In a former life, we built a CF application that interfaced into an VAN. Here are a
couple of things we found:
1) GEIS - at least a year ago - was the only service of the major EDI van's
that allowed for us to transfer our EDI generated files from our server
to the Van via FTP. This required a product Secure Remote to authenticate the user
and send the data in an encryted format. A little tricky initially,
but stable once we had it up and working.
2) You will need EDI translation software (we used a product called PROEDI -
it has its pluses and minuses). You will create an EDI formatted text
file and the EDI translator will translate it into a EDI file format. I do not know
what the difference is exactly. We tried to create many times without
a translator, but could never get the VAN to authenticate the file as a properly
formatted EDI file. So we had to break down and purchase an EDI
translator.
3) I suspect that you will be able to find - via research on the net - vendors
offering EDI translation software that will accept input for
translation in an XML format and vice versa. Because of the EDI format protocols,
this type of translation would be fairly easy to do - many similar
concepts.
4) Testing with your trading partners will take time. We found that it was
not unusual for testing to take three to six weeks (or longer) to
complete testing with leading suppliers. Delay is due mainly to the volume of testing
that is being conducted by the supplier with a number of trading
partners that they are establishing EDI relationships with. However, the squeaky
wheel usually gets more attention - especially when the noise is
happening at higher levels within the two organizations.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info.
Stacy Young wrote:
> "??? Question for the group. Could you build a webservice, API (whatecer you
>
> want to call it) for your application, which might receive EDI messages to
> be transformed to XML for application integration? Do I make sense? i know
> what I mean, just not sure if I use the right words."
>
> Sounds like MS Biztalk...definately stuff like that going on...
>
> Stace
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric Dawson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 3:07 PM
> To: CF-Talk
> Subject: Re: Help with EDI formats
>
> I offer no help. just curious. I did do a little EDI work for a cargo
> airline, we were a startup and built our network to support cargoimp
> messages for booking space on the aircraft and tracking cargo shipments etc.
>
> What's the application?
>
> What types of EDI communications are you going to receive?
>
> I would imagine you would start at the top and work your way down,
> developing, testing and implementing each message type that you might
> send/receive.
>
> How are you going to receive the EDI requests?
>
> Is there an industry standard message definition?
>
> Is this to support a traditional component of client support? (meaning are
> they already sending/receiving EDI messages?) Do they have an internal
> legacy system that communicates using EDI?
>
> ??? Question for the group. Could you build a webservice, API (whatecer you
> want to call it) for your application, which might receive EDI messages to
> be transformed to XML for application integration? Do I make sense? i know
> what I mean, just not sure if I use the right words.
>
> ie you expose your application with a basic XML based API. defining
> inputs/outputs. Publish your API. Next step to define how the EDI messages
> map/transform to your API. I think this way, since it seems the current
> method of "interchange" would be viw web services, or some sort of web based
>
> XML API (not sure if the two are synonomous). EDI generically is legacy
> method of handling interchange between systems. Once you've defined an API,
> you could easily create some sort of EDI catcher which translated for the
> API.
>
> Just curious and thinking aloud, hoping to learn more,
> Eric
>
> From: Tony Schreiber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To: CF-Talk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Help with EDI formats
> Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 14:28:21 -0400 (EDT)
>
> Ok, I have a requirement to add some EDI functionalilty into a system we
> already use (and that I built), but after receiving the EDI specs from the
> vendor, I'm afraid I don't know what EDI means...
>
> The specs talk about loops and HL loops and whatnot. WTF??? Any pointers or
> primers? I had thought it was just text files. Now I don't know... Positions
> and Segments, oh my.
>
> Tony Schreiber, Senior Partner Man and Machine, Limited
> mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.technocraft.com
>
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