Transaction Sequence

A typical sequence of events between a product supplier and product buyer and the associated documents, in chronological order, might be as follows.

1. Both supplier and buyer complete and release mutually-available identification information in a Party document.

2. The supplier sends a catalog of available products to the buyer in an Item document.

3. The buyer acknowledges receipt of the Item document with a Functional Acknowledgement document.

4. The supplier sends a price list for available products to the buyer in a PriceBook document (optional).

5. The buyer acknowledges receipt of the PriceBook document with a Functional Acknowledgement document.

6. The buyer decides to purchase items from the catalog and sends a request for them to the supplier in a Purchase Order document.

7. The supplier acknowledges receipt of the Purchase Order with a Functional Acknowledgement document.

8. The buyer requests the status of their order with a PO Status Request document.

9. The seller provides the status of the order in a PO Status Acknowledgement document.

10. The supplier makes one or more product shipments to the buyer and sends detailed information for each shipment in an Advanced Shipment Notification document.

11. The buyer acknowledges receipt of the Advanced Shipment Notification with a Functional Acknowledgement document.

12. The supplier sends a request for payment to the buyer in an Invoice document.

13. The buyer acknowledges receipt of the Invoice with a Functional Acknowledgement document.

14. The supplier sends a report to the buyer indicating which products have been sold in a SellThrough document (optional).

15. The buyer acknowledges receipt of the SellThrough with a Functional Acknowledgement document.

Below is a diagram of this process, referencing the step/document numbers above.

A typical B2B document transaction sequence