EDI 940 / 945 — Warehouse Shipping Order & Shipping Confirmation (2025 Fulfillment Execution Standard) Updated Dec 2025

EDI 940 (Warehouse Shipping Order) is an electronic instruction sent from an Order Management System (OMS) or ERP to a warehouse or Third-Party Logistics (3PL) provider. It authorizes the warehouse to pick, pack, and ship specific orders, typically including ship-to address, ship method, and line-item SKU quantities.

EDI 945 (Warehouse Shipping Advice / Shipping Confirmation) is the execution response sent back from the warehouse Warehouse Management System (WMS) to the OMS/ERP after shipping. It confirms what actually shipped (line-item quantities) and commonly includes shipment identifiers and carrier/tracking details when they are available at confirmation time.

EDI 940 / 945 is most valuable when an OMS must issue clear warehouse instructions and receive a dependable confirmation record. It is widely used in ecommerce fulfillment, retail distribution, and 3PL operations where auditability and consistency matter.

• Shopify + 3PL fulfillment: OMS releases orders to a warehouse via 940; WMS confirms shipment via 945 so customers receive accurate shipping status and tracking.
• Multi-warehouse fulfillment: An OMS routes orders based on inventory allocation and carrier cutoff times, then reconciles confirmations across sites. See Multi-warehouse Fulfillment.
• High-volume batch shipping: 940/945 is commonly used to reduce operational variance when real-time APIs create ordering, retry, or rate-limit issues.
• B2B and retail distribution: Order release and shipment confirmation records support downstream invoice matching, claims handling, and compliance audits.

Most EDI 940/945 failures are not “EDI formatting” problems. They come from missing alignment on how orders are released, how confirmations are triggered, and how exceptions are represented between the OMS and WMS.

• Lock a shared SKU identity: Ensure OMS and WMS agree on SKU, UPC/EAN (if used), and pack configuration to avoid shipped-vs-ordered mismatches.
• Define idempotency for 940: Establish resend rules so duplicate 940 transmissions do not generate duplicate pick work or duplicate shipments.
• Make partial shipments explicit: If split shipments or backorders can happen, define how 945 reports them and how the OMS updates customers.
• Standardize carrier and service mapping: Align carrier codes and ship methods so “2-Day” or “Expedited” means the same thing across systems.
• Clarify tracking availability timing: Decide whether 945 must include tracking at confirmation time, or whether tracking can arrive later via API Integration or Webhook.
• Monitor the loop: Alert on “940 sent but no 945 received” within a defined time window, and “945 received without tracking” by carrier/service level.

Even if your EDI exchange is “connected,” operational details can still break fulfillment outcomes. These are common failure modes teams should design for:

• Duplicate 940 releases: Duplicate pick tasks, double shipments, forced cancellations, and inventory reconciliation churn.
• 945 delayed or missing: Inventory is not deducted on time, customer notifications fail, and marketplace tracking compliance can degrade.
• SKU mapping mismatches: Shipped confirmations cannot reconcile with orders, causing claims, returns disputes, and support escalations.
• Partial shipment not represented: Customers see “shipped” but receive only part of the order, driving negative feedback and ticket volume.
• Tracking gaps: Tracking numbers are missing, incorrect, or tied to the wrong carrier/service, leading to late tracking uploads and SLA risk.

A common confusion is mixing outbound execution messages (940/945) with inbound shipment notices (856). If you are also working on inbound receiving, see: EDI 856 / ASN.

• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• EDI 856 / ASN
• Order Management System (OMS)
• Warehouse Management System (WMS)
• Pick & Pack
• Inventory Snapshot
• Multi-warehouse Fulfillment
• Order Routing Rules
• Webhook
• API Integration

• Duplicate EDI 940 Release
• Missing EDI 945 Confirmation
• SKU Mapping Mismatch
• Partial Shipment Mismatch
• Tracking Number Gap