By now, I am sure most business professionals have heard about or have already implemented EDI, ERP Management Systems, and of course eCommerce Stores. If not, here’s a quick explanation of each Read more
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This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.
Should we migrate our EDI integration and processing platform to a SaaS EDI platform or instead, adopt an EDI translation software on-premises?
The above question is asked by many business executives when involved in EDI integration projects, either when a contract or license with their current EDI provider or translation software comes to an end or before signing for a new EDI business relationship with a new partner. All of these reasons are valid and lately, this topic of discussion is being brought up much more, simply due to the popularity of “cloud” enhanced capabilities and security and Software as a Service (SaaS).
More and more enterprises are working to improve their supply chain management, which leads to companies adopting software applications (as a service). This allows them to increase efficiency, provide higher availability, reduce costs and increase profitability.
Today’s article will address the points every business owner should be evaluating when looking for an answer to the above question.
Enterprise IT Governance & Policy
The first thing to look at before making a decision on whether to go with SaaS EDI or to adopt an EDI translation software, is the company’s policy and IT governance, i.e. the rules and procedures that govern technological implementations and processes. What is the policy and general rule to implement software systems (including EDI)? What are the security measures and privacy rules?
Most companies of different sizes establish strict IT governance rules and procedures and follow these guidelines as much as possible. From my own observations, I have noticed that many enterprises, that have more than 20M of revenues per year and that use enterprise software such as JDE or SAP, have strict rules stating that they can only deploy software solutions on their own premises. However, today we are seeing more of these enterprises going for cloud and SaaS offerings, as it fits their needs much better.
EDI Volume
The second important point to look at is the volume of EDI data you wish to exchange with your business partner (or the current volume if you are already on EDI). This will give a good indication as to what direction your company should be leaning towards. In my professional opinion, the volume of EDI transactions is not the only factor when deciding to convert to SaaS EDI or to adopt translation software, but it is an important parameter.
Point-to-point EDI or VAN
The third point is to look at statistics about EDI connectivity with your current EDI partners, or forecast them if you are new to the EDI world. In today’s digital world, most EDI transactions are going point-to-point between business partners in a very secured manner using the Internet pipeline and secured protocols such as AS2, sFTP, FTP, etc. There are less transactions going through a VAN in comparison to a few years ago, as VANs charge additional expenses for EDI connectivity, which can add up and become quite costly.
Current IT Architecture & Team
A company’s IT architecture and team are extremely important when making decisions about EDI integration and implementation. If the company decides against the SaaS EDI model, does it have all the necessary hardware infrastructures, connectivity protocols and security to internally handle all kinds of EDI processing? Is the IT team equipped to handle such a project? Do they have the expertise and know-how to implement, manage and monitor EDI processes, transactions and translations? If the answers to the above questions are ‘no’, then the enterprise is better off with the SaaS EDI model.
EDI Translation Software Licensing
Don’t forget to evaluate the EDI translation software itself, from cost to functionalities to yearly maintenance and support to the ongoing development and programming during and after the implementation phase. It is also important to evaluate the capability of the IT team working with the EDI translation software.
Read: Take this QUIZ: Is your business cut out for on-premises EDI software?
SaaS EDI Service Provider
Whether using the services of a provider under the SaaS model or on-premises, it is crucial to select the right service provider for EDI. SaaS EDI providers should have a lot of experience in not only EDI but also in EDI and systems’ integration. In addition, the turnaround and customer service and support for that provider are key points for a decision. Keep in mind that some major SaaS EDI providers only see your business as an opportunity to increase revenue and stock value instead of focusing on giving a personalized and amazing customer service.
Conclusion: SaaS EDI or EDI Translation Software?
We are aware that the selection process and choice between SaaS EDI and EDI translation software is a challenging one. We believe that by having the right mechanism and people in place, enterprises of any size can make educated decisions based on what’s best for their business.
If you need more information or help in determining which model you should go with, please contact our EDI team for a free consultation.
This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.
The term “eCommerce” is generally understood as the process of selling products and services over the Internet. However, there is much more that happens behind the scenes of an eCommerce Store. Business transactions such as electronic data interchange (EDI), supply chain management and funds transferred are all part of this online store, as it involves the exchange of all kinds of business transactions to keep the business running smoothly. In this article, I will dig deeper into these hidden eCommerce business transactions. To learn more about the positive effects an online store has on a company, read this blog written by my colleague.
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
In general business terms, SCM is the management of the flow and movement of finished goods from point A, where goods are produced and stored, to point B, where the goods are consumed (final destination).
There are many elements, parameters and interconnecting networks involved in the process of provision of products and services required by the consumer. The challenge with supply chain management is to synchronize the line of supplies with consumer demand and also be able to measure the performance and success rate.
eCommerce & SCM Challenges
In today’s digital world, more and more businesses are embracing the online trade by building electronic stores and creating a web presence to promote and sell their products and services to a wider range of consumers around the world. Due to the revolution of mobility and Internet connectivity, consumers today are much more Internet savvy and are very capable of browsing and shopping online to quickly find the products or services they want. However, in turn, consumers are becoming impatient and request their bought products to be delivered to them in the shortest amount of time. This has created some challenges for e-retailers, such as the following:
- How to keep the supply chain line full in order to respond to the growing demands and trends of the consumers
- How to balance between incoming demands and production, knowing that major production facilities today are overseas and avoid a high level of inventory storage and great “over-stock”
- How to quickly communicate the right business information and requests between the different systems of multiple business partners involved in the supply chain pipeline?
#1 – Use fully integrated software systems
The first tip in overcoming the above challenges would be to use integrated software systems when running an eCommerce Store. Whether it is a small business or a larger enterprise, having one platform to manage and run your business is very advantageous. I have witnessed many enterprises with over 50% of their business coming in from their eCommerce store and they are still keying in information manually. To be efficient, enterprises should be using integrated software systems to manage their eCommerce and retail business.
#2- Integration & Data Exchange (EDI, XML..)
To be able to balance between the demands of products and services coming in from the eCommerce site and the supply chain demands, the best option is to empower the eCommerce platform with EDI capabilities. This way businesses can exchange data automatically in real-time with suppliers and business partners, in order to keep the supply chain filled.
Most of the time, enterprises are not able to change their “legacy systems” quickly and at a low or affordable cost. This kind of project requires a large budget and a lot of resources. Therefore, unfortunately we still find too many legacy systems based on AS400/DB2 and other platforms that are still in production.
At the same token, modern ERP systems such as JDE and SalesForce lack many built-in features capable of exchanging data such as EDI. They offer the gateways for integration (i.e. API, Web Services…) but they expect the company to invest time and effort on integration and data exchange projects.
Read: EDI, XML or Web Services; what’s Best for eCommerce Integration
#3- Adopt Modern Solutions
In order to be able to exchange data electronically, enterprises should invest in modern, scalable integrated IT solutions that are flexible enough to grow with the business. The ideal integration solution should have the capabilities to parse data of different formats (such as EDI, XML, Json, CSV…), translate EDI from one format to another and it should be powerful enough to interact with different systems and platforms.
In addition, a modern efficient integration solution is the one that offers the flexibility to communicate with different business partners, using various modern communication protocols such as AS2, sFTP, Web services, etc.
Is your eCommerce & Supply Chain out of sync?
We often believe that we are sheltered from these common problems and that our IT systems work fine. After taking the time to analyze your business processes a little more you may begin to see some problems or room for improvement. With my 20+ years of experience on the matter, I have seen it all. Start empowering your eCommerce site with the best tools and processes.
Today’s business environment is full of complex business processes; lead time to deliver, merchandise fulfillment, forecasting and more. On top of these processes, there are constantly new strict regulations imposed on businesses by major retailers, like Amazon, Sears and Wal-Mart. Most often, restrictions are enforced when dealing with data exchange, stock and inventory availability and other compliances.
Luckily for companies, a diversity of efficient ERP systems, EDI tools and enterprise software applications, such as JDE, Salesforce, SAP, are running businesses of all sizes. Integration between different systems is becoming more than a luxury, it is a necessity. Enterprises of all sizes are making greater efforts to equip their IT systems with the capability to comply with requirements imposed on them by major retailers. One such issue is EDI integration and the ability to exchange and comply with retailer’s requirements. The key is to ensure you have chosen the right technology and the best team to handle the integration projects.
In my previous article, I addressed the major issues related to EDI integration with JDE. In today’s blog, my focus is on EDI integration with Salesforce or any other software CRM application. These projects can be long and costly if not done right, therefore read below to have an efficient, cost effective and solid integration for EDI communication.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software system. It is very popular amongst enterprises of all sizes as it is best known for its openness for integration. Developers and integrators can read and write data using API and web services. Many companies use Salesforce as a unified tool for leads, campaigns, opportunities and customer tracking.
EDI Integration with Salesforce
Salesforce is simply a CRM system but add-on modules have been developed so users can enter sales orders for clients and confirm processing. However, when it comes down to needing to complete further business processes, which are included in an ERP solution, such as EDI communication, a different approach should be followed. Integrating EDI orders sent by retailers to a CRM user requires further expertise by a team of IT professionals with a solid knowledge of integration and EDI.
Read: Why we love EDI2XML for EDI Integration with JDE (And You Should Too!)
Following are the top 3 challenges that any EDI integration project manager should consider and overcome:
1) The Technology
It is essential in any EDI integration project with Salesforce to be using good technology; that is scalable, flexible and easy to use, with little training necessary. Such technologies exist in the IT marketplace and if properly used, it can be leveraged to save a lot of time, effort and money in the integration process. The ideal tool should be able to interact with XML and Salesforce and all its interfaces (API, SOAP…).
2) EDI via AS2 or VAN
The second issue to consider during an EDI integration project with Salesforce is in regards to the communication protocol to transmit EDI data between you and the retailer. More and more, retailers such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Sears, are mainly offering AS2 connectivity for suppliers wishing to exchange EDI with them. AS2 is a protocol of secured communication of EDI files from point A to point B. When setup and implemented correctly, this kind of implementation saves a lot of money.
However, most often, companies go with a VAN due to the retailers’ incompliance with AS2. It is difficult to do business with these big players without them enforcing their rule by using the service of EDI VAN to all their suppliers. Therefore, the choice to even go with a third party service provider is not given but it does exist.
3) EDI Translation
The EDI translation and integration into the Salesforce databases is the biggest challenge of all. It truly takes some major evaluation and analysis of the situation before beginning. One major question to consider and ask is whether to do the EDI translation and mapping on-premises or as a service. Of course, it all depends on the company’s budget and the capacity of the company’s IT team and knowledge of EDI communication. Also, another consideration is the type of technology. Nowadays, there are experienced service providers that are capable of taking on the service of:
- Receiving EDI transactions from the retailer
- Processing the EDI files
- Translating the EDI files and integrating it into the company’s Salesforce system
What’s Next?
As you might know, a lot of parameters are involved in EDI integration projects, whether you want to integrate with Salesforce or any other software application. A professional opinion from EDI experts is important and very much needed for any business.
Namtek’s IT & EDI Consultation is free and at your convenience. Do business the right way – contact us today.
In today’s article, I will be addressing the best option to process EDI data, exchanged between business partners, by identifying the advantages and inconveniences of two methods; an EDI Service Bureau and a Translation/Integration solution.
It’s not a surprise to business people that exchanging business data using EDI protocols and formats has been around for a while and is clearly here to stay. If you’ve stumbled upon this EDI article, then you are perhaps either interested in enhancing your EDI capabilities or looking to implement EDI in your business environment. Either way, it is proof that EDI is still in demand in the business community.
As this is my first time addressing EDI through a Service Bureau in my blogs, I will clearly define and explain what a Service Bureau does and provide my opinion on the topic.
EDI Service Bureau
EDI Service Bureaus have been around for many years. They were created as a third party provider sitting between business partners. How it works is simple. The Service Bureau receives EDI data from one partner to process into a human readable format (on behalf of the destination partner) and then send out to that destined business partner.
How A Service Bureau Processes EDI Data
As mentioned above, upon receiving the EDI data from a VAN or directly from a business partner, a Service Bureau will take that data and process it to generate a format that is agreed upon by the destination partner. The most commonly used formats are:
- Paper document
- PDF document
- Excel format or CSV (Comma Separated Values)
- Web-based document
Once the EDI data received by the Service Bureau is translated to one of the above formats, the Service Bureau would then transmit the translated document to his client (final destination partner) using one of the following methods:
- Fax
- FTP or sFTP
For outgoing EDI documents, the partner would return the information to the Service Bureau in the same formats as mentioned above (i.e. paper, PDF, Excel or CSV documents). Nowadays, some Service Bureaus provide web-based interfaces for their clients, to manually enter the data in order to generate outgoing EDI files to be sent to their partners.
How Businesses Process Data Received From Service Bureaus
Depending on which format the Service Bureau translates the EDI data into, the business partner would have to deal with it differently. Here are the possible scenarios for incoming EDI documents:
- If the data is treated in a web-based format, the business would need to login to the Service Bureau web portal, retrieve the data (orders, invoices, etc.), print or export the document, and then either key it in manually into their own management system or import it from CSV, only if their internal system supports this kind of process.
- When the EDI converted data is sent as a paper document or PDF (received by either fax or e-mail), the user will then have to key the information received in manually into their system, without question.
- When the data is received in Excel or CSV format, the user can either key in the data manually or import it into his internal ERP system.
The same concept applies for outgoing EDI documents through Service Bureaus. In all cases, the business has to either key in data in Excel or manage it through a web-based interface provided by the Service Bureau.
Service Bureau Inconveniences
As you may have noticed by now, exchanging EDI via a Service Bureau is not the most efficient way of communicating with business partners (click to tweet). In fact, the likelihood of human errors and inefficiencies are very high. In this day and age, where there are constant improvements in technology, it is extremely inefficient for SMEs to be keying in orders received by EDI (through paper document or PDF) (click to tweet). Even with the web-based alternative that Service Bureaus offer, it is still unproductive to manage multiple systems rather than having one single platform with full EDI capability.
Read: Convert EDI to XML: the Winning SaaS Option
EDI Translation & Integration
Once businesses have switched from using a Service Bureau to implementing an EDI translation and integration solution, they have eliminated all kinds of inefficiencies and human errors and have become much more efficient. The way it works is by having a fully integrated business solution in place that has built-in capability to process incoming and outgoing EDI documents. Refer to my previous article entitled See What It Means To Be Fully Integrated with an Efficient Business Software Solution that expands more on integrated solutions.
However, it is very common for business owners to be hesitant to implement a fully integrated solution into their small business, as they believe all ERP systems are expensive. That is simply not the case anymore, as we are in 2014 and IT solutions have become very affordable. EDI2XML offers affordable EDI integration that fits into the budgets of small and medium sized businesses (click to tweet).
What Is The Best Option: EDI via a Service Bureau or a Translation & Integration method?
As a professional IT consultant and developer, I have helped many small and mid-sized businesses streamline their business processes for over 20 years. I truly believe a fully integrated process and solution would be the best option to go with. Not only is it more efficient for your company as a whole but is also affordable. I have already published my arguments in a previous article entitled EDI integration projects: Advantages and Benefits.
If you are interested to learn more about this topic or any other issue related to IT or EDI, please click on the image below and I will be more than happy to contact you for a FREE consultation.
This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.
EDI integration projects have always been time consuming, as it requires an expert team with EDI knowledge and many resources. No matter how small or large the company is, the previous statement falls true for them all. It is the nature of EDI and all the processes involved that makes an EDI integration project complex and problematic for the developers and executives. In this article, I would like to identify a few of the major problems of EDI integration with JDE (JD Edwards) and how to solve them, in order to have a smooth and successful EDI implementation.
About JDE
JD Edwards, also known as JDE, is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software that Oracle sells and supports. JDE is offered in two different lines (or editions): JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World. In most cases, JDE software solutions are implemented and deployed in corporate level enterprises. It is less present in small enterprises since most SMEs cannot afford its maintenance costs.
Why EDI integration with JDE is a problem
Read: EDI Integration with JDE Made Easy with EDI2XML
While JDE is a great corporate level ERP solution, offering lots of tools and connectors for data integration (flat file and other format), it does NOT offer out of-the-box an integrated EDI solution or connector that would make EDI integration seamless. It offers the necessary interfaces to define file formats for export and import, but it stops short on completing the loop into a full EDI solution.
For EDI project integration, JDE heavily relies on third-party “EDI translation software” to send or receive EDI files, and to turn the EDI files into a format (flat file for example) that can be easily interpreted and processed by JDE.
Having said that, you can now imagine how complex and time-consuming integration of EDI in JDE is for a company’s IT personnel and developers. The major problems can be summarized as follows:
- IT personnel need to have an extensive EDI expertise; for example, a high knowledge of EDI is needed to be able to define the data to be extracted from the incoming EDI file
- They need to learn how the “EDI Translation software” works as well as how and when to extract data and transform it into the proper format for JDE
- Of course, they need to know how to work with JDE and setup interfaces and connectors. This one is not of a major concern as IT personnel handling JDE are experienced with this platform
Looking to integrate your EDI or eCommerce processes with Oracle JDE enterprise one, look no further, since we have the best integration option where we turn your Oracle JDE system into a modern REST API, that receives https requests and acts accordingly. LEARN MORE>
How to solve the integration problems
In order to solve problems associated with EDI integration with JDE, it comes down to reducing the number of points identified in the previous section to 2 rather than 3, by capitalizing and building on JDE expertise. So how can this be done in order to have an EDI integration project run smoothly, on budget and on time?
Read: Top 3 Challenges to Overcome in Salesforce and EDI Integration Projects
The answer is simple. Companies running JDE can leverage:
- EDI2XML : the technology to convert EDI to XML (and XML to EDI)
- Magic xpi: the business integration platform from Magic Software, that is able to orchestrate the entire business process. It is an “Oracle Validated Integration” solution for both JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World.
Magic xpi comes with a lot of built-in features to support an EDI project implementation such as:
- Communication components (FTP,sFTP)
- Ability to execute scheduled tasks based on several triggers
- Ability to execute tasks based on file scanning triggers
EDI2XML has complementary features to make an EDI integration project within JDE very simple and straightforward:
- EDI2XML is able to generate FA 997 out-of-the box for incoming EDI documents
- EDI2XML turns the EDI files received into readable XML format, so no need for extensive EDI expertise
Therefore, EDI integration projects with JDE don’t have to be so dreadful anymore. The marriage of EDI2XML, Magic xpi and our team’s EDI expertise can definitely benefit your company and make EDI projects easy and under budget.
To read more about using EDI with JD Edwards and the third-party applications, Click here
This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.
As soon as there is a requirement for EDI implementation and integration, company executives, along with their IT personnel, begin by determining how they will comply with their EDI business partner to exchange EDI documents. They will need to acquire EDI translation software, initiate testing, and so on. This however is a complex and lengthy process, which many executives do not look forward to. Difficult questions arise, such as, “Shall we outsource to an EDI service provider? Shall we do it ourselves “on-premises”? Shall we do the translation and conversion of EDI “as a service” using an outside provider?
Which of these options is the best and most affordable way to go?”
Why Do We Need To Translate EDI
As you already know, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the standard to exchange business data between business partners in a very proprietary EDI format. Your business partner would send data such as a P/O (EDI 850), an Inventory Inquiry/Advice (EDI 846), or any other EDI transaction, based on his own terminology of business parameters. It is then up to the “receiving party” to take the sender’s EDI data and information, translate it into a well-understood format, which the receiver’s system will be able to use and process. With EDI2XML, we translate the EDI format of incoming documents to a much simpler, more structured XML format so humans, namely the IT developers, and systems can easily work with.
Translate EDI “On-premises”
Normally, translating incoming EDI documents “on-premises” requires a lot of parameters before launching such a project. As a starting point, a good level of expertise in EDI, EDI communication, and systems integration is required. Integrators should also have a fairly advanced knowledge and expertise in how the company’s software system (ERP, CRM, etc.) works and how to integrate and push data into that system.
Another major task for the “on-premises” translation is, in most cases, the need for the company to invest on hardware, software licenses, and services (internet, dedicated IP, VAN) to be able to exchange EDI documents with their business partner.
Useful Reading: What are the advantages of using EDI2XML?
Translate EDI “As a Service”
With the emergence of cloud-based IT services and the affordable plans offered by service providers, the ability to translate EDI “as a service” in the “cloud” and deliver the end result to the ultimate destination, has become a more productive approach.
Typically, an EDI service provider offering EDI translation “as a service” will:
– Act as an intermediary layer between the EDI sender and EDI receiver
– Receives the EDI incoming document (i.e. 850, 860, 864,…) on behalf of the “ultimate receiver”
– Extract the data received in EDI format and translate it into a standard format (i.e. XML)
– Transmit the XML data to its ultimate destination for Integration OR integrate directly into the software system of the ultimate receiver.
To send EDI documents out, the EDI service provider will be acting also as an intermediary hub between business partners and do the following:
– Receive data in XML format to be sent to the business partner from the sender through FTP or sFTP
– Translate data received and convert from XML to EDI format
– Transmit that EDI data to the destination
Dive into the world of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) with our insightful video explanation. Explore the video
Advantages of EDI Translation “As a Service”
With the EDI translation in the cloud offered as a service, companies have a lot of great advantages:
– Quick implementation cycle
– Secured and proven platform to exchange EDI with partners
– No initial investment on hardware or software licenses
– Get up-and-running quickly: your projects are on-time and on-budget
– Use the wealth of expertise your EDI service provider has in EDI
– Let your team of IT professionals focus on integrating XML files into your system rather than learning EDI
– Predictable and static recurring monthly fee for the service
– Possibility to move to “on premises” mode any time
– Ability to integrate to your system directly without your internal IT resources
Discover how you can streamline and simplify your EDI projects with EDI2XML Fully Managed Services
The Best EDI Solution
Most companies usually lean towards the “on-premises” option when they have “internal policies” and security measures in place or are a large enterprise with their own team of IT experts.
The “as a service” option is much more advantageous for small to mid-sized enterprises, where they may have a lower number of exchanged EDI transactions.
As the “as a service” option’s low initial investment and quick deployment are attractive features, every situation is different and should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis with one of our EDI experts prior to making a final decision.
Why use an EDI integration project?
In today’s business world, lots of decision makers are still wondering whether to plunge into EDI integration projects or to hire a couple of new employees to manually enter data received and processed by a third party EDI service bureau.
Which option is much more beneficial for their company and returns the most on their investment?
At a quick glance, hiring data entry clerks might seem appealing for the following reasons:
1) The EDI understanding is still a complex topic to understand by non-technical people;
2) The considerable initial capital investment on integration projects: professional services, EDI consultants, professional services…
3) The ongoing EDI service bureau transactional fees, connectivity fees..
4) The time and effort needed to integrate EDI with their ERP, or Business management software solution, that will be billed by IT consultants, EDI specialists and consultants.
While the above reasons are completely valid, companies stop short from researching about the evolution of the EDI world.
With EDI2XML and its “Software as a Service” model, companies are able to cut over 75% of their EDI integration projects costs and gain efficiency and accuracy within a short amount of time. Just by implementing and using EDI2XML translators, the IT consultant of an SMB, will be able to focus on building the integration between XML data files and the business management software solution in place, since XML is widely used and understood nowadays. EDI2XML is able to generate a readable XML of the EDI file, easily understood by humans and systems. As long as the IT consultant has access to the ERP database structure, he will be able to read the EDI formatted file in XML, and push to the tables, after applying all kinds of business validation. The same applies for outgoing EDI documents. As long as the IT consultant is able to generate an output XML file based on a pre-defined schema, XML2EDI engine will process that file and convert into an EDI file format.
EDI communication protocols are becoming very straightforward today; less complexity and more security. Major retailers and corporations are using AS2 or FTPs secured in order to communicate EDI documents back and forth between business partners. Even better, if a company is not able to handle EDI projects due to lack of budget or expertise, EDI2XML technology is used and empowering erpwizard which is a fully integrated business management software solution offered “as a service” (SAAS) either “on customer premises” or in “the cloud“. Not only is it a fully integrated ERP software solution, but it offers a complete EDI solution.
We have over 15 years in EDI integration in the retail, manufacturing, distribution and healthcare industries. We’ve been very active in Montreal, Canada, where our EDI consultants are experienced at the business level just as much as they are at the technical level.
Read: Free EDI to XML converter: What’s the catch?
