855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment on Approval
What Is Conditional Acceptance?
In EDI, an 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment tells your trading partner that you accept (or reject) their 850 Purchase Order. By default, Luminous can send the 855 automatically as soon as an EDI order posts.
Conditional acceptance means you hold the 855 until a person reviews and approves the order first. After approval, Luminous sends the 855 to confirm acceptance to your partner.
This is useful when you need a human to verify pricing, quantities, ship dates, or customer-specific rules before committing to the PO.
How It Works (Three Settings Together)
Three pieces work together. All three are required for the full flow:
| Piece | Purpose |
| 1. Channel setting — turn off auto-send 855 | Stops Luminous from sending the 855 immediately when the order posts |
| 2. Approval rule | Routes matching EDI orders to an approver before fulfillment proceeds |
| 3. Automation rule | Sends the 855 when the order is approved |
Flow overview:
EDI 850 arrives
→ Order posts
→ Approval rule assigns approver (855 NOT sent yet)
→ Approver reviews order
→ Approver clicks Approve
→ Automation sends EDI 855
→ Fulfillment continues
If any piece is missing, the 855 may never send, or it may send too early.
Before You Start
• The sales channel must be an EDI pull-orders channel (orders come in via EDI 850).
• You need admin access to Channels, Settings → Approvals, and Tools → Automation.
• Decide who should approve orders (one person or a small team).
• Decide which orders need approval — typically scoped to a specific EDI channel (for example, one trading partner).
Step 1: Turn Off Auto-Send 855 on the Channel
1. Go to Manage → Channels.
2. Open the EDI channel you want to hold for approval.
3. In the channel settings, find Auto-send EDI 855.
4. Turn the toggle off.
This setting means: do not automatically send an 855 when an EDI sales order posts.
Important: If this toggle is left on (or never configured), Luminous may send the 855 as soon as the order posts — before anyone has a chance to review it. Orders that are pending approval are blocked from auto-send, but turning this off is still recommended so behavior is consistent for your channel.
Step 2: Create an Approval User Template
An approval user template defines who can approve orders.
1. Go to Settings → Approval User Templates.
2. Click Create Approval User Template.
3. Enter a name (for example, Grainger EDI Approvals).
4. Add the staff member(s) who should approve orders.
5. Save.
You can reuse an existing template if the right people are already assigned.
Step 3: Create an Approval Rule
An approval rule defines which orders require approval.
1. Go to Settings → Approval Rules.
2. Click Create Approval Rule.
3. Fill in the form:
| Field | What to Choose |
| Name | A descriptive name (for example, Grainger EDI Approvals) |
| Model | Sales Order |
| Approver User Template | The template you created in Step 2 |
| Logical Operator | AND or OR (required — pick either one if you only have a single condition) |
| Condition | Channel → operator Equal To → select your EDI channel |
4. Click Save.
When a new sales order matches the condition, Luminous creates a pending approval and notifies the assigned approver(s) by email.
Scoping Tips
• One trading partner per rule: Use a Channel condition so only that partner’s orders require approval.
• All EDI orders: Use a Source condition equal to edi instead of (or in addition to) a channel filter.
• Multiple conditions: Use AND when all conditions must match; use OR when any condition is enough.
Step 4: Create the Automation Rule (Send 855 on Approval)
When an approver approves the order, Luminous must send the 855. That is handled by an automation rule — not by the channel auto-send setting.
1. Go to Tools → Automation.
2. Click Create Rule (opens the workflow builder).
3. Configure the rule:
Trigger
| Setting | Value |
| Workflow name | Something clear (for example, Send EDI 855 on Approval) |
| Status | Active |
| Event trigger | Order Updated |
Use Order Updated, not Order Created. Approval fires an order-updated event when someone approves.
Conditions (Both Required)
Add two global conditions. All conditions must pass:
Condition 1 — Approval Status
| Setting | Value |
| Condition type | Approval Status (not “Property Value”) |
| Operator | Equal To / EQ |
| Value | Approved |
Condition 2 — Has Not Performed Rule
| Setting | Value |
| Condition type | Has Not Performed Rule (may appear as Action History in the workflow builder) |
| Purpose | Prevents the automation from sending duplicate 855s if the order is updated again later |
Workflow builder tip: If you use AI Generate, review the conditions carefully. The generator sometimes creates a “Property Value” condition with field approval_status, which is invalid. Delete that condition and add Approval Status from the condition type list instead.
Action
| Setting | Value |
| Action type | Send EDI 855 |
| Additional configuration | None required |
4. Click Save Changes.
Optional: Notify Approvers When a New EDI Order Arrives
Approval emails tell approvers that action is needed, but many teams also want a separate “new order” notification.
You may already have an Order Created automation that emails your team when orders arrive on a given channel. That notification and the approval flow work well together:
• Order Created automation → “A new order arrived — please review.”
• Approval rule → Creates the formal approval task for the approver.
• Order Updated automation → Sends the 855 after approval.
What Approvers See
1. An EDI order posts and matches your approval rule.
2. The order shows a pending approval status.
3. The approver receives an email with a link to approve or reject.
4. The approver opens the sales order, reviews line items, pricing, and ship-to details.
5. The approver clicks Approve.
6. The automation sends the EDI 855 to the trading partner.
7. Fulfillment can proceed (pick, pack, ship, ASN, invoice, and so on).
If the approver rejects the order, the 855 automation does not run. Handle rejection according to your trading partner agreement (contact buyer, cancel lines, and so on).
Verify Your Setup
Use this checklist before go-live:
| Check | Expected | |
| Channel Auto-send EDI 855 | Off for the EDI channel | |
| Approval rule | Active, scoped to the correct channel or source | |
| Approval user template | Assigned to the correct approver(s) | |
| Automation trigger | Order Updated | |
| Automation conditions | Approval Status = Approved AND Has Not Performed Rule | |
| Automation action | Send EDI 855 | |
| Automation status | Active |
Test with a Real or Test 850
• Send a test 850 on the channel (or wait for a live order).
• Confirm the order posts with pending approval and no 855 is sent.
• Approve the order as the assigned approver.
• Confirm an 855 outbound EDI document is created (check the order’s EDI activity or your EDI report).
• Confirm the trading partner receives the acknowledgment.
Troubleshooting
The 855 Sent Immediately When the Order Posted
• Auto-send EDI 855 is still on for that channel. Turn it off (Step 1).
• The order did not match your approval rule, so no approval was created. Review the approval rule conditions.
The 855 Never Sent After Approval
• The automation rule is missing, paused, or misconfigured.
• Trigger is Order Created instead of Order Updated — change it to Order Updated.
• The Approval Status condition uses the wrong type (Property Value instead of Approval Status) or wrong value — use Approved.
• Has Not Performed Rule is missing and the action already ran once — add the condition.
• The automation is not Active.
The Order Did Not Require Approval
• The approval rule condition does not match (wrong channel, wrong operator, or missing Logical Operator on the rule form).
• The approval rule was deleted or soft-deleted.
• The approver user template has no active users assigned.
Duplicate 855s Sent
• Add or verify the Has Not Performed Rule condition on the automation.
• Check for a second automation or channel setting also sending 855 on the same event.
Approver Did Not Receive Email
• Confirm the user has a valid email address in Manage → Staff.
• Check spam filters.
• Confirm the user is assigned to the approval user template linked to the rule.
Related Documentation
• EDI Processing Workflow — inbound/outbound EDI documents, including 855
• Automation System Guide — full reference for triggers, conditions, and actions