Everything you need to know about EDI2XML Translation Service

It’s no secret that our EDI2XML team loves helping businesses increase efficiency, improve partner relationships, accelerate movement of goods to customers and improve shipment accuracy by allowing them to easily exchange documents electronically between Trading Partners (read “Benefits of EDI Communication”).

But, how do they do this and for how much? We want our customers to fully understand the processes involved in our EDI Translation Service and all the costs involved as well. It’s about providing a service for companies that will only benefit them and not cause more hassles, issues or headaches. So, let’s start from the top; Read more

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PROs & CONs of Common EDI Translation Methods for SMEs

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.

An article on our parent site, Namtek Consulting Services, called “Finding the Middle Ground with EDI Software & Services, ” explains the three most common options Small and Medium Enterprises look into when beginning to use EDI to exchange documents with their Trading Partners.

These 3 options consist of:
  1. Building an EDI translation tool from scratch and doing all communication in-house
  2. Going with a large, reputable EDI Vendor to outsource your EDI
  3. Buy an EDI translation tool, targeted solely to developers

Here are the PROs and CONs for each:

1.    Homegrown EDI Software

With this option, your company must have an in-house IT team, with the necessary EDI knowledge and experience to handle EDI capabilities and requirements.

PRO: The IT team is capable of developing their own EDI translation software to integrate within their ERP system for optimal performance. The whole process will be customized to their exact needs.

CON: This process usually ends up being very expensive and time-consuming for everyone involved. On top of it, many SMEs cannot afford to have their own in-house IT department and EDI experts.

2.    Prominent EDI Vendor

PRO: Large vendors help you connect to the retail industry’s largest network of Trading Partners.

CON: These Vendors are not cheap! Get ready to pay high monthly fees and to wait months at a time to hear back from their Support team.

3.    EDI Translators for Developers

PRO: These tools are affordable to buy, consisting only of a low one-time fee.

CON: Because these translation tools are used and maintained by developers, it requires knowledgeable resources in-house and ongoing support within the company to preserve all EDI capabilities. Your in-house team will need to handle all EDI mapping and requirements for each Trading Partner connection. Therefore, the cost to buy the translation tool may be within budget, but it will cost your company time, effort and in-house IT wages to complete the whole EDI project.

The best option? An EDI Fully Managed Service that is: Affordable, handles ALL EDI mapping, and has a great support team. Take a look at EDI2XML!
Free EDI consultation
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EDI X12, EDIFACT, CSV, XML – Why is a conversion necessary?

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This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.
x12-to-xmlcsv

EDI formats are not understood or easily read by just anyone. It requires an EDI expert to be able to read the files and dissect them. Many large Trading Partners impose their own rules and requirements on top of those outlined by the standards, which is why, in many cases of translation, it is not always as straightforward as hoped. Most business executives are hesitant to begin trading via EDI because of these complexities.

However, if you find the right EDI Provider, who can handle all translations, all EDI mapping, all Partner configurations and all outbound and inbound communication with your partners, then you have nothing to worry about.

Our very own EDI2XML translation and integration services eliminate all of these complexities for you and you can begin trading electronically in no time. If you have your own in-house EDI and IT integration expert(s), then they can simply use our EDI2XML Web Service.

If you’re looking to meet your Trading Partner’s requirements but also keep your business processes streamlined and integrated internally, then check out EDI2XML. Our team of EDI experts are experienced and flexible enough to work with any EDI format, where specs are readily available, and convert to a format your team or system can work with. It’s about keeping costs low and simplifying the whole EDI communication process. Contact us today!

 

Free EDI Consultation

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Triple Threat: Integration of ERP, eCommerce & EDI

By now, I am sure most business professionals have heard about or have already implemented EDI, ERP Management Systems, and of course eCommerce Stores. If not, here’s a quick explanation of each Read more

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EDI Communication Over The Years

This article went on to describe the beginnings of EDI in the business world and how far we’ve advanced with technology to simplify these B2B transactions with EDI2XML.  Read more

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What you need to know about EDI integration in JD Edwards World

EDI integration project into JD Edwards (JDE) system.


The same questions and concerns keep arising when designing the requirements for an EDI integration project into JD Edwards (JDE) system. As I have been involved in my fair share of EDI integration projects, I have witnessed companies struggling with integrating EDI in JDE systems. I’ve decided to share my experience, not as a JDE expert but as an EDI integration expert and consultant, to help those with this kind of project. Let’s begin…

Why EDI integration is important

More and more companies are adopting different communication protocols to exchange business-related messages electronically. Today’s business environments are working harder to be well connected with outside parties for improved communication. It is almost impossible nowadays for a company to trade and do business without having the capability to electronically exchange messages and important documents with its suppliers and customers. This is why EDI has gained tremendous attention in recent years; businesses, no matter how large or small they are, are looking to receive EDI documents (i.e. customer orders) and send out responses such as invoices, or advance shipping notices (ASNs).

On top of this, with the expansion and popularity of eCommerce (electronic commerce), businesses have no choice but to integrate EDI into their systems as consumers expect quick response times in providing more accurate inventory availabilities and quick order processing for better customer service.

All of the above make it almost impossible for any company to ignore electronic processing of sensitive data, all in real-time. However, what’s been challenging for most, is that various business partners adopt different EDI standards, some even choosing a “custom made” version, which all adds new layers of complexity to an EDI integration project in JDE and more pressures to comply with tons of different EDI standards (i.e. X12, EDIFact, XML, CSV,…).

Benefits of integrating EDI into a company’s system

EDI has been around for quite some time now. At this point, there’s no question about the real benefits that come from using this B2B communication method. Companies are seeing more advantages and improvements when they integrate EDI transactions (incoming and outgoing) into their management software system. Some of these EDI integration benefits include:

  • An increase in a company’s response time and a decrease in their fulfillment cycle
  • Increased information integrity and a reduction in errors due to the elimination of manual data entry and human intervention
  • Fast and accurate delivery of goods and services

There’s no doubt that companies gain a competitive advantage by successfully integrating EDI into their management system. They are better equipped to handle more orders and have no problem doing business with large retailers who expect electronic messaging. 

How EDI processing works in JD Edwards

Let me give a quick description of the EDI processing cycle in JDE, as described by Oracle’s own documentation of the JDE system.

“When you receive inbound documents, the translator software retrieves the data using network communications and translates the data from EDI Standard format to JD Edwards World application file format”.

Here is a simple drawing posted in their online documentation:

EDI processing cycle in JDE

In simple terms, when a company running JD Edwards World or its previous version (Enterprise One) needs to process EDI data received from a business partner for example, the data will go through different stages:

  1. A communication software (a third party software) would connect and get incoming EDI files using network communications.
  2. The translator software translates the data from EDI Standard format to JD Edwards World application file format.
  3. Once the above two steps are completed, the system 47 of JD Edwards application, will take the data from the JDE flat format to JD application files.

JDE has its own EDI (Electronic Data & eCommerce) integration module. This module, can be configured to integrate EDI data formatted in JDE acceptable format and turn it into JDE application files. While doing so, tons of automatic triggers are fired up, such as billing address, items and pricing verification. In addition, error reports are generated and email alerts are sent.

Unfortunately, the file format that JDE is capable of processing is still a flat file format. I invite you to read this article where the author had explained a lot about JDE EDI integration and its file format.

It is important to know that the user must complete several tasks in order to customize the Electronic Commerce system to interact with your other applications and to fit your company’s needs, as per JDE’s online documentation.

Challenges with EDI integration in JD Edwards World

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are many challenges that business executives struggle with when deciding to implement EDI and integrate it into their JDE system. I will highlight the most important ones and give my recommendations as an EDI integrator and expert on the topic.

Writing directly in JDE application file or using the EDI interface module

A very good question that comes up regularly is “Should we plan the integration engine to translate and write DIRECTLY inside the JD Edwards World applications files or use the Electronic Commerce module in JDE?

I personally recommend to work with the EDI module of JDE for the following reasons:

  • Out of the box, it works well once the right data in the appropriate format is provided to the engine.
  • Obviously, in the beginning, your JDE team will need to spend some time and effort setting things up; they can either do this all themselves or with the help of your EDI consultants.
  • Out of the box, when set up is completed correctly, the JDE engine is capable of taking the data and passing it through tons of validation steps (i.e. price, items, billing instructions…) prior to moving the clean data to JDE application files, without any human intervention.
  • Please note, however, that if you choose to have the EDI integration engine write directly to the JDE application files, a new JDE update or application upgrade can result in potential damages to this process. Upgrading the JDE application will require a full cycle of QA to make sure the integration engine of EDI into JDE is still working 100% efficiently.

Exchanging and translating XML, JSON, and other non-Flat File formats

The other challenge many have faced is knowing how to enforce JDE with the capability to translate non-standard EDI files such as XML, JSON or any other format given the fact that JDE’s EDI module is only capable of integrating with one single file format (more specifically a Flat file).

My recommendation would be to adopt a strategy where any file no matter its format received from your Trading Partner is automatically translated into a single format that is acceptable by your JDE EDI module, prior to initiating the process in JDE. I know it may seem difficult to achieve for such a mechanism considering the level of limitations provided by JDE, but this option is more feasible than you may think. I will go on to explore this possibility in the following section.

Looking to integrate your EDI or eCommerce processes with Oracle JDE enterprise one, look no further, since we have the best integration option where we turn your Oracle JDE system into a modern REST API, that receives https requests and acts accordingly. LEARN MORE>

What is the best option to integrate EDI in JD Edwards

Having listed the major challenges above, it is clear that the best option for a seamless, simple and quick EDI integration with your Trading Partners or your eCommerce platform is to adopt one single protocol of communication between your outside world and your JDE system.

In fact, Oracle’s JDE team have anticipated for such a protocol. They refer to in their documentation as the “translation software (third party)”.

I understand that managing a third party translation software internally by your team will add another layer of complexity, additional resources and expertise, not accounting for the countless number of EDI file formats found in today’s business world: TXT, CSV, EDIFACT, X12, XML, Json, etc.

You’re in luck though! There are a few companies out there, like Namtek Consulting Services, that can outsource the job of managing your translation software. Our EDI2XML cloud integration platform can act as your translation software; it can turn all your incoming files, no matter its format, into one format that your JDE loves to work with. The opposite works for outgoing files; your JDE-preferred format is easily and automatically converted into the specified format of your Trading Partners.

What challenges have YOU faced regarding EDI integration into your JD Edwards World system?

Free consultation ecommerce JDE integration

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Integrating EDI into your Management System


This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.


EDI Communication is one of the best ways to exchange important business documents with Trading Partners. Documents such as Purchase Orders, Invoices and ASNs can be safely exchanged electronically with business partners, like retailers, in a matter of seconds. In many cases however, Small and Medium Enterprises do not have the budget for some of these EDI communication solutions out there and do not have any in-house staff experienced with EDI exchange. What should these businesses do?

EDI Solution as a Service for SMEs

After over a decade of working hand in hand with Small and Medium Businesses, we’ve come up with a solution. Our EDI specialists realized that it might not be realistic to have SMEs hire in-house EDI experts or purchase expensive EDI communication solutions on the market. This is when our experienced team designed and developed a tool that can be implemented as a Service – no need for any setup or equipment on premises – called EDI2XML as a Service. Here’s how it works:

  1. We communicate with your EDI Trading Partner in order to pick up any incoming EDI documents from their mailbox
  2. We convert all EDI documents into XML or CSV format (whichever works best to be integrated into your management system (ERP suite, CRM system, etc.))
  3. We push all XML documents to you, to be integrated into your system
  4. You will be notified every time EDI documents are sent and received
  5. The opposite process (from XML to EDI) works for outgoing documents.

Click here to view an infographic on EDI2XML as a Service.

Converting from unreadable formats like EDI x12 or EDIFACT (for those companies in Europe) to XML or CSV, allows for easy integration into ERP suits or CRM systems out on the market. On top of this, XML format is easy to read by any businessperson. Our goal was and continues to be to simplify the EDI communication process for Small and Medium Enterprises that are looking to increase efficiency. It’s time SMEs eliminated manual data entry (or human intervention) and enjoyed a smooth, continuous order processing flow.

 

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Why EDI is becoming the #1 method for B2B Transactions

B2B communication and EDI

For a while, EDI was not well liked amongst Small & Medium Enterprises. These companies were finding it to be too slow, too complex and way too expensive. They then resorted to a lot of manual data entry for orders as they would receive orders and invoices via email or fax. However, over the years, things have changed…a lot and for the better. Read more

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The Flexibility & Affordability of EDI Managed Service

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.

EDI communication, although it may still have a bad rep for being too complex and expensive, is growing in popularity amongst businesses. It still remains to be the best and most secure method of exchanging electronic information between Trading Partners. Does it have to be so complex and expensive? Not at all! It’s whom you choose to hire as your EDI Provider that makes all the difference. Most large Providers are not flexible enough to deal with Small and Medium Enterprises. This was a problem in which our EDI experts realized over 20 years ago and eventually found a solution.

Read: What is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?

The Solution – Fully Managed EDI Service

EDI2XML is a translation tool that converts EDI documents to XML/CSV format (based on a pre-defined schema) for incoming documents (and vice versa for outgoing documents). XML is a format that is easily readable by any business person, no matter their IT or EDI knowledge. It is also easier to integrate this XML document into the company’s management system – automating and simplifying the whole communication process. On top of all this, we understand that not all businesses have an internal IT team, which makes implementing new software solutions difficult and complicated for the business executives. We then needed another solution to another problem. We came up with EDI2XML Managed Services.

Basically, this SaaS cloud offering enabled companies to exchange via EDI with their Trading Partners without lifting a finger. How great is that? Our team picks up any incoming EDI documents straight from the customer’s Trading Partner’s mailbox, converts it into the desired XML format of the customer, and sends it to the customer or integrates the data straight into their management system. Outgoing documents works in the opposite way; we pick up any outgoing XML files extracted from the management system, we convert it into EDI format to then send it straight to the Trading Partner.

Key Benefits of Managed EDI Solution

  • Improves customer/partner relationships
  • Doing business with the large retailers, who require their partners to use EDI, is finally made possible
  • Staff can focus on their core business tasks rather than on manual data entry for incoming orders
  • The B2B flow of information is enhanced and simplified
  • Exchanging via EDI is affordable for the smaller companies
  • Improves order processing cycle time reductions; invoices and POs can be processed within hours rather than days/weeks
  • Documents are more accurate (reduced errors) as there is no manual data entry required
  • Cash flow is also improved since electronic invoicing via EDI increases the speed of payment by the customers
  • Employees can quickly access order statutes or other important information to make strategic decisions

All in all, EDI2XML has indeed eliminated many supply chain inefficiencies that companies are living with today and has provided accuracy and timeliness for order processing. Our team is also very flexible and understands that EDI communication can differ between companies, retailers, etc. After being in the EDI communication business for over 20 years, we’ve seen a lot! Selling a solution is not the way to go – it’s about solving a problem by improving processes. Let us handle your EDI communication process.

Contact us for a free EDI Consultation so we can better understand your EDI requirements, specific to your business

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Related Posts:
– Must-Have Integration between E-Commerce and Business Systems
– Fully managed EDI service VS HTTP Web Service: Which is Better for Your Business ?
– API Web Service for EDI X12 exchange – Discover the advantages

SaaS EDI or On-Premises EDI Translation Software: What you should know

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.



Should we migrate our EDI integration and processing platform to a SaaS EDI platform or instead, adopt an EDI translation software on-premises?

The above question is asked by many business executives when involved in EDI integration projects, either when a contract or license with their current EDI provider or translation software comes to an end or before signing for a new EDI business relationship with a new partner. All of these reasons are valid and lately, this topic of discussion is being brought up much more, simply due to the popularity of “cloud” enhanced capabilities and security and Software as a Service (SaaS).

More and more enterprises are working to improve their supply chain management, which leads to companies adopting software applications (as a service). This allows them to increase efficiency, provide higher availability, reduce costs and increase profitability.

Today’s article will address the points every business owner should be evaluating when looking for an answer to the above question.

Enterprise IT Governance & Policy

The first thing to look at before making a decision on whether to go with SaaS EDI or to adopt an EDI translation software, is the company’s policy and IT governance, i.e. the rules and procedures that govern technological implementations and processes. What is the policy and general rule to implement software systems (including EDI)? What are the security measures and privacy rules?

Most companies of different sizes establish strict IT governance rules and procedures and follow these guidelines as much as possible. From my own observations, I have noticed that many enterprises, that have more than 20M of revenues per year and that use enterprise software such as JDE or SAP, have strict rules stating that they can only deploy software solutions on their own premises. However, today we are seeing more of these enterprises going for cloud and SaaS offerings, as it fits their needs much better.

EDI Volume

The second important point to look at is the volume of EDI data you wish to exchange with your business partner (or the current volume if you are already on EDI). This will give a good indication as to what direction your company should be leaning towards. In my professional opinion, the volume of EDI transactions is not the only factor when deciding to convert to SaaS EDI or to adopt translation software, but it is an important parameter.

Point-to-point EDI or VAN

The third point is to look at statistics about EDI connectivity with your current EDI partners, or forecast them if you are new to the EDI world. In today’s digital world, most EDI transactions are going point-to-point between business partners in a very secured manner using the Internet pipeline and secured protocols such as AS2, sFTP, FTP, etc. There are less transactions going through a VAN in comparison to a few years ago, as VANs charge additional expenses for EDI connectivity, which can add up and become quite costly.

Current IT Architecture & Team

A company’s IT architecture and team are extremely important when making decisions about EDI integration and implementation. If the company decides against the SaaS EDI model, does it have all the necessary hardware infrastructures, connectivity protocols and security to internally handle all kinds of EDI processing? Is the IT team equipped to handle such a project? Do they have the expertise and know-how to implement, manage and monitor EDI processes, transactions and translations? If the answers to the above questions are ‘no’, then the enterprise is better off with the SaaS EDI model.

EDI Translation Software Licensing

Don’t forget to evaluate the EDI translation software itself, from cost to functionalities to yearly maintenance and support to the ongoing development and programming during and after the implementation phase. It is also important to evaluate the capability of the IT team working with the EDI translation software.

Read: Take this QUIZ: Is your business cut out for on-premises EDI software?

SaaS EDI Service Provider

Whether using the services of a provider under the SaaS model or on-premises, it is crucial to select the right service provider for EDI. SaaS EDI providers should have a lot of experience in not only EDI but also in EDI and systems’ integration. In addition, the turnaround and customer service and support for that provider are key points for a decision. Keep in mind that some major SaaS EDI providers only see your business as an opportunity to increase revenue and stock value instead of focusing on giving a personalized and amazing customer service.

Conclusion: SaaS EDI or EDI Translation Software?

We are aware that the selection process and choice between SaaS EDI and EDI translation software is a challenging one. We believe that by having the right mechanism and people in place, enterprises of any size can make educated decisions based on what’s best for their business.

If you need more information or help in determining which model you should go with, please contact our EDI team for a free consultation.

Free EDI consultation

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