It’s not news that every change to a complex transaction like an EDI document needs to be tested in order to make certain the information that’s intended to move from point A to point B gets there intact. Some of these transactions are large and complex, and coupled with the fact that every version of every document is different, there are bound to be times when characters or even entire segments don’t match up with what’s defined in the specs. Read more...

EDI Specificiations and documentation - if you're involved with the maintenance of your company's EDI system then you already know about the internals of EDI documents and how small changes can lead to big problems. Making the required changes is part and parcel of the EDI process, but knowing what changes are coming from which trading partners can cause problems when it comes to implementing the changes on a timely basis. Read more...

EDI pricing is one of those things that's hard to pin down. ec-bp.com has supported the lowering of costs of EDI since its first issue 10 years ago. We recently posted a story about how GXS intends to stop the practice it calls daisy-chaining, a move that would lower the number of options available to trading partners and likely increase overall costs of using EDI. In another counter-productive move, it seems that the costs of the guidelines for the 6050 specifications will increase in price and require annual 'maintenance fees.' Individually these changes may not seem like a big deal, but are they a trend? And will they have any long term effect on the marketplace? Will the price increases lead for a move away from a pricey X12 to a free and more internationally supported EDIFACT? Read more...

Over the last couple months we have been discussing uncovering the actualized financial benefit of an EDI program to the bottom line of an organization. In our webinar held on May 15, we discussed the subject in depth, and shared the spreadsheet model that I have developed in order to answer this question. In order to supplement that webinar, I would also like to review the various pieces of the model and how you could use it for future analysis. Read more...