Challenges and Process for Implementing EDI with Business Partners
Implementing EDI with Trading Partners has many challenges. Every EDI trading partner had different needs and each one has their own process for testing and implementation, because every EDI trading partner has their particular business rules and their own implementation process.
Specifications
Information shared through EDI documents for the same transaction type, but with different trading partners, will contain different data. The relationships between information within a document will vary as will the relationships between information on related document types.
For example, an invoice from one partner may be similar, but will not be same as a invoice from another partner. Other transaction types, such as purchase order and advance ship notices, have large variances in their data requirements.
Some EDI business partners have been doing EDI for a long time and have not changed the version of EDI they employ while others are more or less current.
Requirements may differ by type of supplier. Some partners will have different specifications for suppliers of product that is sold to end consumers in stores, for drop ship direct to consumers, for pay by scan consignment, for direct to store delivery, and for “not for resale.”
Some retailers want purchase orders (EDI 850) and invoices (EDI 810) only. Many also require Advance Ship Notices (EDI 856) and the associated bar code shipping label. Some require additional transaction types such as purchase order acknowledgements (EDI 855), purchase order changes (EDI 860), order status reports (EDI 870), planning schedules (EDI 830), product activity data (EDI 852), inventory updates, catalogs, payment remittance advices etc.
One constant across all trading partners is that functional acknowledgments will be sent to indicate receipt of an EDI document and functional acknowledgments will be expected to indicate the supplier has received documents.
Either way, as discussed above, every trading partner will employ different requirements within their chosen standard. The standards dictate file formats, data element names, groups of elements, etc, but still leave considerable room for each trading partner to implement what their business needs.
Implementation Process
In the majority of cases EDI is implemented through Web EDI Service Providers and the third party EDI provider has obtained an exception to testing.
The testing process with some business partners is informal, but most have their process which must be followed. Some will send a test order. Some will send a live order and then require testing for all other transaction types.
Some have a testing web site to download and upload transactions. Some assign one testing analyst for all transaction types. Some have a different person with whom to work for each required transaction type.
Occasionally a trading partner will move each transaction type to production status as testing is completed. Most will want all required transaction types to be fully tested before moving the supplier to production status.
A few trading partners like phone calls, but most strongly prefer email communication during the testing process. Some will provide fast test results in a few hours, some will take days and a few will take weeks to provide feedback. Some like lots of communication during testing and others have their process they want to have followed precisely with minimal back and forth discussion.
If all of this sounds like a big headache, Infocon Systems can take care of it for you. Contact us anytime to find out more
Reference URL: https://infocon678693927.wordpress.com/2022/02/04/challenges-and-process-for-implementing-edi-with-business-partners/