Adjust received data for internal processing

Over time, many different formats, message types and transmission protocols have been developed for the exchange of corporate data, such as EDIFACT, ODETTE, VDA, AS2 or OFTP2. The use of standards facilitates the exchange of EDI data between business partners, since it clearly defines how the data must be structured. Also in terms of content, the message types used specify at least roughly where in the respective files which information should be located.

Nevertheless, problems can arise in the details. A common example is the receipt of customer numbers that do not correspond to the internal format of the ERP system. Your business partner sends you an EDI file with his own customer number, but it does not match the customer number you use for this partner in your own ERP system. If the ERP system cannot automatically convert the customer number, there is a risk that the business partner's messages will not be processed correctly or at all.

Therefore, the customer number must be adjusted after receiving the data and before importing it into the internal system. This can of course be done manually, but this method is not only time consuming, but also error prone. !MC5, in conjunction with the Module EDI, offers you several easy ways to fully automate the adjustment of the customer number. With the integrated EDI converter in the Module EDI you can not only convert data into other formats, but also adjust the contained data without changing the format.

Make an adjustment with the EDI converter

With just a few clicks, you can create a one-to-one mapping with the included mapping tool. Initially, such a conversion does not change anything in the EDI message. However, when assigning the customer number, it can be customized. The EDI converter offers you several methods for this, from which you can choose the most suitable for your situation:

• Individual mapping for each partner: this approach is simple and quick to implement, but it requires separate mapping for each partner. This method is especially recommended when only a few partners are involved.
• Universal mapping with a script function to translate the customer numbers: This has the advantage that only one mapping is needed for all partners. However, basic programming skills are required to make adjustments and additions.
• Universal mapping with a script function for translating the customer numbers using internal translation tables from !MC5: Here, too, only a single mapping is required for all customers concerned. Adjustments and additions can then be made by users without programming knowledge. This method thus represents the most elegant and simplest solution, which can also be easily maintained.

Of course, more complex adjustments to a message are also possible. You can create any number of mappings for any number of partners and adjust them at any time. In addition, the EDI converter of !MC5 offers many more possibilities to customize received data or data to be sent.

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