When you're connected to multiple retail partners, Orderful automatically runs your integration test across all of them in a single session. You test once against the Demo Leader — Orderful handles creating and running the individual per-partner test runs behind the scenes.
How it works
Every retail trading partnership on Orderful has two sides: a leader (your retail partner) and a follower (you). Each side has its own scenario, instantiated from the same scenario template. That shared template is what links them.
When you run the Standard Order scenario against your Demo Leader, Orderful creates a linked test run for each of your retail partners in the Trading Partner Coverage list. Each linked test run is a fully independent checklist — its own ID, its own 4-step tracker, its own linked transactions, its own validation results.
For each linked test run, Orderful automatically injects a test 850 from the retailer's side. You don't trigger this — it arrives automatically for every partner in your coverage list.
What you see in the UI
The Integration Testing page is organised by transaction step, not by partner. Each step card (850, 855, 856, 810) shows:
- Your Demo Leader result — the strict business logic validation run
- Linked test runs needing attention — partners where a step requires action
- Passed linked test runs — partners where the step is complete
Working through your Demo Leader run and your linked test runs are separate activities. You can be on Step 3 with one partner and Step 1 with another simultaneously.
Two layers of validation
Every step is validated at two levels:
| Validation | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Demo Leader (your side) | Full order-to-cash business logic — line carry-through, all lines accepted, item references, product ID match, acknowledged vs. ordered quantities, units of measure |
| Retailer linked test runs | Message validation — whether your outbound transaction passes that specific retailer's EDI guideline rules (field requirements, code values, segment constraints) |
The Demo Leader run catches errors in your business logic. The retailer-side runs catch partner-specific guideline compliance issues. Both must pass for a partnership's test phase to be complete.
This is why a transaction can pass the Demo Leader but still fail on a specific retailer. Your 855 might be logically correct, but Target may require a field that Walmart doesn't — and that difference will only surface in the retailer's linked test run.
Status indicators
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Success — Message Validation | Your transaction passed this retailer's guideline rules | None — step complete |
| ✅ Success (Demo Leader) | All business logic checks passed | None — step complete |
| 🔴 Action Required — Message Validation | Your transaction failed this retailer's guideline validation | Click the transaction link, fix the error, resend |
| 🟡 Acknowledge the 850 | 850 delivered, waiting for your 855 | Send your 855 |
| 🟡 Linked test runs needing attention (N) | N partners have a step requiring action | Expand to see which partner and which step |
| ✅ Passed linked test runs (N) | N partners have completed this step | No action needed |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do anything to start a linked test run for each partner?
No. Linked test runs are created automatically when a partnership enters the testing phase, and the 850 is injected automatically. You respond to each 850 with your 855 and the run progresses from there.
Why does Step 1 show as incomplete even though I received the 850?
Step 1 resolves when you send a valid 855 with acknowledgment status ACCEPTED. Receiving the 850 is the prerequisite — think of Step 1 as "receive and respond to the PO," not just "receive it."
My 855 passed on the Demo Leader but failed on a specific partner — why?
The Demo Leader validates your 855 against business logic. The retailer's linked test run validates the same 855 against that retailer's specific guideline rules. Even a logically correct 855 can fail a partner's field requirements or code set constraints. Click the transaction link in the failing row to see the exact validation errors.
Can I work on multiple partners' checklists at the same time?
Yes. Each linked test run is completely independent. You can be on Step 3 with one partner and Step 1 with another simultaneously. There's no required sequence across partners.
My 855 references the right 850 but Step 2 won't resolve — why?
The step requires the 850 to have an acknowledgment status of ACCEPTED. Check that all line items in your 855 are accepted — a partial or rejected status will prevent the 850 from updating and the step will not resolve.
A partner isn't appearing in my Trading Partner Coverage list — why?
Linked test runs are created when a trading partnership enters the testing phase. If a partner is missing, check that the partnership exists, its status is set to TESTING, and the Standard Order scenario is assigned to that partnership.
What happens after all linked test runs are complete?
Once the test phase is complete for a partnership, it can be moved to Ready and then to Live. Each retailer partnership follows this path independently — completing your test with one partner doesn't affect the others.
Do I send the same transactions to every partner?
Not necessarily. Each retailer has their own EDI guidelines with specific field requirements, code values, and formatting rules. Your transactions need to pass each partner's validation individually, and those requirements may differ between partners.
Does linked testing apply to transportation scenarios?
No — linked testing currently applies to retail scenarios only. Transportation scenarios run as a single exchange against the Demo Leader.