hi gurus

[Former Member]

explain edi and its usage

[Former Member]

Electronic Data Interchange is here to stay. SAP has provided many tools to ease the integration to EDI subsystems and these, together with a methodology of how to implement EDI are described in the following pages."

A definition

"EDI is described as the interchange of structured data according to agreed message standards between computer systems, by electronic means. Structured data equates to a simple and direct method of presenting the data content of a document. The method of ensuring the correct interpretation of the information by the computer system is defined by the EDI standard."

"EDI is a technique used to communicate business transactions between computer systems of different companies and organizations. Note that sometimes the EDI mechanism deployed at a company is often used to interface to other systems within the same organization."

Info shuttle - "I was implementing EDI at a customer and I wanted some real data to test with in Development, so I asked the Project Manager to see if he could arrange something. Literally, 20 minutes later he came back and said that there were 10 new orders in Development, together with the customer master records related to the order, the carrier vendor master record, the material master records, ... were all there. I asked him how he had done it so quickly which led me to my first exposure with Infoshuttle, a tool that does this for you using the ALE functionality. As an ALE consultant I know how to do this stuff but I also know how long it would take to set that up. This is truly a product worth exploring in more detail." Kevin Wilson, ERPGenie.COM Founder, ALE \ EDI \ Workflow Consultant (Request Product Detail)

Some thoughts

You should not to attempt to switch to a full SAP EDI implementation overnight. It takes time for people, systems, and processes to adapt to any new methodology. Implementing SAP EDI is a project in its own right and needs to be handled phase by phase as in any other information system implementation. We describe some of the issues and how to implement an SAP EDI solution in the following pages.

The painful issues of implementing EDI are considered to be:

• Application level configuration - Message control, partner determination, output determination

• Technical configuration - Just getting the systems to talk to each other. SAP, translator, modem...

• Testing - How do you test with someone you may never meet? How do you do your own testing without sending data to your partner? How do you differentiate between a test message and a real one?

• Mapping - How do you map an IDoc to an EDI message? What fields go where?

[Former Member]

Electronic Data Interchange

Cross-company exchange of electronic data (for example business documents) between domestic and international business partners who use a variety of hardware, software, and communication services. The data involved is formatted according to predefined standards. In addition to this, SAP ALE technology is available for data exchange within a company.

Refer

http://www.erpgenie.com/sapedi/index.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/72/c18ee5546a11d182cc0000e829fbfe/frameset.htm

https://www.2020software.com/products/Fourth_Shift_Edition_for_SAP_Business_One_Electronic_Data_Inte...

http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/SoftwareandWebDevelopment/SoftwareDevelopmentTools/ElectronicData+Interchange/

http://www.erpgenie.com/sapedi/index.htm

http://www.kostal.com/english/downloads/EDI_AGB_eng.pdfd

EDI FLOW :

Here is some thing which helps you and here the purchase order is taken as example too..

Electronic Data Interchange, or EDI, is the electronic exchange of business data. Using a standard format, EDI provides a method of transmitting business data from one computer to another, without the need to re-key data. This electronic link can result in more effective business transactions. With EDI, paper documents such as invoices can be replaced with electronic transmissions, thus time is saved, and the potential for error is minimized. Data can be exchanged at any time. Related business expenses, such as postage, printing, phone calls, and handling, can also be significantly reduced. EDI can aid in the support of manufacturing efforts, such as Just-in-Time and Third Party Warehousing, and financial efforts, such as Electronic Payments.

What parts of the business cycle can be supported by EDI?

Any business documents that are currently exchanged using paper can be converted to an EDI. Standards. Standards include ANSI X12 and XML/EDI are primarily used in the United States, while EDIFACT is used in Europe and Asia.

How does EDI get started?

EDI gets started when one company contacts another expressing interest in trading business documents electronically using Electronic Data Interchange. The two companies must first determine each other's EDI capabilities. If you do not already know your EDI capabilities, we have prepared a questionnaire to help you determine them. If you are already EDI capable, we will coordinate with your technical staff to determine a testing plan. Upon completion of testing the EDI documents, the appropriate business personnel will set a production start date to begin the exchange of EDI business data. If you are not EDI capable, we recommend you first obtain a commitment from your upper management. Your company will need to allocate resources and capital for software, hardware, testing, possible programming, and training.

What is the flow of EDI?

The flow of EDI depends on the sophistication of your systems and your EDI software. If you have internal purchasing/order entry systems, you will need interface programs that can extract and insert data out of and into these systems. EDI programs that interface with your internal systems are preferred over software that requires re-keying of data. Embassy Software specializes in seemless interface between EDI and your back office systems. Using a purchase order as an example of a business document your customer would send that PO electronically (850) to you. It could be sent either through a VAN (Value Added Network) or through an FTP server. You would take that 850 and convert it either into and ODBC database, a flat file or XML document to be imported into your Order System with the use of EDI Software such as PassportXchange.. Using EDI communication software, which is part of the PassportXchange package you would pull down data at set intervals from the VAN or FTP. These documents are then processed through EDI translation software and output to our order entry system. Finally, an EDI document called a functional acknowledgment (997) is sent to your customer.

Regards

AK