Native DSW EDI inside AIMS360: 850 and 860 in, 997 on receipt, 832 UPC catalog and 856 ASNs with UCC-128 labels out, invoices through Tungsten Network, drop ship on Dsco.
DSW EDI Integration
AIMS360 is a consumer brands ERP with DSW EDI built in. One platform runs your inventory by style, color, size and width and produces every document Designer Brands asks for on a DSW order: 850 orders and 860 changes in, 997 acknowledgments on receipt, 832 UPC catalog, UCC-128 carton labels and 856 ASNs out, with the invoice off the same shipment routed through Tungsten Network. Store and DSW.com business units from one shipment record, and DSW.com drop ship on Dsco. The connection is managed by our EDI team.
What system manages inventory and does EDI with DSW? AIMS360. It runs your inventory and your DSW EDI in one platform: native maps for the 850, 860, 856, 832 and 997 in VICS X12 4010 through the IBM Sterling VAN, UCC-128 carton labels printed from the same shipment record as the ASN, and the ship-to ID on the ASN matching the one DSW sent on the PO, 99999 for stores and 99985 for DSW.com. The 997 goes back the moment a document lands, well inside the 72 business hours DSW allows and the $250 per message it charges when it is late. DSW takes no 810 directly, so the invoice comes off the same shipment and goes through Tungsten Network. DSW.com drop ship runs separately on Dsco, which AIMS360 has connected to over EDI for years. You do not pair AIMS360 with SPS Commerce, TrueCommerce or another EDI network.
DSW EDI Documents
Built from the same ERP records that run your inventory, warehouse and accounting, so the label on the carton, the ASN and the invoice describe the same shipment.
| Transaction | What it does for DSW |
|---|---|
| EDI 850 purchase order | DSW transmits the order in VICS X12 4010 and AIMS360 imports it as a sales order, validated against your catalog at the UPC level. The N104 on the PO carries the ship-to ID, 99999 for the store business and 99985 for DSW.com, and that same ID has to come back on the ASN. Import POs carry separate seller and factory names in the N1 loop for UFLPA, and DSW asks you to confirm them. |
| EDI 860 purchase order change | DSW changes orders by 860 rather than reissuing the 850. AIMS360 applies the change to the open order and acknowledges it, because an 860 has the same 72 business hour 997 clock as the original PO. |
| EDI 997 acknowledgment | At DSW the 997 does the job the 855 does elsewhere. Every 850 and 860 has to be acknowledged within 72 business hours, and a late, missing or unusable 997 costs $250 per message. AIMS360 generates the outbound 997 the moment the document lands, so the technical window is met before anyone has looked at the order. |
| EDI 832 UPC catalog | DSW is one of the few retailers that lists the 832 as a required transaction. Your UPC data has to be in the catalog within 15 business days of the PO, either through OpenText GXS or InterTrade or by direct 832 transmission, and it is $100 per message when a UPC is missing. AIMS360 builds the 832 from the same style, color and size record that runs everything else. |
| EDI 856 ship notice (ASN) | Carton-level notice carrying the SSCC-18 from the UCC-128 label, sent 48 hours before delivery or at the moment the freight is released to the carrier. One ASN per shipment per location, and DSW.com POs go under their own ASN. Missing or late is $7.50 per carton with a $50 minimum per PO. |
| EDI 810 invoice | Not sent to DSW directly. The EDI section still lists the 810 as a future document, and DSW says outright that it takes no electronic invoice data straight from suppliers. Merchandise invoices go through Tungsten Network, by web form or by EDI routed through Tungsten, one invoice per PO per shipment. AIMS360 produces the invoice off the shipment either way. Drop ship is the exception, covered below. |
| EDI 855 acknowledgment | Also on DSW's future list, not in the live set. There is no business acknowledgment for a DSW bulk PO, which is why the 997 carries the weight and the penalty. |
| UCC-128 shipping label | Four by six inches recommended, 20 digit SSCC-18 in UCC-128 symbology, ANSI grade A or B, on the length side of the carton. Printed from the same shipment record that produced the ASN, so the SSCC DSW scans is the SSCC DSW received. |
Vendor Requirements
Designer Brands publishes the DSW vendor manual openly in fourteen sections and revises them one at a time. The figures below come from the EDI, routing and chargeback sections revised July and August 2025, and the packing, carton and ticketing sections revised 2023 to 2025. Nothing here comes from memory.
| Requirement | What DSW expects |
|---|---|
| 997 timing | Acknowledge every 850 and 860 within 72 business hours. DSW also expects you to reconcile or research every 997 it sends you within 24 business hours, and to request a retransmission by email within 24 business hours when an inbound document fails. If a third party sends your EDI, DSW makes you responsible for that provider reviewing every 997. |
| ASN timing | Transmit the 856 48 hours before the merchandise arrives, or at the time it is released to the transportation provider. An ASN that lands after the freight is charged back. DSW purges ASNs from its system after six months, so a late reconciliation is on you. |
| Ship-to IDs | The ship-to ID in the N104 of the 856 must match the N104 on the 850 or 860. Business unit 29, DSW stores, is ID 99999 at 4150 E Fifth Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. Business unit 58, DSW.com, is ID 99985 at 32 Springside Road, Westampton, New Jersey. Mixed shipments put every business unit 58 PO under its own ASN. |
| One location per PO | DSW cannot receive one PO from two ship-from locations and requires a single ASN per shipment and location. If you ship from more than one warehouse, the buyer has to split the PO first. |
| UPC catalog | 12 digit UPCs only. DSW cannot use 13 digit EANs, will not accept a reused GTIN, and wants the vendor style, NRF color and size codes and pack codes loaded within 15 business days of the PO through GXS, InterTrade or direct 832. |
| UCC-128 label | Four by six recommended, on the length side. Ship from, ship to (DSW Retail DC or DSW.com FC), PO number, SKU, prepack code, size run and quantity, business unit 29 or 58, and carton x of x, with a 20 digit SSCC-18 that scans at ANSI A or B. Duplicate SSCCs, missing labels, wrong placement and unreadable barcodes are each $7.50 per carton. |
| Carton spec | 16 to 34 inches long, 12 to 28 wide, 8 to 24 high, 5 to 60 pounds, 200 pound burst or 32 ECT board. Taped the full length of the opening and three inches over each end, no staples. Bands, straps, shrink wrap, string and wire are prohibited at $5 per carton. |
| Packing by PO type | Unit and URI orders pack one style, color, size and dimension per carton. Prepacked and solid sized orders pack to the pair quantity on the PO, with any remainder packed solid in a marked non standard carton. Never mix POs, styles, colors or dimensions in a carton: $25 per carton for a second PO, $50 for a second size or a second style. |
| UPC tickets | The UPC label sits in the lower right corner of the small side of the shoe box, scannable, human readable, with size and width and color, half sizes as a fraction. Missing or wrong tickets are $150 plus 50 cents a unit. |
| Routing | Routing requests go on the DSW Excel template to the traffic desk, no sooner than seven calendar days before the start ship date and no later than midnight Eastern on the cancel date. Loads come back on a Shipper Load Report with a TMS ID, and pickup has to happen within three business days of the load details. |
| Bill of lading | Ship-to exactly as the Shipper Load Report shows it, billed to Data2Logistics care of DSW, with the TMS ID on the BOL before the carrier leaves. The shipper is responsible for the piece count, and a signed copy goes to the traffic desk within 24 hours of pickup. Handwritten is $50, missing or inaccurate is $150. |
| Freight terms | Collect is the standard, with DSW routing the freight. Prepaid direct ship needs the buyer's approval on the PO. Small parcel moves FedEx Ground third party prepaid with the DSW PO in the PO Reference field and the TMS ID in the Your Reference field. Pallets need pre-approval on the routing form, and business unit 58 freight loads on the tail of the trailer. |
| VAN | DSW trades through the IBM Sterling VAN and processes files once an hour, around the clock. Change your VAN or your EDI ID without telling DSW and IBM and it is $250 per message that fails. |
Figures come from the Designer Brands vendor compliance manual for DSW and DSW.com, sections 2 through 12, as published on the Designer Brands vendor site, and from the DSW drop ship program reminders revised October 2024. DSW revises sections independently and the chargeback schedule moved in August 2025, so confirm against the current copy before you rely on any number here.
DSW EDI Workflow
One loop, one system, and a clock that starts the moment the 850 lands.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Order arrives | The 850 lands from the IBM Sterling VAN and becomes a sales order, validated against your catalog at the UPC level, with the ship-to ID and business unit read off the N104. An 860 later in the window is applied to the same order. |
| 2. Acknowledge | AIMS360 returns the 997 on receipt. The 72 business hour clock DSW puts on it never gets close. |
| 3. Catalog check | Every UPC on the order is confirmed against what DSW has in its catalog, whether that went through GXS, InterTrade or a direct 832, because a UPC DSW cannot find delays PO entry and costs $100 a message. |
| 4. Routing request | Submitted on the DSW template inside the window, seven calendar days before start ship at the earliest and midnight Eastern on the cancel date at the latest. The Shipper Load Report comes back with a TMS ID and a carrier. |
| 5. Pick, pack, ship | The built-in warehouse module packs to the PO type, one style, color, size and dimension per carton on unit orders, prepack quantities on prepacked orders, and prints one UCC-128 label per carton from the shipment record with the business unit on it. |
| 6. Bill of lading | Printed with the ship-to from the Shipper Load Report, the TMS ID, the PO numbers and the piece count, billed to Data2Logistics. A signed copy goes to the traffic desk within 24 hours. |
| 7. ASN | The 856 transmits at shipment close, carton by carton with the SSCC-18s, the ship-to ID matching the PO, business unit 58 POs on their own ASN, 48 hours before the freight arrives. |
| 8. Invoice | The invoice comes off the same shipment, one per PO per shipment, with a unique non recycling number and the pair and carton counts DSW asks for, and goes to DSW through Tungsten Network rather than as an 810 to DSW directly. |
Native vs Bolted On
Short answer, no. DSW's own guide explains why a middle party does not help you here.
The 997 goes out when the 850 comes in, the UCC-128 label and the ASN come off one shipment record, and the invoice comes off the same record. When DSW scans a carton in Columbus, the SSCC on the box and the SSCC in the file were never two pieces of data.
Our EDI team runs the connection, the IBM Sterling interconnect, the maps and the test cycle with the DSW EDI group.
DSW's own guide puts the responsibility on you: a vendor using a third party EDI service must make sure that provider is reviewing every 997 DSW sends. At $250 per unacknowledged message, that is not a clause to leave to a support queue.
Put a network in front of an ERP with no native EDI and the ASN is only as accurate as the last sync between them.
DSW Programs
Four ways a DSW purchase order can move, and the invoice rule that sits underneath the first three.
Business unit 29. DSW routes the freight collect through its traffic desk and TMS, and it lands at the Columbus, Ohio DC or one of the third party facilities DSW uses in Litchfield Park, Arizona and Pomona, California. Ship-to ID 99999 on the PO, the ASN and the label.
Business unit 58. Same EDI set, different destination: ship-to ID 99985 in Westampton, New Jersey, its own ASN even when it shares a truck, its freight on the tail of the trailer, and accessories individually packaged with a scannable UPC on the polybag.
You choose the carrier and pay the freight, with prepaid set as the PO FOB and approved by the buyer. Small parcel moves FedEx Ground on DSW's third party account with the PO number and TMS ID in the reference fields. Get the FOB wrong at routing and it is $500.
A different program on a different platform. DSW drop ship runs on Dsco, inside Rithum: 850 in 5010, 856, 810 and a daily 846 by 8:30 pm Eastern, 870 optional. Ship in 24 to 48 hours with 98 percent of units inside the SLA, cancellations under 2 percent of imported units a week, invoice within 24 hours of shipping, FedEx Home Delivery on DSW's account, and paperless since January 2022. AIMS360 has run Dsco programs over EDI for years.
One thing to keep straight: the invoice. Bulk and direct ship invoices go to DSW through Tungsten Network, not as an 810 to DSW. Drop ship invoices go as an 810 through Dsco, within 24 hours of shipping. AIMS360 produces both off the shipment, and the trading partner setup decides which route each one takes.
One Stock Record
DSW runs around 500 stores in the US plus DSW.com, and it wants each PO from one place, complete, on one ASN. So the useful number is not what you have in total, it is what one warehouse can put on one truck for one business unit.
| Situation | What AIMS360 does |
|---|---|
| Two business units, one truck | Store POs and DSW.com POs can share a pickup, but each business unit 58 PO carries its own ASN and its own ship-to ID. AIMS360 splits the ASNs by ship-to at shipment close instead of leaving it to whoever is on the dock. |
| More than one warehouse | DSW cannot receive one PO from two locations. AIMS360 shows availability across every location, allocates the whole PO to the warehouse that can ship it complete, and flags the order for the buyer to split when none can. |
| A 3PL holding stock | Integrated 3PL locations feed the same record, so the carton count and weight on the routing form are real. DSW charges $1,500 when case or weight information turns out to be wrong, plus the freight difference. |
| Drop ship availability | The daily 846 to Dsco comes off the same stock record as your bulk allocations. DSW holds back 5 units per UPC as safety stock, so anything under 6 visible units is effectively zero on DSW.com. |
| Selling the other footwear chains | The same pool feeds DSW, Zappos, Boot Barn, Dick's and the rest without a separate inventory file per retailer. Each one is its own trading partner with its own guide, and AIMS360 treats them that way. |
Managed Onboarding
Our EDI team builds the connection and tests it with the DSW EDI group. You supply the vendor number, the buyer's PO instructions and your Tungsten Network registration.
| Stage | What we do |
|---|---|
| Before kickoff | Pull the current sections of the Designer Brands vendor manual, confirm which business units and programs you are approved for, and confirm your EDI contact, because DSW emails that person when a file fails and expects an answer inside 24 business hours. |
| Setup | Build the customer account with the ship-to cross reference for 99999 and 99985, packing rules by PO type, the UCC-128 label with business unit and prepack code, FOB, carrier SCACs, and the IBM Sterling trading partnership. |
| Catalog | Load styles, colors, sizes and pack codes with NRF codes and 12 digit UPCs, then push them to GXS or InterTrade or by direct 832 inside the 15 business day window. |
| Label proof | Get the UCC-128 label approved against the published spec before volume starts. Label errors are per carton, and they add up on a footwear PO. |
| Testing | Test the 850, 860, 997 and 856 end to end with the DSW EDI group, including a mixed shipment that puts the DSW.com PO on its own ASN. |
| Invoicing | Point merchandise invoices at Tungsten Network, web form or EDI through Tungsten, one invoice per PO per shipment. If you are approved for drop ship, set up the Dsco connection separately with its own 810. |
| Go live | Watch the first routing request through Shipper Load Report, pickup, ASN and invoice, then check the first remittance for deductions. |
| After | Track section revisions. DSW revised the EDI and routing sections in July 2025 and the chargeback schedule in August 2025, and the numbers on this page move with them. |
We keep emergency EDI support running around the clock, because a 997 that is due within 72 business hours is not a next week problem.
DSW EDI FAQ
The 997 clock, the missing 810, the two ship-to IDs, and what the chargeback schedule actually says.
AIMS360. It is a consumer brands ERP with DSW EDI built in: the 850 purchase order and 860 change in, the 997 acknowledgment on receipt, the 832 UPC catalog and the 856 ship notice with UCC-128 carton labels out, and the invoice off the same shipment routed to DSW through Tungsten Network. Inventory, warehouse and EDI are one system, so the ASN is generated from the shipment your warehouse just closed. Our own EDI team runs the connection and the IBM Sterling VAN interconnect.
For the bulk business: 850 purchase order, 860 purchase order change, 856 ship notice, 832 UPC catalog and 997 functional acknowledgment, in VICS X12 4010 through the IBM Sterling VAN. The 810 invoice and 855 acknowledgment are on DSW's future list and not in the live set. DSW.com drop ship is a separate program on Dsco with its own document set.
Not directly. DSW says it takes no electronic invoice data straight from suppliers. Merchandise invoices go through Tungsten Network, either by web form or as EDI routed through Tungsten, one invoice per PO per shipment, and paper is accepted only while you register. The EDI section of the vendor manual still lists the 810 as a future document. Drop ship orders are different and are invoiced by 810 through Dsco within 24 hours of shipping.
Within 72 business hours of receiving the 850 or the 860, and a late, missing or unusable 997 is $250 per message. AIMS360 generates the outbound 997 the moment the document arrives, without waiting for anyone to process the order underneath it.
48 hours before the merchandise arrives, or at the time the freight is released to the carrier. An 856 received after delivery is charged back at $7.50 per carton with a $50 minimum per PO, and the same applies when the ASN is missing or unusable. One ASN per shipment per location, and DSW.com POs go on their own ASN.
Business unit 29, DSW stores, is ship-to ID 99999 at the distribution center at 4150 E Fifth Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43219. Business unit 58, DSW.com, is ship-to ID 99985 at the fulfillment center at 32 Springside Road, Westampton, New Jersey 08060. The ID in the N104 of your 856 has to match the N104 DSW sent on the 850 or 860.
A four by six label on the length side of the carton carrying a 20 digit SSCC-18 in UCC-128 symbology that scans at ANSI grade A or B, plus ship from, ship to, PO number, SKU, prepack code, size run and quantity, business unit 29 or 58, and carton x of x. Duplicate numbers, missing labels, wrong placement and unreadable barcodes are $7.50 per carton each.
The August 2025 schedule lists $7.50 per carton with a $50 minimum per PO for a missing, late or unusable ASN, $7.50 per carton for UCC-128 label errors and for missing carton marks, $150 plus 50 cents a unit for UPC ticket errors, $250 per message for a late or missing 997, $100 per message when a PO or change is not handled through EDI, and $100 per message for a UPC missing from the catalog. Requests for the documentation behind a chargeback have to be made within 60 days.
No. The 855 is on DSW's future list, not in the live set. The 997 functional acknowledgment is the only acknowledgment DSW gets for a bulk PO, which is why it carries a 72 business hour deadline and a $250 per message penalty. Substitutions of style or color still need the buyer's approval before you ship.
Because DSW enters and receives against your UPCs, and it wants them in its catalog within 15 business days of the PO. You can load them through OpenText GXS or InterTrade or send an 832 directly. DSW uses 12 digit UPCs only, cannot handle 13 digit EANs, and will not accept a reused GTIN. A missing UPC is $100 per message and delays PO entry.
You send the routing request on DSW's Excel template to the traffic desk no sooner than seven calendar days before the start ship date and no later than midnight Eastern on the cancel date. DSW returns a Shipper Load Report with a TMS ID and an assigned carrier, usually within two business days, and pickup has to happen within three business days of the load details. Collect is the standard. Prepaid direct ship needs buyer approval, and pallets need pre-approval on the form.
Yes, for DSW.com, and it runs on Dsco inside Rithum rather than through the bulk EDI connection. The documents are the 850 in 5010, 856, 810 and a daily 846 by 8:30 pm Eastern, with the 870 optional. DSW wants orders shipped in 24 to 48 hours with 98 percent of units inside the SLA, an adjusted fill rate of 98 percent or better, cancellations under 2 percent of imported units a week, and the invoice within 24 hours of shipping. Shipping is FedEx Home Delivery on DSW's account, and the program has been paperless since January 2022. AIMS360 connects to Dsco over EDI from the same order and inventory record.
No. The DSW maps are native to AIMS360 and managed by our EDI team, including the trading partnership with the IBM Sterling VAN. DSW's guide makes a vendor using a third party EDI service responsible for that service reviewing every 997 DSW sends, so a separate provider adds a party without removing the liability.
We do. The maps belong to us, so a revision is our work rather than a project for your team. Designer Brands revises the DSW manual section by section, most recently the EDI and routing sections in July 2025 and the chargeback policy in August 2025, and the label, carton and packing rules move with them.
See AIMS360 acknowledge the PO, close a shipment, print the UCC-128 label and send the ASN with the right ship-to ID.
