RE: Re[2]: Is the Internet/XML Going to Kill EDI?

[Dick Brooks]

Internet EDI has been conducted since April, 1997 in the US Energy industry, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of the Department of Energy MANDATED that Interstate Gas Pipeline companies use the Internet for EDI transactions (using X12 data sets). ENRON did $26 Billion dollars in E-Commerce last year using Internet EDI. The electric industry is also moving to Internet EDI. The final ruling of HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services last week, it defines a set of eight X12 transactions that all health insurers are required to accept by 2002/2003.   Clearly XML is not replacing existing traditional EDI in these areas.   But XML does have great potential, someone earlier mentioned that it could be the answer to EDIFACT/X12 convergence, this makes sense, but is the benefits of a single language enough to justify all industries/geographies to change their systems?   This discussion of XML replacing X12/EDIFACT reminds me of the argument that 4GL's were going to replace 3GL's. One simple fact remains, incumbents are difficult to remove especially as it pertains to ones computing environment. Said another way "it it ain't broke don't fix it!". This is why I believe XML will not replace  X12, however I do believe XML will find it's niche and that niche could be larger than the niche X12 fills today.   Dick Brooks Group 8760 110 12th Street North Birmingham, AL 35203 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 205-250-8053 Fax: 205-250-8057 http://www.8760.com/ InsideAgent - Empowering e-commerce solutions   ------ XML/edi Group Discussion List ------ Homepage http://www.XMLedi-Group.org Unsubscribe send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Leave the subject and body of the message blank Questions/requests: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To receive only one message per day (digest format) send the following message to [EMAIL PROTECTED], (leave the subject line blank) digest xmledi-group your-email-address To join the XML/edi Group complete the form located at: http://www.xmledi-group.org/xmledigroup/mail1.htm