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How to Become EDI Compliant in Under 60 Minutes (Yes, Really)

How to Become EDI Compliant in Under 60 Minutes (Yes, Really)

Being an EDI-compliant company is one of the most effective ways to drive business growth.

There are times when SMEs cannot collaborate with large companies because small companies do not meet their EDI requirements.

In other cases, companies may lose their long-term large business partner because a large company moves to EDI and starts requiring all of its suppliers to exchange documents via EDI.

This can happen to any company.

However, EDI is still the main tool for interacting between business partners and the possibility of cooperation with large companies.

In fact, all major retail companies such as Walmart, Kroger, Home Depot, Costco, Target, and others, actively use EDI to communicate with their suppliers, carrier companies, and 3PL partners.

So what tool can enable you to quickly exchange EDI and become EDI compliant? How to start exchanging EDI documents quickly and cost-effectively, without losing an existing trading partner and be ready to cooperate with new ones?

HTTP EDI Web Service (REST API) – an Easy Way to Exchange Business Documents

EDI connectivity is a pain for many SMEs. Often, they simply do not have the necessary resources for an EDI integration and can’t afford the monthly EDI fees that must be paid to the EDI provider. Moreover, often, it is simply not profitable and very expensive, since small companies often have a small volume of transactions per month.

With over 20 years’ experience as an EDI provider, we have identified this problem that small businesses need to solve every day, and developed a unique, easy-to-use solution for SMEs to become EDI-compatible quickly and easily.

We have built a robust and well-established EDI tool that allows you to connect to EDI in record time and start exchanging EDI documents with your trading partners.

What is EDI Web Service?

The EDI2XML Web Service is a web-based HTTP service that runs over the Internet and is capable of translating EDI messages to XML and XML messages to EDI (based on EDI2XML’s proprietary xml format or schema).

EDI Web services

EDI Web Service is a low-cost alternative solution to on-premises EDI, SaaS EDI, or Managed EDI.

This EDI solution offers almost the same benefits of a traditional EDI, including speeding up business document transformation, eliminating document loss, and reducing administrative contact with trading partners.

Supported EDI Transactions

In our EDI document library here you can find a list of supported EDI X12, EDIFACT, HIPAA / X12 transactions that you can start transformation, and be ready to exchange in less than an hour. However, we can add any additional EDI transaction set at your request, without any fees.

EDI Web Service Fees

Payment for the use of the EDI web service is very simple and consists of two parts:

  1. The monthly payment for using the web service mailbox.
  2. Payment for the volume of processed data. This fee is variable and depends on the volume of data converted (between EDI and XML) during a calendar month.

GOOD TO KNOW: All new users of our API web service can benefit from our 15-days free trial.

3 Easy Steps to Become EDI Compliant

I will give you a specific formula in 3 easy steps you need to follow to quickly become EDI compliant without spending a lot of time and money.

Step #1: Get More Information about EDI Web Service

Learn full information about HTTP EDI Web Service on page: What is EDI2XML Web Service? On this page, you will find information about how the EDI web service works and what its benefits are.

Step #2: Request a Price List to Access the EDI2XML Web Service

Fill out the short contact form on this page to receive a document with a detailed pricing scheme. This document will also contain a section with answers to frequently asked questions. We recommend that you also read it as it contains very valuable information.

Step #3: Getting Started with EDI2XML Web Service in Record Time

After filling out the form and submitting it, we will contact you within [24] hours with the information you need (Token and password) in order to start interacting with the Web Service. Each subscription comes with detailed instructions and documentation regarding our Web Service.

Conclusion: Become EDI compliant in Under 60 Minutes

You may have already spent weeks looking for the right EDI solution, now you can quickly become EDI compliant without wasting another day of your time.

Our EDI web service is fast and stable and brings results to our customers.

If you have any questions, please contact us for a free EDI consultation.

EDI web service
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Magic xpi and EDI2XML HTTP web service: the best EDI software option

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.

More and more questions related to EDI software, systems integration, EDI, best EDI software are being raised every day by our contacts and clients. I decided to tackle those questions in this post, hoping it will help consultants, as well as companies looking for the most suitable EDI software solution.

Automation via EDI software

It does not matter which industry a company is part of be it sales, manufacturing, or service delivery at some point, every company seeks to automate its internal processes, increase efficiency and eliminate human errors.

A very common situation is the automation in e-commerce, namely – online eCommerce stores. Typically, there are several people who will work on order processing, after an order is keyed-in and entered by the consumer:

  • Operators who manually transferred orders received from the e-commerce site to the internal system.
  • A warehouse worker who will ship orders.

In an environment where EDI is implemented in such a company, and systems eCommerce and on-Premises systems are directly integrated, the need for operators to enter orders, disappears as the order is automatically transferred to the internal system of a company.

As a result, the persons in charge of shipping orders can prepare the goods for dispatch without the help of operators. So, operators are not needed at all.

The company saves money by reducing staff, eliminating errors due to human factors, moreover, the company will be able to quickly ship and deliver orders in a short window of time, which improves greatly its customer service experience.

With the growth of the business, a new need arises – the necessity for interaction between various business partners who use different systems. Nowadays many companies have realized that EDI (Electronic data interchange) along with integration of its business applications, helps enterprises and qualitatively changes the work of employees.

Grow your potential with EDI web service solution

Today, there are many EDI software solutions in the market that allows you to trade electronically with your business partners. Before making a decision and choosing an EDI software, you should pay attention to:

  • the possibility of modernization and scaling
  • the simplicity of EDI implementation
  • ability to send and receive a variety of EDI documents
  • ease of use and feature-rich
  • ability to integrate with other solutions

one important trend in the tech industry today that is very popular, is the use of web services. It is a trend as a technology and as a business methodology.

If you what to know more about web services technology read our article: Seamless EDI implementation through Web Services

Our unique EDI software includes a combination of EDI2XML EDI Web services, and Magic xpi, the code free integration platform, with drag and drop visual aping, simple to use. This combination will reduce the complexity of EDI development, allowing organizations to quickly reap the benefits of this powerful technology, quickly on-board its partners, and most importantly, fully automate and integrate its own ERP or CRM system in a matter of days.

EDI2XML Web Service, is an HTTP service running over the internet, on EDI2XML own private platform that is capable of receiving HTTP requests to translate EDI messages to XML, and XML messages (based on EDI2XML’s proprietary format) to EDI.

EDI2XML HTTP services provide technological and business benefits which include:

  • Application and data integration
  • Versatility
  • Cost savings (no contract: pay as you go)
  • Very simple and dynamic pricing scheme
  • Quick start of using (you can start with less than an hour)
  • Availability and reliability
  • Based on proven technology in the field for over 18 years now
  • Outstanding technical support

Who is EDI2XML web service for?

EDI2XML Web Service, is for developers and businesses, interested in building their own EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) integration flows and programs. Normally, these individuals, are capable of interacting with external API and Web Services to translate EDI to XML and XML to EDI, and have the resources and expertise to work with Web Services and HTTP requests in order to achieve their goals. EDI2XML web service, is the premier choice for IT people as a reliable service to accomplish such Integration projects.

Getting started with EDI2XML Web Service, is very simple and quick. Within less than an hour, you can issue the first Call to the Web Service and see the response.

EDI2XML Web Service currently, supports the EDI transactions as listed on our website. In case a transaction you are looking for is not on the list, we can simply just add it within 24 hours.

Increase competitive power through integration EDI software

Often, companies are already using different business applications such as CRM or ERP systems, which they are quite satisfied. But the question is: can they work in harmony with each other, and integrate together? What is the best way to integrate EDI software to them?

Have you ever thought that EDI software can improve your business by integration all of your business applications and organizing a new way of transferring data and processes through your CRM, ERP, WMS, SCM, finance, third-party applications, and other outdated or cloud-based system?

As mentioned above our EDI software include EDI web service and Magic xpi integration platform;  this technology combination can cover all your business needs. Before we review what is Magic xpi integration platform, let’s see what integration is.

Integration (from the Latin. Integratio – “insert”) – the process of inserting parts into something. Depending on the context, it may mean:

  • Web integration – the integration of heterogeneous web applications and systems into a single web-based environment.
  • Data Integration – Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of them. (definition from Wikipedia)

I would add this Wikipedia definition as follow: The integration of software systems and products is the exchange of data between systems with possible subsequent processing. The point of integration is that the data entered by the user (or directly injected by another application or API) into one system is automatically migrated to another.

Magic xpi – efficient integration for any business and any system

Magic xpi makes integration fast and uninterrupted due to pre-built components, proven and certified connectors as well as code-free, visual approach.

Using Magic xpi Integration Platform you can connect a varied business application and systems and improve the capabilities of your ERP, CRM, finance, and other enterprise systems.

Unlike other integration platforms that use complex point-to-point coding, Magic xpi have easy to use, code-free, drag and drop visual data mapper. You can manage the performance of your system at all times thanks to comprehensive monitoring and management tools. Magic xpi has incomparable connectivity including 100+ prebuilt components, certified and optimized adapters for leading IT systems, and a Connector Builder for all your needs.

Magic xpi Integration Platform

Start with the best EDI Software solution

We do offer EDI projects consultancy. We help companies plan, deploy, test and integrate EDI projects. You can simply call us (450) 68-3009 Ext 223 or write us sales@namtek.ca if you need any EDI consulting work. We have a proven 20+ years of experience in EDI and integration projects.

SOAP or REST Web Services: what you should use for EDI implementation?


This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.


In my previous article Seamless EDI implementation through Web Services, I covered various types of web services. Perhaps, if you’re still worried about choosing between SOAP or REST for your EDI implementation, this brief comparative review should help you make a choice. But in any case, you should remember that the focus of your decision must concentrate on which web service best responds to your needs.

First, look at the difference between the SOAP and REST request and response packets.

Here is a SOAP request and response packets:

SOAP request sample

SOAP response sample

Here is a REST request and response:

REST sample request and response

What is difference between SOAP and REST Web services?

1. SOAP actively uses XML to encode requests and responses, as well as strong data typing, ensuring the integrity of the information is intact, during transmission between the client and the server. On the other hand, requests and responses in REST can be transmitted in ASCII, XML, JSON or any other formats that can be recognized by both the client and the server. In addition, there are no built-in data type requirements in the REST model. As a result, the request and response packets in REST are much smaller than their corresponding SOAP packets.

2. In the SOAP model, the HTTP data transfer layer is a “passive observer,” and its role is limited to sending SOAP requests from a client to the server using the POST method. Service request details, such as the remote procedure name and input arguments, are encoded in the request body. Opposite of SOAP the REST architecture, considers the HTTP data transfer layer as an active participant in an interaction using existing HTTP methods, such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, to indicate the type of service requested. Therefore, from a developer’s perspective, REST requests are generally simpler to be formulated and understood since they use existing and well-understood HTTP interfaces.

3. The SOAP model allows service developers to describe its APIs in a Web Service Description Language (WSDL) file format. Creating these files is quite difficult, but it’s well worth the effort since SOAP clients can automatically retrieve detailed information from these files. For example, about the names and method signatures, input and output types and return values. On the other hand, the REST model avoids the complexity of WSDL in favor of a more intuitive interface based on the standard HTTP methods described above.

4. At the “heart” of REST is the concept of resources, while SOAP uses interfaces based on objects and methods. The SOAP interface can contain an almost unlimited number of methods; the REST interface, in contrast, is limited to four possible operations, corresponding to the four HTTP methods.

Useful link: Download EDI Web Service overview. 

This EDI Web Service overview covers the following topics:

  • What is EDI2XML Web Services?
  • Advantages of using EDI2XML HTTP service
  • Who is EDI Web Service for?

The best Web Service for EDI

EDI2XML Web Service, is for developers, systems integrators and businesses, interested in building their own EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) integration flows and programs. Normally, these individuals, are capable of interacting with external API and Web Services to translate EDI to XML and XML to EDI, and have the resources and expertise to work with Web Services and HTTP requests in order to achieve their goals. EDI2XML web service, is the premier choice for IT people as a reliable service to accomplish such Integration projects.

The best way to discover how REST works for EDI is to try our free 15- days trial version of EDI2XML Web Service.

Click here to request the price list in order to access EDI2XML Web Service

 

EDI Web Service for edi integration

Continue Reading About Web Service: 

 

Seamless EDI implementation through Web Services

EDI is used almost everywhere regardless of industry or company size. The most extensive use of EDI is in the retail industry. EDI compliance is mandatory in order to trade with big retailers such as Target, Costco, Walmart,… even giants of electronic commerce like Amazon are heavy users of EDI.

There are a lot of different types and approach of implementing EDI in your company. It can fully managed EDI service, or gaining popularity lately EDI Web Service, because, service architects and developers want EDI to be easy to implement, maintainable, extensible, and scalable.

What is web service?

Web service is a network technology that provides inter-program interaction based on web standards. More specifically, it’s client and server application that communicate over the World Wide Web’s (WWW).

The W3C consortium defines a web service as: “A Web service is a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network”.

Thus, the web service is identified by a URI string. The Web service has a User Programmatic Interface (UPI) that is represented in WSDL format. Other systems interact with this web service by exchanging SOAP or REST protocol messages. HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used to transport the messages. The description of Web services and their APIs can be found by UDDI.

♦ WSDL (Web Services Description Language) – is an XML-based interface definition language that is used for describing the functionality offered by a web service.

♦ UDDI (Universal Discovery, Description and Integration) – is an XML-based registry for business internet services

Web services are rich in functionality and extensibility, as well as their machine-readable descriptions through the use of XML. Web services can be combined to achieve complex operations.

web service diagram

The diagram above shows a very simplified view of how a web service works. The client invokes a web service call by sending a request to a server which hosts the actual web service, then get the response from the web service.

What are different types of web services?

Web services can be deployed in several ways. The following web-services are the most commonly used http web services:

♦ SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) — in fact, it is a triple of standards SOAP/WSDL/UDDI

♦ REST (Representational State Transfer) – quite often called as RESTful API (Application Program Interface that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data) or RESTful web service – is based on (REST) technology.

Actually, SOAP originated from XML-RPC (XML Remote Procedure Call) and is the next generation of its development and evolution. While REST is a concept, based on an architectural style.

Of course, there are other types of web services, but since they are not widely used, we will focus on these two in this brief review: SOAP and REST.

A Quick Overview of SOAP Web Services

SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol. It is an XML-based protocol for accessing web services.

It is platform and language independent. It means that by using SOAP, you can interact with other programming language applications.

Initially, SOAP was primarily intended to implement a remote procedure call (RPC). Now SOAP is used to exchange arbitrary messages in XML format, not just to call procedures.

Like any text protocol, SOAP can be used with any application layer protocol: SMTP, FTP, HTTPS, etc., but more often SOAP is used over HTTP.

All SOAP messages are structured as an envelope (is the root element in every SOAP message), including the following elements:

  • Message ID (local name)
  • Optional Header element
  • Mandatory Body element (message body)

Structure of SOAP message:

SOAP message structure

The expanded list of SOAP message elements is shown in the data schema (for SOAP version 1.2).

A Quick Overview of REST Web Services

REST stands for Representational State Transfer. As it was mentioned above, REST is not a protocol but an architectural style built on existing standards that are well known and controlled by the W3C consortium, such as HTTP, URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), XML and RDF (Resource Description Format).

In a REST services, the emphasis is placed on access to resources, and not on the execution of remote services; this is the fundamental difference from SOAP-services. However, the remote procedure call is also applicable to REST. It uses the PUT, GET, POST, and DELETE methods of the HTTP protocol to perform tasks. The cardinal difference between REST and SOAP is that REST remains an HTTP request.

According to many developers, SOAP is cumbersome and difficult to use. REST is an easy alternative.

REST is using the URL approach. Often, to make a request, REST relies on a simple URL Instead of using XML.

Advantages of REST Web Services

REST is more flexible and easier to use for the most part. There are following advantages when:

  • Agile: Unlike SOAP, there is no strict specification for REST Web services and it consumes less bandwidth and resources, thus, REST Web services are very fast.
  • Language and Platform independent: REST web services can be written in any programming language and run on any platform.
  • Can be used with different data format: REST web service permits different data format such as Plain Text, XML, HTML, and JSON.

SOAP vs REST what to choose?

SOAP is more applicable in complex architectures where interaction with objects is beyond the scope of the CRUD model. In applications having the CRUD model, it can be quite applicable to REST due to its simplicity and transparency.

In fact, if any objects in your service do not need a complex relationship than: “Create”, “Read”, “Update”, “Delete” (usually in 99% of cases is enough), it is possible that REST will be the best choice.

In addition, REST compared to SOAP can be more productive because it does not require parsing complex XML commands on the server (regular HTTP requests are performed — PUT, GET, POST, DELETE).

EDI2XML HTTP service

EDI2XML Web Service, is an HTTP (based on REST) service running over the internet, on EDI2XML private cloud platform that is capable of receiving HTTP requests to translate EDI messages to XML, and XML messages to EDI (based on EDI2XML’s proprietary XML format). Advantages of using EDI2XML HTTP service:

⇒ You can start with less than an hour

⇒ No contract: pay as you go

⇒ Very simple and dynamic pricing scheme

⇒ Availability and reliability

⇒ Based on proven technology in the field for over 18 years now

⇒ Outstanding technical support

Our EDI Web Service solution solves developer’s problem because we have over 18 years of expertise in EDI, that is difficult for every developer and integrator to acquire quickly.

You can start with the free 15 – days trial of EDI2XML Web Service to see how real-time translation services works.

EDI Web Service for edi integration

Related Posts:

What is EDIFACT? | UN / EDIFACT standard overview

EDI ANSI ASC X12 Standards – Technical Overview – 2020

EDI Integration of B2B e-commerce for small companies

EDI, XML or Web Services; what’s Best for eCommerce Integration

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.



eCommerce platforms have been largely used by small and mid-sized enterprises, to sell their products and services to the booming consumer market (B2C) on the internet. Amazon and eBay for example, are among the most popular eCommerce platforms; for ease of operations and integration they offer different ways to exchange data between the trading partner and the platform. As an example, Amazon offers EDI integration capability, or Web service calls to exchange data or simple XML transactions. The most frequently asked question, by business owners, is: what is the best option to have a quick integration at a minimal cost with a maximum return on investment?

In this post I will explain the different integration mechanisms and share my opinion on how to decide which way to go. As a complementary article to this post, I invite you to read my previous post entitled Tips to Empower your eCommerce with great Supply Chain through EDI Integration to get more detailed advise about eCommerce and EDI integration to be able to build a strong SCM channel.

Let me start by quickly defining each of the above technical terms:

EDI

EDI is the oldest protocol used to exchange data between business partners. It has been standardized and heavily used for decades. It is very well ingrained in the manufacturing and retail verticals. Data in EDI format has a pre-defined format and structure. It is transmitted using different types of secured communication protocols (i.e. VAN, AS2, FTP, sFTP…).

Useful reading: What is EDI? 

 

XML

As defined by the W3Schools website , XML is a markup language much like HTML, meant to carry data, not to display data. It is designed to be self-descriptive, where users define their own XML tags to describe data. XML is a W3C recommendation. XML was created to structure, store, and transport information, in contrast to HTML that is meant only to display data in a web browser.

Since XML has been developed, it quickly became a popular means to transfer very well structured data between business partners. Thanks to its ease of use, and its descriptive aspect of the XML data format, it has been the preferred choice of many software vendors and applications used in integration projects.

Web services

Wikipedia defines a Web service as “a method of communication between two electronic devices over a network. It is a software function provided at a network address over the web with the service always on as in the concept of utility computing”.

Web services are designed to support machine-to-machine interaction over a network, using different protocols, by sending and receiving “messages” using HTTP and XML in addition to other web-related standards.

Now for the technical use and interpretation of Web Services, it is simply triggering the execution of a program or function remotely, using the internet, and returning the result to the caller. In addition, Web services use XML in different formats to send structured data back and forth. The advantage of Web services is that it uses the internet as a communication and transport protocol, in addition to the XML structured language to format the data transmitted back and forth.

If you want to know more about  different types of web services such as SOAP and REST and why EDI developers prefer use RESTful services, read our new article: Seamless EDI implementation through Web Services

Useful reading: What is EDI2XML web Service?

 

eCommerce integration

eCommerce integration means the process of sending data from the eCommerce platform to an external system or platform, and receiving data into the eCommerce platform using an automated process. Integrating your ERP system or a company’s CRM system with the eCommerce platform enables the necessary data to be sent in both directions so that both systems can interact in a seamless way, without the need for human intervention. This will improve efficiency and enterprise capabilities to serve clients faster.

Useful reading: Tips to Empower your eCommerce with great Supply Chain through EDI Integration

How to select an integration method and what is the best option

In my opinion, there is no single rule when selecting an integration method. Any business owner, executive or integration consultant should ask the following technical questions before selecting a technology and protocol to integrate their eCommerce platform with their own system:

  • What’s the expertise of my integration team?
  • Are they familiar with EDI format and protocols as well as its business flow?
  • Are they more familiar with XML and web services?
  • What are the additional technical advantages that the enterprise would gain by selecting one versus the other?
  • Are these advantages important issues for our business?
  • What are the add-on costs for both options?

Basically, the decision comes down to evaluating the level of expertise of the integration team and their zone of technical comfort. From a technical perspective, there isn’t a perfect option. Of course, the business aspect of the decision is a major factor and sometimes, business reasons might outweigh technical reasons.

If you need more information or would like to discuss your eCommerce integration needs, I will be more than happy to provide a free 1-hour consultation.

EDI Web Service for edi integration
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