Paste an 824.
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Reading one by hand

Segments are separated by a tilde. Three of them carry the answer.

• AK3 names the segment that failed, its position, and a segment-level error code.
• AK4 sits inside an AK3 and names the element: its reference, the error code, and often the bad value.
• AK9 is the group verdict: A accepted, E accepted with errors, P partially accepted, R rejected.

How to read an 824 without the tool

Segments are separated by ~. Three of them carry everything:

• AK3 — names the segment that failed, its position in the transaction, and a segment-level error code.
• AK4 — sits inside an AK3 and names the element: its position, its data element reference number, the error code, and often a copy of the bad value.
• AK9 — the group-level verdict: A accepted, E accepted with errors, P partially accepted, R rejected.

The codes you will actually see

Element-level (AK4, code in AK403):

• 1 mandatory element missing — the guide requires it, your map sent nothing.
• 7 invalid code value — the value is not in the partner's list for that element.
• 5 too long — usually two fields concatenated, or a description in a code field.
• 8 invalid date — format is almost always CCYYMMDD.
• 6 invalid character — punctuation or a symbol the element forbids.
• 2 conditional element missing — a rule triggered by another value in the same segment.

And at segment level (AK3, code in AK304)

These are structural, which is why they are worth fixing before you touch any values.

• 3 mandatory segment missing — the guide requires it and your map never sends it.
• 7 segment out of sequence — correct segments in the wrong order.
• 1 segment not recognised — usually a document type mismatch.
• 6 segment not in this transaction set — right segment, wrong document.

What to do after you decode it

Fix in this order, because each step can invalidate the next:

• Structural first: missing segments, then sequence.
• Then element values: code lists, then lengths, then dates.
• Re-send the whole transaction set, not just the failing segment.
• Keep the 824 text — chargeback disputes need the original error.

When you know the cause and still cannot fix it

A decoder names the segment and the element. It cannot rewrite the map, reprint a label, or sit through the retailer's test cycle. If the same 824 comes back after a fix, the map is wrong at a level the single document cannot show you.

Send us the 824 and the partner's guide. We will tell you which element is wrong, and whether it is a five-minute change or a rebuild, before you pay anything.

• The sample packet shows exactly what a paid order produces: work order, element map, five draft documents, validation report.
• If you would rather hand the whole thing over, that is the $249/month service, live in three business days.

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