case of 10 units"
}
}
]
}
}
}