Quoted text is from
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, by
"Becker, Adam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>I'm hoping to get your input on application files, does any body know
>of
>any best practices for defining the format for these?
Normally the requirements / capabilities of the application determine
the interface format, with the convenience of the EDI system coming a
poor second, and human convenience a very poor third.
>Is delimited or
>positional better?
Horses for courses. If there are no other overriding considerations then
I favour SDF (positional) for tagged flat files with a significant
number of record types, and delimited otherwise. Because of the
possibility of confusion between data and delimiter choice of a
non-printing delimiter such as ASC(252) can simplify life.
>Should you use qualifiers for things like references
>or just have a field for every type of reference you could possibly
>expect?
Normally in an interface file you expect record type (if multiple types
are used) and position to define a data item. If you use one field for a
data item and another (a qualifier) to indicate what it is then you are
placing an interpretation load on the application / EDI system. If the
data / qualifier pairs define one of a set of mutually exclusive options
then there may be a case for it.
>Should you only have one line in the file for each line in the
>database?
If you have an interface file format in which a record type corresponds
to a single database table record then it may simplify import / export.
Often the mapping between an interface file and an EDI transaction is a
transformation between different hierarchical structures. The EDI is
going to have a complex hierarchy, so the simpler the hierarchy of the
interface file is the easier the mapping job is going to be, unless both
hierarchies are identical.
Regards
Chris
--
Chris Johnson mobile:+44 (0)7785 302122
EDIMatrix Ltd work: 0845 126 0680 or +44 20 8501 3097
fax: +44 (0)20 8501 3096
EDI website http://www.edimatrix.co.uk
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