What is an ASN?
An Advanced Shipping Notice tells you exactly what's on its way — before it arrives. It's the digital heads-up that lets receiving teams prepare, reduces check-in time, and keeps your supply chain running smoothly.
ASN Defined
An ASN (Advanced Shipping Notice), also called an Advance Shipment Notice, is an electronic document sent from a supplier to a buyer prior to shipment delivery. It provides detailed information about the incoming shipment including item descriptions, quantities, packaging details, carrier information, tracking numbers, and expected delivery date.
Think of it as a digital packing list that arrives electronically before the physical goods do — giving your receiving team time to prepare dock space, allocate labor, and pre-enter receipts in your system before the truck even pulls up.
In EDI, an ASN is the 856 transaction set. In cXML, it's transmitted as a ShipNoticeRequest. Both serve the same purpose: keeping the buyer fully informed about what's coming and when.
What an ASN Typically Contains
- Purchase order number and line item references
- Items shipped, quantities, and unit of measure
- Carrier name and tracking number(s)
- Ship date and estimated delivery date
- Package count, weight, and dimensions
- Packing list details (pallet, carton, item hierarchy)
- Any substitutions or partial shipment notes
Why ASNs Matter
Faster Receiving
Receiving teams can pre-stage dock space, assign resources, and pre-enter receipts in the system — turning a 2-hour check-in into 20 minutes.
Better Inventory Control
Know exactly what's inbound before it arrives, allowing accurate inventory planning and fewer stockout surprises.
Faster Invoice Matching
When an ASN is matched to a PO, the 3-way match process is partially pre-completed — speeding up invoice approval and payment.
Supply Chain Visibility
Real-time shipment status keeps operations, procurement, and finance aligned on what's been shipped, received, and what's still outstanding.
ASNs for Diversity Suppliers
For diversity resellers, sending ASNs is an important part of demonstrating they are a genuine, value-adding seller of record rather than a pass-through. When a diversity reseller sends an ASN, it documents their active role in the fulfillment process — visibility that supports diversity spend compliance and protects the reseller from pass-through allegations.
ASNs transmitted through the Provision Connect platform are automatically logged and traceable, giving diversity resellers a clear record of their participation in every shipment — valuable documentation for diversity spend reporting and audits.
How Provision Connect Can Help
Provision Connect supports ASN receipt and transmission via cXML (ShipNoticeRequest) and EDI (856). When suppliers send ASNs through our platform, they're automatically matched to open purchase orders and made available for receiving — reducing manual work and giving your team real-time shipment visibility. Our platform logs every ASN for full audit trail documentation.
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