Many of the latest generation mapping tools address this problem by putting a user-friendly GUI between the user and the mapping code. Instead of spending months learning a new language you spend a week learning how to work with the interface to accomplish your goals. The user still needs to understand the EDI standards and be able to work out the flow of the translation, but then again you need the same knowledge if you hard-code all your translations in, say, VB or C++. The mapping software helps with this as well by providing support for the major EDI standards. Minimum includes ANSI X12 and EDIFACT. Add in XML, although any claims of XML support must be taken with a grain of salt until the XML standards have more substance. For Healthcare it helps if the vendor offers HIPAA compliance support (or can at least spell HIPAA correctly!) and support for HL7 is also advantageous. Certainly more people work with VB or C++ than with any particular mapper, but by that logic we might as well all go back to writing binary code and that way we'll ALL be interchangeable. I don't mean to imply that all it takes is a week to learn how to do complex maps using mapping software, but neither does it take a mere few months to learn to do the same in VB. The point is, mapping software can offer a number of advantages. I work with mapping software and I also work in VB, and I'd much prefer to use the former to do complex maps. There is some limited capability to add comments in PaperFree's WinMap and I assume other products offer similar functionality. Vendors be aware that this would be a good feature - I've had to debug other peoples' maps and comments would certainly have reduced the grey or missing hairs on my poor head. For the record, I also prefer to map from an ODBC database rather then a flat file (saves a step) for outbound EDI and recommend the same for inbound EDI *IF* the situation warrants it. Giving your trading partner direct access to your database may not be in your best interests. IMHO the effort required to learn the mapping software is easily compensated by the advantages it can offer. Mind you, this still assumes you have a FTE responsible for mapping. If you don't have enough work to keep this person busy you have a choice of either writing your own translations (VB, C++, etc.) or you can hire the services of folks like Mary B. John Murray EDI Analyst ViTec, Inc. -----Original Message----- From: RANDY WILSON [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2000 6:57 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Mapping to/from Access and/or Excel Yes! Why do many of these EDI use a unique language to implement a map? This unique language may take months to learn. It turns EDI into an un-accessible tower to SMEs that cannot hire a full time EDI guru. <stuff deleted> >Put it this way: how many people can develop complex > maps using Paperfree or Mercator, or whatever. Now compare that number > to the number of people that can work with C, or Visual Basic, or > whatever. > > How many mapping tools support comments to document complex logic? None > that I've seen. I've built complex maps for clients that do things that > the software vendor didn't think was possible and two months later I > can't figure out how I did it without wasting hours. I've never had that > problem using a programming language. ======================================================================= To signoff the EDI-L list, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To contact the list owner: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives at http://www.mail-archive.com/edi-l%40listserv.ucop.edu/
