"ASN Not Downloaded" Defect

What is the "ASN Not Downloaded" Defect? 

The "ASN Not Downloaded" defect is a product of the Phase 1 initiative to improve PO Accuracy for Walmart suppliers in the SQEP program. In many ways, it represents the fundamental defect involved in Phase 1: the capacity of the supplier to maintain compliance with the retailer's orders.

ASNs, also known as EDI 856, are the documents sent from the supplier to the retailer to indicate exactly what is being shipped for each shipment, ASN standing for Advanced Ship Notice. This document is essential for measuring the difference between the PO and what is actually received as well as the difference between what is received and what the supplier claims to have sent.

In the updated Secondary Packaging Supply Chain Standards (SPSCS '23), Walmart defines the "ASN Not Downloaded" defect as "DSDC Only - No ASN sent/ASN failed to download." (For more on DSDC, Direct Store Delivery Consolidation, see this article.) However, as will be covered in the next section, "ASN Not Downloaded" is almost always a timing issue, rather than a document format issue. 

How to Prevent Valid "ASN Not Downloaded" Defects

The key to preventing "ASN Not Downloaded" is to send the ASN before the shipment arrives at the Walmart DC. A good measure to ensure this is to send the ASNs as the trucks are leaving the ship point. This way, it will be extremely unlikely that the problem-if an "ASN Not Downloaded" defect persists-is not merely a timing issue.

In some cases, the "ASN Not Downloaded" defect has had other causes, like EDI or formatting issues or it was never sent in the first place, but the majority of cases that we have seen have indicated a timing issue. 

Can the "ASN Not Downloaded" Defect be Disputed? 

Yes, in HighRadius, just like all other compliance fine disputes at Walmart.

The key to fighting the "ASN Not Downloaded" defect fine is an EDI 997-Accepted Acknowledgement. This shows that Walmart has indeed received the ASN. If the timing is correct (i.e. they acknowledge reception before the shipment arrives), then there should be no problem in winning a dispute through HighRadius.

How to Dispute "ASN Not Downloaded" Defects 

In order to successfully dispute an invalid "ASN not Downloaded" defect, the supplier will need some or all of the following documents:

• A copy of your ASN that was sent to Walmart

• Within the ASN, the BSN-02 Shipment Identification field, which contains a unique identifier of the shipment that the ASN was related to.

• EDI 997 Accepted Acknowledgement:

There may be internal records of the ASN itself in your ERP, but, if not, your EDI provider should be able to provide you with a copy of the ASN as well as the EDI 997 Accepted Acknowledgment. The ASN, BSN 02, and EDI 997 are all used to confirm that an ASN was sent and on time by Walmart's standards.

For any SQEP dispute, the columns for PO Number, Ticket Number, Item Number, and Defect Type need to be filled out. When filing a dispute, fill in the information for "Dispute Reason," "Amount to be Disputed," "Comments" (if applicable), and "Attachment" (for relevant documents). 

More SQEP: Continued Learning and Our Solution

For an exhaustive resource on all things related to SQEP compliance, download our SQEP Handbook.

If you would like more insight into your SQEP performance and a way to quickly and painlessly dispute invalid SQEP fines, schedule a meeting with a member of the SupplyPike team today!