EDI 101 – part II – The Basics of Standards and Syntax So, you’ve decided to come back for more, eh?  Glutton for punishment, I guess. This time around, we’re going to cover the concepts of the “STANDARDS” and also the SYNTAX and the Content of your EDI Document.  Now, again, I’m coming from a background in retail and using the ANSI/ASC-X12 standard.  And we use version 4010, which is, arguably, a few versions behind, but that’s not truly important.  I know that UN/EDIFACT and TRADACOMS have their own standards and documents, but, again, I’m just dealing with what I know – X12. For each industry that uses EDI and the standards, there are different forms that can be used.  The book on My desk for the X12, v 4010, is the size of a dictionary.  And it’s printed on that same super thin paper in tiny little type-face.  And it’s almost 1800 pages of that tiny type.  But not every document is used in every industry that may use EDI and use the X12 standard.  Some are strictly for retailers; some for real estate; some for insurance, for banking, for hospitals.  Some of the documents MAY be used across the industrial lines, but some are very specific and specialized.  Within that X12 standard, there are literally HUNDREDS (at ...

One of the things you may have noticed about Me when I blog, is that I tend to find a quote or a saying or a song lyric or a ... something ... that makes sense and drives My thinking.  The title of this blog comes from the 1995 film by (and starring) Mel Gibson called "BRAVEHEART".  For those that don't know, it's the story about fighting for freedom in Scotland in the ... 1500s?  One of the more "famous" quotes is when Mel Gibson yells out something about how they may kill them (the Scots) but they'll never take their freedom! Freedom, however, in something as strict and regimented as EDI may seem like a far fetched notion, but it's there.  Sure, we've got those lovely guides - those HUGE books - of standards and "rules" for the data we're sending - depending on the document - that tell us what we can send and how it should be formatted and all the rest.  Those standards tell us we should send this information in this loop in this segment in this element and it should be between 2 and 30 characters in length. But in that rigidity - in that structure - there's still some freedom.  Just look at the last sentence in the above paragraph - we're ...

That's a pretty simple and straightforward kind of thing to say, isn't it?  I mean, it ... says ... what it means...   and if we follow the concept, life would be so much easier for all of us...  No more lying politicians or smarmy sales-pitches...  No more "hey, this product was supposed to do this, but it doesn't" kind of problems.  No more hurt feelings because you answer "does this (dress, shirt, tie, bathing suit, whatever) make me look (old, fat, ugly, whatever)" kind of questions truly - yes, your butt looks like a Buick in that silver sequin thing.  Sorry - a digression. But you get My meaning, right?  I mean it would be so much easier if we said what we mean and meant what we said and we weren't mean about it, either. For example - I've been away from the office for about a week, helping My mom - My dear, 73 year old mom - move.  She semi-retired from being a programmer/analyst last year.  I say semi-retired because now she works for the same company - but as a consultant instead of as a salaried employee.  But she also works remotely, with a nice little wifi/broadband modem card stuck out of the side of her laptop.  We're moving her from Las Vegas, Nevada ...

"Ch-ch-changes... Turn and face the strange..." - David Bowie belted out back in 1972.  Well, 1971, actually, but the song wasn't released until 1972.  And, as usual, I digress in the details.  But still, some of the lyrics are quite appropriate today.  And especially in the world of EDI.  Good ol' Ziggy Stardust (aka Bowie) sang out:                                    "Still don't know what I was waiting for.." That's something we hear a lot in the EDI world - once somebody finds out how well EDI can help them.  They don't know what they waited for - or balked against - when given the option of EDI.  Once they've seen-the-light, it suddenly becomes a no-brainer.  But at the time, it was strange and unknown and a change.  And we all know what people can be like when it comes to change.. Don't we? Change is hard! What's wrong with the way we've always done it? Oh, great!  Now what do I have to learn? Right now, I'm working with our Accounting group in getting them to embrace and accept the 810 EDI Invoice.  And, for the most part, I'm lucky that they're open and willing to "face the strange" and go with it..  However, where it's making My life a living hell is that they expect everything to be done.  Now.  2 Minutes ago.  ...

I was reading The Inovis Blog - yes, I do read other things! - but Meg Suggs (Inovis) talked about how McDonalds (over in Europe!) is "going green" with their fleet of delivery trucks. I commented (of course!) on how it would be great if the US and our automakers could be as forward thinking about the acceptance of alternative fuels and energy sources (such as bio-diesel). My own car is a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Chrysler sells the PT Cruiser over in Europe, and offered (at least at one point) electric versions of the PT, as well as a CRD powered PT Cruiser. CRD is the acronym for COMMON RAIL DIESEL and it actually is a very viable diesel motor - with great performance and low emissions - not anything like the diesels we all may remember from the 80s.... Jeep even offers the CRD engine in their "Liberty" truck-ette in the US. But I digress from My original thought and point. Reading that post (at Inovis) and My comment on same made Me think of how much better and easier (!) EDI could be if more hubs and suppliers - and even EDI providers - were to be more open and accepting to other ways of thinking.. How much more we could all get done. As a ...