EDI Integration
EDI integration refers to the process by
which EDI data is transferred from the EDI
system to the backend software. In EDI integration,
the backend software can be any type of business system
such as an ERP, accounting, warehousing or supply chain
management system. There are several steps that have
to be taken in order to accomplish EDI integration,
some of which are highly technical in nature, others
are more management and project oriented.
For EDI integration, the first issue that needs to be
taken care of, is creating an EDI
integration plan. This must include the
implementation guides for the EDI integration – in
essence the specifications of the EDI messages that are
going to be integrated, by the trading partner. In addition,
for EDI integration to be efficient, there needs to be
considerable subject matter expertise for the backend
system that the EDI will be integrated into. This would
include the specifications of the table structures for
the EDI integration in to the backend system. The third
thing that must be present for the EDI integration to
be successful is an EDI integration tool, such as EMANIO’s
Unite! product.
The EDI knowledge required for a successful EDI
integration is significantly beyond that which
most companies possess in-house. In essence the type
of EDI integration knowledge required is usually present
only in mid- to large-sized companies, and most of
these hire EDI integration consultants to accomplish
the initial tasks, leaving the in-house staff for more
operational duties.
The subject matter expertise required for EDI integration involves
deep knowledge of the particular backend system the EDI
data will be integrated into. This means that the person,
whether internal staff or consultant, needs to be exceedingly
familiar with EDI integration and the table structures
and integration formats of the backend system. EDI integration
requires knowledge of the particular tables, cells and
states of when and where data should be placed in the
backend system.
The last important area of knowledge for EDI integration
is the EDI integration tool that will be utilized for
the project. Though there are several EDI integration
tools on the market, most are both difficult to use and
expensive. The EDI integration product must be suitable
for the type of organization that the project is being
done in, and also be intuitive to use.
EDI integration can easily become a horror story – ensure
that you choose a vendor for the EDI integration that is
familiar with doing projects for organizations such as
yours. |
