DESADV

What is DESADV?

DESADV stands for Dispatch Advice and refers to an electronic advance shipping notice message based on the EDIFACT standard. It is generated by the supplier or sender and transmitted to the recipient before or at the time of shipment. The goal is to inform the recipient in a timely and structured manner about the contents, structure, and identifiers of a delivery before the goods physically arrive. DESADV is therefore the EDI implementation of what is commonly referred to as an Advance Shipping Notice (ASN).

Contents and Structure

A DESADV message typically contains the following information:

• Sender and recipient data (GLN or other identifiers)
• References to upstream documents such as purchase order numbers or delivery note numbers
• Planned delivery or arrival date
• Hierarchical packaging unit structure: pallet, carton, individual item
• Item numbers, quantities, and units per packaging unit
• SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) for unique identification of loading units
• Batch numbers or serial numbers, where applicable

The granularity of packaging unit information varies depending on the agreement between trading partners. Some DESADV messages provide notification only at the pallet level, while others go down to individual items or batches. This level of detail directly influences the degree of automation at goods receipt.

Practical Application

At goods receipt, a correct DESADV enables automated preparation: the warehouse management system can reserve storage locations, schedule personnel, and — when there is a match between the DESADV and the scanned SSCC — trigger an automatic goods receipt posting. This significantly reduces throughput times and minimizes manual verification effort. In cross-docking scenarios, DESADV is particularly valuable because goods are forwarded directly without being put into storage, and control is based on the pre-advised data.

On the purchasing and supplier management side, DESADV is often established as a contractually agreed obligation in supplier agreements. Data quality, completeness, and transmission timing are critical factors. A DESADV that arrives after goods receipt or contains incorrect quantity information creates clarification effort rather than reducing it.

Key Considerations for Implementation

When introducing or optimizing DESADV processes, you should clarify the following aspects: What level of packaging unit detail is necessary for your process and realistically achievable? How and when will the message be processed in the ERP or WMS, and what actions will it trigger automatically? What quality requirements will be defined for suppliers, and how will deviations be measured and communicated? The technical connection is typically established via EDI converters or middleware platforms that translate EDIFACT messages into internal formats. Depending on the vendor, implementations via API or web portals also exist — these do not technically transmit a classic EDIFACT message, but deliver the same functional result.