Professional Documents
Culture Documents
HTTP
World Wide Web
Physical layer Dial-up lines, Internet, I-way
The EDI semantic layer:
The user interface and content visible on the screen are tailored or
customized to local environments.
There are two competing standards that define the content and
structure of EDI forms:
1. The X12 standard
Developed by ANSI
2. EDIFACT
Developed by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
[UN/ECE]
EDI standards specify business form structure and to some extent
influence content in the application layer.
EDI Transport layer:
The business form could be sent via Regular postal service, Reg.Post.
There is typically no human involvement The data are not necessarily structured
in the processing of the information, as to be s/w-understandable. A human –
the interface has s/w to s/w orientation. to – s/w interface is involved at a min
The data are structured in a s/w under- of one end of inter change.
standable way.
BUYER SELLER
Bill
Payment
Product Delivery
Information flow with EDI:
BUYER SELLER
Billing
Payment Details
Details
Purchase-order
Delivery
Purchase EDI-capable Paper-based Sales
Department Computer Mail room Department
Automated-order
Confirmation
Product Delivery
Information flow with EDI:
2. Translation software:
It sends message between Trading partners, integrates data into
and from existing computer applications, and translates among
EDI message standards.
3. Trading Partners:
These are a firm’s customers and suppliers with whom business is
conducted.
4. Banks:
Facilitate payment and remittance.
5. UDI value-added network services (VANs):
A VAN is a third party service provider that manages data
communications network for business that exchange electronic data with
other business.
All s/w, h/w, and n/ws must work together so that information flows
from one to another.
EDIFACT
Developed by United Nations, EDIFACT is a family of standards
similar to ANSI X.12.
EDIFACT was based on TRADECOMS, developed by the U.K.
Dept of Customs and Excise.
EDIFACT is becoming widely as the foremost international EDI
standard.
EDI Software Implementation:
EDI software has 4 Layers as shown in figure:
Company A Company B
Business Application Business Application
Modem Modem
The Translator ensures that the data are converted into a format that the
trading partner can use.
Few EDI translators available in the past, now large compnies are writing
their own custom EDI translators.
Electronic mailbox:
It is a s/w feature into which a user deposits EDI transactions and
then retrieves those msgs when convenient.
It works much like residential personal mailboxes.
It allows everybody involved to be flexible and cost-effective.
Third-party
Transport
Company VAN
company
Translate Perform
Incoming Compliance
documents checking
Format
Route to
Transaction of
Mailbox ID
(X.12=>EDIFACT)
Financial Manufacturing
institution company
This figure illustrates the EDI process:
Company A puts an EDI msg for trading partner mfg company B in the
VAN mailbox at a date and time of it choosing.
The VAN picks up the msg from the mail box and delivers it to trading
partner B’s mailbox.
It will remain until trading partner B logs on and picks it up.
Trading partner B responds to trading partner A in the same fashion.
The cycle repeats itself on a weekly, daily or hourly based as needed.
This service referred to as mail-enabled EDI
The company can use a single modem with a phone line and
arrange a tightly controlled schedule for each of it’s trading partners.
E.g: 10:00AM for Trading partner B, 10:15AM for Trading partner C, and
so on.