EDI Integration

EDI Integration: Electronic data interchange (EDI) is a form of inter-organizational electronic exchange where one trading partner (buyer, manufacturer or vendor) establishes individual links with one or more trading partners (customer, supplier or reseller) through a computer-to-computer electronic communication.  With EDI, you don’t have to think about re-creating and sending purchase orders or printing invoices. It standardizes both incoming and outgoing documents, so you don’t have to worry about it. 

EDI is not a new idea it was originally started in the 1960’s in the USA and consists of flat file exchange system by files (or document) with predefined format in predefined location. When you exchange documents using EDI, it is faster and much more reliable since the format is predefined. Newer EDI versions with metalanguages such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) complement rather than replace EDI. Companies must be ready to handle an ever-increasing number of document formats and transmission options. 

Companies just starting off with their first EDI connections, may choose to set up direct EDI or point-to-point connections to other EDI enabled businesses, which quickly turns into “integration spaghetti”. 

EDI types:

  • Direct EDI/Point-to-Point
  • EDI via VAN or EDI Network Services Provider
  • EDI via AS2
  • EDI via FTP/VPN, SFTP, FTPS
  • Web EDI
  • Mobile EDI

To simplify the complexity of managing multiple EDI direct connections, a company can use a single connection to an EDI VAN, which provides partner connections.  The EDI VAN is simply a secure network where EDI documents can be exchanged between a network of business partners. An organization will be provided with a mailbox by the EDI VAN provider. Documents are sent and received from there and the organization checks the mailbox periodically to retrieve its documents. Most EDI VAN providers offer an alerting service that informs the sender when messages have been sent successfully and also notifies the recipient that a new message is waiting.

There are over 900 EDI documents available. They could transfer anything from

  • 100 – Insurance Plan Description
  • 112 – Property Damage Report

To

  • 980 – Functional Group Totals
  • 990 – Response to a Load Tender

Please see the full list of EDI documents here: https://www.jitterbit.com/app/uploads/2022/08/EDI-Document-Types_R02v01.pdf

EDI provided by CoreIMS represents most common documents:

  • 856 advance shipping notice
  • 940 import shipping order
  • 945 export bills of lading
  • 943 imports receiving order.
  • 944 export receipt

Other EDI documents are done per customer order.

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