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 . EDI Mapping

What is EDI Mapping?:

In EDI mapping, the important business documents will be translated into a new ASCII-approved format. As a result, internal systems of your trading partners can read these documents without any difficulty. The XML and flat-file formats are some of the best examples for ASCII-standard formats.

In the entire EDI Mapping process, developing a file to support the translation of the data from one format to another is the most crucial step. This file will be created by using a variety of applications to ease the mapping process. EDI mapping plays a key role while sending business documents directly to the trading partner’s systems. Thus, EDI mapping usage is highly recommended to get more benefits out of EDI integration. Hence, most of the firms initially use EDI mapping on a big scale to cut down manual data entry in the back-end systems.

EDI Data Mapping:

It refers to the process of converting your firm’s data format into the standard EDI format and vice versa. A conversion program will be generated that can be executed as a computer process to serve this purpose.

There are two types of data mapping processes: inbound process and outbound process. In the inbound process, the data from your firm’s in-house format will be converted into the standard format. Further, this new data will be directly sent to the trading partner. Likewise, in the outbound process, the received data from a trading partner will be converted into your firm’s in-house file format.

Our powerful EDI solution will simplify the entire data mapping process through

  • Analyzing the required data and saving the results in the map specification zone
  • Creating a program as per the requirements this map specification zone
  • Testing the program and running it within the production environment

EDI Mapping Document:

The EDI mapping document refers to any converted electric form of a business document that meets the ASCII standards. This kind of document can be easily used by your firm’s systems in case it has been sent by your trading partners. Also, it can be vice versa, where your trading partner will be enabled to understand it without any difficulty. Often, these mapping documents will be compact, systematic, and available in a human-readable format.

EDI 852 Mapping:

The EDI code 852 (Product Activity Data) is used for informing sale data to your suppliers. Usually, it includes all the details related to a specified product and its inventory status. In EDI 852 mapping, the entire data will be converted into a CSV file format. The file format allows you to save the data in tabular form and can easily incorporate with Google Spreadsheet or Microsoft Excel.

The data available in the CSV file format will be compact and human-readable. In this format, the entire data will be organized into records. Each record will comprise many fields that are separated by commas. Besides, it is one of the standard formats and can be processed by most of the existing applications.

EDI Agreement:

The EDI code 860 refers to Purchase Order Change Request - Buyer Initiated. It represents an electrical form of the request created for asking changes in an already executed purchase order.

Also, this document will be applicable in verifying the changes in purchase orders. Normally, it includes all the details related to the original orders and requested changes.

When this document is mapped through EDI, its data will be converted into a CSV file format and can be easily readable by humans. All the data will be stored and saved in a similar format that of Google’ Spreadsheet or Microsoft Excel.

EDI Map Development:

The data that has been exchanged between your firm and any trading partner, can be stored in your internal system. The entire data will be saved in a specific kind of design document known as the “map” and the entire process will be called “map development”. This document comprises source data and target data along with the switching process from one to the other.

There are three major components in EDI Map:

Application document’s view: Denotes the records and fields available in the application data. These values are either written in an outbound EDI document or else imported from an inbound EDI document.

EDI document’s view: Denotes all the key elements of an EDI document that are required for the exchange process.

Relationship link: Denotes the link between the EDI document’s view and application document’s view. Further, it indicates whether the mapping is inbound or outbound.

EDI Mapping Standards

An EDI standard refers to the specific format in which all the business documents must be shared in an exchange process. It decides the right order as well as the location of each unit of the data. All the EDI transactions should be executed under these standards.

Since these EDI standards define a single data format for a transaction, the various players across the supply need not be required to follow different formats. As a result, all the business documents can be easily readable and processable by multiple systems.

Mainly there are three components in any EDI standard:

  • Data Element: Information related to a single item within a business document. For instance, a product’s item number, price, or quantity mentioned in an invoice. Also, the name of the city or state or country will be included in this list.
  • Segment: Group of many elements
  • Transaction Set: Group of several segments

Many recognized global institutes across the world offer different sets of EDI standards. They are:

  • EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport): Each year, this institute issues a new batch of EDI global standards. It includes recently developed EDI messages as well as modified versions of existing EDI messages.
  • ODETTE (Organization for Data Exchange by Tele-Transmission in Europe): Forms EDI standards (subsets of EDIFACT messages) only for the automotive industry.
  • EAN (European Article Numbering): Each member of this global organization issues its own set of EDI standards for internal usage.
  • VAN (Verband der Automobilindustrie): Refers to the EDI standards’ set developed by Germany for its automotive industry.
  • ANSI X12 (American National Standards Institute): Also known as “transaction codes”, these EDI standards are developed by the United States of America.

Each of the above-mentioned EDI standard formats will be built on four basic principles: They are

  • Syntax Rule: It defines the total number of characters that should be mentioned in a standard. Also, it specifies an order for entering these characters.
  • Code: It refers to the particular code used to identify any currency, country, etc.
  • Message Design: It defines a specific structure for creating a message. The structured format of a purchase order will be different from that of an invoice.
  • Recognition of Values: It refers to three basic ways through which any value in an EDI file can be easily identified.
    • Position of the value in the message (used for flat-file and CSV formats)
    • Usage of separators (used for EDIFACT format)
    • Application of metadata (used for XML format)

contact-us today to get help for your next EDI mapping project.