Electronic Data Interchange Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a system which allows document information to be communicated between businesses, government’s structures and other entities. It is a set of standards which creates a cohesive system within which all parties are able to electronically exchange data information within a set of protocols. Although it can be considered that EDI consists of only the actual conveyance of the document, it is also seen as the implementation of the operating systems whereby EDI can be put into practice. EDI is the data format of most electronic commerce transitions in the world. There are…

Evolution of EDI EDI has been established within various industries as a reliable and efficient form of data transmission. It is a technical representation of a business conversation between two entities, either external or internal. From its inception, EDI was applied differently within these industries, and therefore different standards were set up. In the late 1960s, EDI was established within the transport industry, and they created their own standards. Soon other industries followed suit and various standards were created. Thus each of these standards is not necessarily compatible, which causes confusion and an inability to communicate. EDI was designed to…

EDI Document Types EDI documents come in various forms, each of which can appear differently, depending on the company’s internal computer system. Also, while each standard has code specificity, each order may look very different – a clothes company will send details of color and sizes, while a food company will send details of expiry date. Within the document itself, the appearance is somewhat dependent on the standard which is being used. These standards differ worldwide. An example of these standard codes appears as a set of special characters and words. Each carries a different significance, and denotes a different…

EDI History At its simplest, Electronic Data Exchange is the transmission of documents by electronic means. In other words, the paper-based documents are replaced by electronic data which is transmitted by a number of means. It is largely used in order to automate standard processes such as re-ordering, but its application is far broader than that, and it affects a range of industries and corporations. EDI relies on electronic transmission, but is not necessarily email or using the Internet. In the least, EDI requires some level of sophisticated information technology infrastructure, which includes data processing, data management and networking capabilities….

EDI and Software Applications EDI and JAVA Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems and launched in 1995. While generally compiled to byte code, direct hardware execution of byte code by a Java processor is also possible. Currently, almost all of Java’s software is available under the GNU General Public License. Hence it has become free software. The Java programs most identifiable characteristic is that is platform independent, meaning that it should be able to be written and compiled once, and then be able to be run anywhere. JAVA script is run on systems worldwide, and while…

EDI Mapping and Translation Mapping is a movement of information – basically of putting the format of one data document onto another. For instance, it takes the format of an otherwise incompatible data format and makes it into an EDI compatible data document, or conversely, takes an EDI document and makes it readable. There are various tools on the market for doing such tasks, which are readily available through the Internet or at an EDI support centre. These mapping tasks require software, as it is bringing in line a foreign piece of documentation with EDI standards. The following diagram intends…

E-Commerce and EDI What is E-Commerce? E-Commerce can be viewed as being a virtual market place, whereby all transaction that is carried out in the physical world is also available via the Internet. It involves mainly distribution, buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products or services through the use of electronic means such as the Internet, and other computer networks. E-Commerce involves not just businesses, but individual consumers and corporations. It generally utilizes the World Wide Web at some point in the transaction’s progress, but then also simpler computer tools such as databases and email. Currently, it is foreseen that…

EDI in Industries Health Care EDI There are various industries that EDI has a firm hold within, and the health care industry is one of those. Within the delivery of health services there is a great amount of paperwork which must be filed, delivered, ordered, compiled and documented. To alleviate the pressure of this paper pile, EDI has been incorporated into the system so as to provide a technological replacement for some of this domination. The standard for the health care industry is HL7, which is also the umbrella organization which oversees the development of standards and their evolution. It…

How EDI work with XML EDI and XML systems have been seen as the opportunity to create a holistic approach to data information exchange that can deliver and process simple, durable and effective business transactions by electronic means. To achieve this, methods must be employed that are not only of value within the market today, but have an extension into the future. To guarantee the technology will be widely accepted and used, it must be made freely available as an open standard. In this way, the systems can work in conjunction to create a truly effective solution to business data…

EDI Benefits Within various industries, EDI has been used to great advantages, and many benefits have been expounded in its regard. EDI´s benefits relate to environmental impact, improved time efficiency, improved accuracy and increased flexibility, enhanced partnership, labor costs, shipping. EDI creates a system whereby documents and data can easily be transported from one source to another, and is able to overcome incompatibility issues. EDI is a set of standards which govern data formats and thereby allows disparate computer systems to be able to “read” the data which is sent. EDI documents are also able to be stored at a…