The Pain and Gain Of Integrated EDI
Part One: The Pain of Integrated EDI
P.J. Jakovljevic - March 21, 2005

The Pain of Integrated EDI

There is more to the "best-of-breed versus integrated suite" dilemma than mere data synchronization between two disparate enterprise applications. Electronic data interchange (EDI) capability, which for some high-volume industries like automotive suppliers has become a unpleasant required, has been made more dangerous by the level of work that must be dedicated to ensure the accuracy of incoming and outgoing messages. Namely, all EDI solutions from the traditional value-added network (VAN) providers like General Exchange Services (GXS), Sterling Commerce, SPS Commerce, or Inovis provide the fundamental translation process, converting incoming files, such as schedule releases and forecasts into something readable and understandable. These solutions must also convert outbound data, such as invoices, purchase orders (POS) and advanced shipping notices (ASNs) into an acceptable format that can be received by the supplier...