EDI Reference / segments / ISA
ISA

Interchange Control Header

The outermost envelope — sender, receiver, date, control number, and the delimiters for the whole interchange.

Key elements

ElementNameWhat it carries
ISA05/06 Sender Qualifier & ID Who sent it (e.g. ZZ + an agreed ID).
ISA07/08 Receiver Qualifier & ID Who it's for.
ISA13 Interchange Control Number Echoed by the IEA trailer; must match.
ISA15 Usage Indicator P = production, T = test.

Key elements only — the ones that matter in retail trade, not the full element list.

Appears in

850 · Purchase Order 855 · Purchase Order Acknowledgment 856 · Advance Ship Notice (ASN) 810 · Invoice 997 · Functional Acknowledgment 860 · Purchase Order Change 865 · PO Change Acknowledgment 846 · Inventory Inquiry / Advice 832 · Price / Sales Catalog 816 · Organizational Relationships 824 · Application Advice 940 · Warehouse Shipping Order 943 · Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice 944 · Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice 945 · Warehouse Shipping Advice 947 · Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice 204 · Motor Carrier Load Tender 214 · Transportation Carrier Shipment Status 875 · Grocery Products Purchase Order 877 · Manufacturer Coupon Family Code Structure 880 · Grocery Products Invoice

See a real ISA in context — paste any X12 and the Inspector breaks out every segment.

Inspect an X12 free