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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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X12 878 — Product Authorization/De-authorization

The 878 authorizes or de-authorizes a product in a retailer assortment — listed items, delisted items, effective dates — from a buyer to its suppliers.

Purpose

The 878 documents assortment changes: new product listed for sale in a store cluster, existing product de-listed, addition of a new pack, seasonal removal. It operates at the store-item authorization level, the base of order management.

It feeds replenishment and category management. Acknowledged by 997. Typically followed by a 879 (Price Information) if prices change simultaneously.

Envelope structure

The 878 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group PD, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-878.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*RETAILER      *ZZ*SUPPLIER      *260515*0930*U*00401*000000878*0*P*>~
GS*PD*RETAILER*SUPPLIER*20260515*0930*1*X*004010~
ST*878*0001~
BPI*00*PD-2026-9900*20260515~
N1*BY*ACME RETAIL CO*92*0001~
LX*1~
LIN*1*UP*012345678905~
G53*A~
DTM*090*20260601~
LX*2~
LIN*2*UP*012345678912~
G53*D~
DTM*036*20260531~
SE*11*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000878~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, BPI (Beginning Segment for Product Information).
  • Buyer — N1*BY.
  • Items — LX loop: LIN*UP (UPC), G53*A (Authorize) or G53*D (De-authorize), DTM*090 / DTM*036 (effective / expire).
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Store cluster scope: a 878 without store cluster reference applies globally — a global removal of a regional product loses opportunities.
  • Effective date: a de-authorization without DTM*036 is interpreted as "immediate", blocking in-flight orders.
  • Cross-reference UPC vs internal SKU: a retailer often carries an internal SKU; an 878 without cross-reference REF triggers a mismatch.

Documentation

The code 878 and the name Product Authorization/De-authorization are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.