ANSI EDI

ANSI EDI is the US standard for development and maintenance of any electronic interchange of business documents (EDI communication), formerly known as ANSI ASC X12). ANSI EDI was created in 1979 and developed under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)’s sponsored committee, the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12. ASC X12 is a non-profit organization that is made up of business and technical professionals across a wide range of industries that work with the ANSI EDI standards to ultimately improve business process, lower costs, and encourage horizontal and vertical growth in business markets. EDI standards internationally are covered under the UN/EDIFACT standards, to which the ASC X12 contributes- applying insight and recommendations from ANSI EDI standards to the global organization.

Participants in ANSI EDI Standards

Over 300,000 global companies use ANSI EDI standards across a wide variety of industries within the United States comply with ANSI EDI regulations, including health care, hi-tech, insurance, government, supply chain, transportation and finance. Like other EDI-based standards, ANSI EDI standards create a common and standardized language between computers, enabling them to communicate with other parties (computers) in the same town, state, country, or world.

ANSI EDI Transactions

There are currently over 275 ANSI EDI transaction codes/sets that run the gamut of business operations. These transactions are ones that are common in any business practice or organization, and can include processes such as order placement/processing, shipping and receiving information, invoicing, payment and cash data, and any information between parties that involve finance, education, or state and federal government. Some such ANSI EDI transaction codes are ANSI EDI 810 (invoice), ANSI EDI 850 (purchase order), ANSI EDI 858 (shipment information) and ANSI EDI 846 (inventory inquiry).

ANSI EDI ASC X12 Responsibilities

ANSI EDI standards are overseen by ASC X12 members, who develop, maintain, interpret, publish and distribute the nationally accepted use of the ANSI standards. ANSI EDI standards are not established one time and one time only. The ASC X12 governing body comes together three times per year to review ANSI EDI standards in their current form, making sure to account for updates in EDI technology and problems or issues that have emerged in the previous months/year regarding ANSI EDI standards. The main objective of the ASC X12 governing body when discussing ANSI EDI standards is to develop, improve and eliminate (if necessary) ANSI EDI standards to assist EDI communication in order to streamline business transactions and ultimately practices.

ANSI EDI Standards

Ultimately, a publication of standards, “Draft Standards for Trial Use and American National Standards”, is distributed among industries for ANSI EDI compliance and practices. In addition, the ASC X12 works to educate the business community about the proper use of the ANSI EDI standards, therefore encouraging its acceptance in the business world.