Quoted text is from <[email protected]>, by Leah Halpin <[email protected]>
>By which I mean, for EDIFACT, >something like "A" means kitty, unless the immediately preceding letter >was "C" >in which case "A" means doggie, or, wait, unless the letter before "C" >before >"A" was "X", THEN "A" means hurricane. And in X12, well, kitty means >kitty, >doggie means doggie and hurricane means move out of Florida. :-) EDIFACT is a 'Lego' system which provides a very general framework from which to build transactions; that is why it has so many composite data elements and qualifiers. For a like to like evaluation it would be more realistic to compare X12 transactions with the retail EANCOM EDIFACT subsets or equivalent industry subsets, so that the tightness of definition of the transactions is more nearly equivalent. I would agree with you that a DESADV UNSM is an intimidating beast which seems primarily intended to let you specify which widget you have put in which packet in which carton on what pallet in which container; a level of detail which most implementations of the message blithely ignore and concentrate instead on saying what, where and when they are going to deliver. The dreaded CPS segment (a hierarchical level indicator) occurs only once in each message and is only there 'because the convertor goes berserk if we don't have it'. Although I work little with X12 I like it, and the obsolescent Tradacoms transactions, because they are so tightly defined. However for international trade, where the requirements can be more varied, EDIFACT comes into its own. Regards Chris -- Chris Johnson mobile:+44 (0)7785 302122 Fax: +44 (0)870 0519 818 EDI website http://www.edimatrix.co.uk EDIMatrix Ltd work: 0845 126 0680 or +44 20 8778 1402 Registered in UK no. 2777624 Reg.Office: 34 Sydenham Rd, London SE26 5QF ------------------------------------ ... Please use the following Message Identifiers as your subject prefix: <SALES>, <JOBS>, <LIST>, <TECH>, <MISC>, <EVENT>, <OFF-TOPIC> Job postings are welcome, but for job postings or requests for work: <JOBS> IS REQUIRED in the subject line as a prefix.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
