Module EDI

Electronic Data Interchange, also known as EDI, is a standardized method that allows companies to share documents and information digitally. Through EDI, business partners can communicate reliably, accurately and in a timely manner. EDI is relevant to a variety of business processes including, but not limited to, purchase orders, invoices, and delivery notifications.

The Module EDI provides several features, including specific EDI inboxes and outboxes for EDI messages and a searchable archive of all processed messages. Users can manually view, print, export, or import new messages to be sent. In addition, the Module EDI includes a tool for creating custom in-house formats and creating mappings between different formats.

The freely definable in-house formats and mappings allow the module to be adapted to any specific application. Automation functions ensure fully automated operation, with users always in control thanks to the user-friendly interface and able to intervene in the processes as needed. These extensive functions make the Module EDI an indispensable tool for efficient business processes.

Receiving, sending and evaluating EDI messages

The Module EDI serves as a link between the data transfer modules such as AS2 and OFTP2 of the !MC5 system and the specific systems of your company. Data received via one of these modules can be transferred to the Module EDI according to certain rules. This module analyzes the data and automatically recognizes common message formats such as EDIFACT, ODETTE, VDA and ANSI ASC X.12. Recognized messages are forwarded to the EDI Inbox, where they can be viewed, printed or exported by the user.

A key feature of the Module EDI is its built-in EDI converter. This can convert data on export via user-defined mappings into a format that can be processed by your company's internal systems, including specific ERP system formats, CSV files, XML files and other formats used in-house. Conversely, the module can import data from your ERP system and convert it to the EDI format required by the business partner.

The converted messages can then be viewed again via the EDI outbox, printed and sent to the respective partner. Any available transmission module can also be used for the dispatch. The dispatch status of each message is also displayed in the EDI outbox. Including the acknowledgement of receipt from the other side, if this is supported by the transmission protocol used.

In addition, the Add-On EP Scripting (External Process Scripting) provides the ability to control third-party programs via simple scripts. This can be used to pass EDI messages to any other application or to receive, process or send post-rite messages by means of other applications.

EDI conversions and create your own in-house formats

Users have the possibility to create their own conversions and the Module EDI supports them with the integrated EDI Convert Manager. Mappings can be created intuitively through the manager's graphical interface. For simple customizations, such as changing a customer number in an incoming EDI message to a format that can be processed by the company's internal ERP solution, only a few clicks are required.

For more complex mappings, where simple mapping of fields is not enough, the EDI Convert Manager offers the possibility to extend mappings by scripts. Regardless of the differences in formats, the EDI-Convert-Manager provides the necessary tools to handle the complexity.

In addition, the EDI Convert Manager allows you to define your own in-house formats, including any comma separated values (CSV) formats. If your ERP system supports export or import via XML, you can create a message definition for this in just a few clicks, which can then be used for mappings.

Or you can use the built-in conversion to the !MC5 standard XML formats, which is available for every EDI message type, even for self-defined types. This is useful, for example, if it is easier to make the necessary adjustments for data transfer in your internal system. With the standard XML formats, a conversion to XML is actually completed with just one click. And the reverse way does not even require this one click.

Features

The EDI Inbox and Outbox allow the user to browse, view, print, export or send messages, among others. The processing status for each message is displayed directly. The detailed log of the processing of a message can be accessed by clicking on it. All messages processed by the Module EDI are automatically archived.

EDI messages can be sent and received via any transmission module of !MC5, for example AS2, OFTP2 or SFTP. Additionally, any external application can be controlled via the Add-On EP Scripting and thus also be used for sending or receiving EDI messages.

All EDI messages can be printed after receipt or before sending (automatically). Depending on the message add-on used, print functions are available that go beyond simple plain text printing. For example, the Add-On Message VDA 4913 can print goods tags according to VDA 4902 or goods receipt/issue slips according to VDA 4912.

The Module EDI includes tools for creating conversions between any EDI message types as well as self-defined in-house formats. Mappings are created via a graphical user interface and support the use of scripts to check and customize the data.

The Module EDI includes tools for creating freely definable FlatFile formats. This allows any format to be mapped, from simple CSV to complex iDoc files, which can then be used to create mappings. By importing XSD files, any XML formats can also be created and used with just a few clicks.

There are no restrictions on the number of in-house formats or mappings that can be created per message type and partner. This allows you to react flexibly to changing requirements of partners or your company's own systems at any time.

Any message type, including self-defined in-house formats, can be converted to and read from a type-dependent standard XML format with a single click. XSD files (XML Schema Definition) can be generated to any standard XML format. This allows easy further processing of any EDI messages in other systems.

All EDI processes in !MC5 can be automated via automatic rules: Evaluation and printing of received EDI messages with subsequent export into a format that can be processed internally and, vice versa, import of local data with conversion into the format required by the business partner, including automatic dispatch via one of the supported transmission protocols.

Related Modules and Add-Ons

Module !MC5 BASE

Includes the basic functions of !MC5, independent of the other modules and add-ons. Basis for all other modules and add-ons.

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EDI Message Add-Ons

Message modules for all message types of common EDI standard formats like EDIFACT, ODETTE, VDA, ASC X12, XML.

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Add-On EP Scripting

Execution of any external application via Windows batch scripts, both time- and event-driven.

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Add-On Windows Service

Run !MC5 in background as Windows service without logged in user.

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