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My ISA qualifier is wrong — How do I update it in Orderful? or My partner ISA Qualifier is wrong — How to Fix When Trading Partners Reject Your Transactions

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Written by Amelie Roux
Updated today

Audience: EDI developers, B2B integration teams, trading partner technical contacts

When to use this article: Your trading partner or VAN is reporting that your ISA05 or ISA07 qualifier doesn't match what they expect, causing them to reject your EDI transmissions before they even validate the transaction data. This article walks you through diagnosing and fixing qualifier mismatches.

What ISA Qualifiers Are and Why They Matter

Every EDI interchange starts with an ISA segment that identifies the sender and receiver. Each party has two components:

  • ISA ID — Your unique identifier (like 005042841 or MYCOMPANYID)

  • Qualifier — A 2-character code that tells systems what type of ID you're using

The most common qualifiers are:

  • 01 — DUNS number

  • 02 — SCAC (Standard Carrier Alpha Code)

  • 12 — Phone number format

  • 14 — DUNS+4

  • ZZ — Mutually defined (custom ID)

When your trading partner receives a transaction with the wrong qualifier, their system rejects it immediately — often before validating any of the actual business data. You might see errors like "Unknown sender qualifier" or "ISA qualifier mismatch" from their system.

How Orderful Handles Qualifiers

For inbound transactions (coming to you): Orderful ignores the qualifier and routes based solely on your ISA ID. A wrong qualifier on incoming transactions won't break routing to your account.

For outbound transactions (going from you): Orderful uses the qualifier configured on your account to build the ISA05 field in every transaction you send. If this qualifier is wrong, your trading partner's system will reject your transactions at the interchange level.

This means qualifier mismatches are typically an outbound problem — your partner is rejecting transactions you're sending to them.

How to Diagnose a Qualifier Issue

Step 1 — Confirm you have a qualifier mismatch

Look for these symptoms:

  • Your trading partner reports "wrong qualifier" or "unknown sender"

  • Transactions fail immediately without detailed validation errors

  • The partner specifically mentions ISA05 or ISA07 in their error message

  • All transactions to this partner fail, not just specific transaction types

Step 2 — Identify your current qualifier

  1. In Orderful, go to Transactions and find a recent outbound transaction to this partner

  2. Click View EDI Job Details and Content

  3. Look at the ISA segment — your qualifier is the 2-character code in the 5th position (ISA05)

  4. Example: ISA00 00 ZZMYCOMPANY 01005042841 — your qualifier is ZZ

Step 3 — Get the correct qualifier from your partner

Contact your trading partner and ask: "What ISA05 qualifier do you expect for our company ID [YOUR_ISA_ID]?" They should give you a specific 2-character code like 01, 12, or ZZ.

How to Fix Your ISA Qualifier

Qualifier changes must be made by Orderful support — you cannot update them yourself in the UI.

What you need before contacting support:

  1. Your current ISA ID and qualifier — Get this from a recent outbound transaction as described above

  2. The correct qualifier — Confirmed directly with your trading partner

  3. Which stream needs the change — Test, production (live), or both

  4. Any error messages — Screenshots or text of the rejection messages from your partner

Steps to request the change:

  1. Email [email protected] with the subject line "ISA qualifier change request"

  2. Include all the information above in your email

  3. Wait for confirmation that the change has been applied

  4. Test with a sample transaction to verify the partner now accepts your files

  5. Resend any transactions that failed due to the wrong qualifier

What to Send Orderful Support

When requesting a qualifier change, include:

  • Your current ISA ID (visible in any outbound transaction's ISA segment)

  • Your current qualifier (ISA05 field from the same transaction)

  • The correct qualifier as confirmed by your trading partner

  • Trading partner name and their ISA ID if known

  • Stream (test, production, or both)

  • Error messages or screenshots from your partner's system

  • Urgency level — let us know if this is blocking live business transactions

This information allows our team to make the change immediately without back-and-forth questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my ISA qualifier myself in Orderful?

No — ISA qualifiers are configured at the account level and can only be updated by Orderful support. This prevents accidental changes that could break existing trading relationships.

Do I need different qualifiers for test vs. production streams?

Usually no — most companies use the same qualifier for both test and production. However, some trading partners require different qualifiers for each stream. Ask your partner specifically about their test environment requirements.

Will changing my qualifier affect other trading partners?

Potentially yes. Your qualifier change applies to all outbound transactions from your account. Before requesting a change, verify that other active trading partners are okay with the new qualifier, or contact support to discuss relationship-specific qualifier settings.

My trading partner says they need a different ISA ID, not just a different qualifier. Can Orderful change that too?

Changing your ISA ID is a bigger change that affects routing and all trading relationships. Contact support to discuss — this may require setting up a new account or relationship configuration.

How long does it take for qualifier changes to take effect?

Qualifier changes are applied immediately once confirmed by support. Your next outbound transaction will use the new qualifier. No restart or waiting period is required.

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