What is an EDI number?

An EDI number usually means a GS1 Global Location Number (GLN): a unique code that identifies a business location, such as a warehouse or head office, inside electronic trading messages. Retailers, suppliers and EDI providers also use the term loosely for an EDI ID, a supplier number or a qualifier, so check which one your trading partner actually needs.

The confusion is understandable. EDI, GS1 and individual retailers each use their own terminology, and the same phrase gets applied to codes that have nothing to do with each other. The table below sorts the common meanings, and the rest of this guide covers the identifiers that matter for UK trading in detail.

Which EDI number do you mean?

Searches for "EDI number" cover several different codes. Before you go further, check which one your trading partner, retailer or system is actually asking for.

The identifiers used in EDI

A single EDI message, such as a purchase order or invoice, can carry several identifiers at once. Each one answers a different question: which company, which location, which product or which shipment. Understanding what EDI is makes the numbering easier to follow, because every identifier exists to let computers route a message without a person reading it first.

In UK retail supply chains, a large retailer or grocery group may hold thousands of GLNs, one for every distribution centre, store and department, alongside a separate GTIN for every product line it stocks. That scale is exactly why the identifiers need to be consistent and machine readable rather than typed in by hand.

Where each number appears in a message

Every EDI message starts with an interchange header, and this is where your EDI ID and your trading partner's EDI ID sit, each one tagged with a qualifier. Inside the message itself, GLNs mark the ship-to, bill-to and deliver-to locations, so a single purchase order can point to three different addresses without spelling any of them out.

Product lines carry the GTIN for each item ordered. When goods are despatched, the advance shipping notice tells the retailer what is on its way, and the SSCC on each pallet lets the warehouse match the physical delivery to that notice automatically.

Take a simple order flow. A retailer's buying system sends a purchase order carrying its own GLN as the buyer and your GLN as the seller, plus your supplier number for their internal reference. Your system replies with an order acknowledgement using the same identifiers, then raises an invoice referencing the same GLNs once the goods have shipped, so every document in the exchange traces back to the same locations automatically.

How to get an EDI number

Registering a GLN with GS1 UK

If you do not already have a GLN, you register for one through GS1 UK. Registration gives your organisation a GS1 prefix, from which you generate a GLN for each location and a GTIN for each product line, using GS1's own numbering rules. Most retailers will not add you to their trading network without one, so it is usually the first identifier a new supplier needs.

Registration is done online, and GS1 UK asks for your company details before allocating a prefix. Once you have it, generating individual GLNs and GTINs is a case of following GS1's numbering structure rather than applying again for each one, so a single registration supports your whole business as it grows and adds locations or products.

Who issues the other identifiers

• Your EDI ID comes from your EDI provider when you are set up on the trading network, not from GS1.
• Your supplier or vendor number is set by each retailer or hub, so you will have a different one for every trading partner.
• GTINs are generated from the same GS1 company prefix as your GLNs, so one registration covers locations and products.
• SSCCs are generated by whoever despatches the shipment, usually you or your warehouse, using your GS1 prefix.

None of these identifiers are interchangeable. Using the wrong one in the wrong field, or the right number with the wrong qualifier, is one of the most common reasons a new trading connection fails its first round of tests.

Finding the numbers you already have

Your GLN and GTINs sit in your GS1 UK account. Your EDI ID and qualifiers are set out in the onboarding documentation your EDI provider gave you when you connected. Supplier or vendor numbers usually appear on the purchase orders a retailer sends you, or in their supplier portal. If you cannot locate one, your EDI provider can usually confirm it from your existing account setup, rather than you having to contact every retailer individually. If you trade with UK retailers already on EDI, our directory of UK retailers on EDI is a useful starting point for seeing which retailers trade by EDI.

What happens if an EDI number is wrong

A wrong or missing GLN, EDI ID or GTIN stops a message routing correctly. Orders can be rejected outright, sent to the wrong location, or matched to the wrong product line, which then holds up picking, despatch and invoicing.

• A mismatched GLN on a purchase order is one of the most common reasons a new EDI connection fails testing before it goes live.
• An incorrect qualifier can make an otherwise valid identifier unreadable to the receiving system, even though the number itself is correct.
• A wrong SSCC on a pallet label can cause a warehouse to reject an entire delivery rather than just the affected line.

Because these errors happen inside automated processes, they are not always obvious until a delivery fails or an invoice is queried. Transalis DataTrack™ gives you visibility into individual messages, so you can see where an identifier does not match and correct it before it causes a bigger problem further down the chain.

How an EDI provider sets your numbers up for you

You do not need to manage every identifier yourself. As part of onboarding, a good EDI provider maps your GLNs, EDI ID, qualifiers and trading partner numbers into your system once, then keeps them consistent across every message you send.

Transalis OpenEDI™ connects you to more than 15,000 live trading connections on a fixed-cost basis, with no per-transaction or VAN charges. You can connect as a browser-based service with no integration, as EDI built into your ERP or accounting system, or as a fully managed service across a large trading network, all on the same connection.

During onboarding, your provider will usually run test messages with each new trading partner to confirm every GLN, EDI ID and qualifier is correct before you go live. This is the point at which most numbering errors are caught and fixed, well before they can affect a real order. Our guide to onboarding with an EDI provider covers what to expect when you get connected.