Sample requirements for an edi provider. EDI system - electronic document management

  • Development of communication systems

    • EDI standard (Electronic Data Interchange) - part of the old, well-established systems. But we constantly see how EDI is presented as a modern standard. Is it so? Should we consider EDI as the underlying technology for new projects?
    Let's look at EDI from a technical point of view, leaving out everything else.

    Data format in EDI

    EDI uses delimited text format. It works well for flat data structures like tables. It is not so good for representing hierarchical data structures. Nested objects are best serialized using tagged formats such as XML and JSON.
    Very strange, but it was never created description language(document definition) for EDI. So many years have passed since the advent of EDI and so much effort has been spent on it, but the description language has not been created. The description language allows you to automate data processing, namely their generation, verification, transformation, serialization, deserialization. For comparison, to verify XML data, we take a data schema (XML Schema, xsd) and the parser automatically checks the data for compliance with this schema.
    You can do without a schema, but then the markup of the document is desirable. XML and JSON documents can be deserialized without a schema, because the data itself contains the tags (names) of the data elements. EDI has tags only for segments and has no tags for elements. Elements are defined by position within a segment. Universal The EDI parser will only be able to parse the document into primitive collections because the document contains neither names nor types for the data elements.

    Let's get down to the details.

    The EDI standard consists of two main parts:

    • Envelope (batch?) format (mixture of messaging standards)
    • Specifications (formats) of documents (a mixture of industrial (domain) standards)

    Batch format

    EDI defines packages for sets of documents, groups of documents, and documents/transactions themselves ( Interchange, group and transaction/document). Packets are limited to ISA/IEA, GS/GE, ST/SE segment pairs, respectively.
    Note: For illustration, I'm using the EDI X12 variant of the North American standard. Another version of the standard, EDIFACT, is common in Europe and does not fundamentally differ from X12.
    Here is an example of the very first segments of all three packages: ISA, GS and ST. Example taken from here:
    ISA*00* *00* *ZZ*RECEIVERID *12*SENDERID *100325*1113*U*00403*000011436*0*T*>~
    GS*FA*RECEIVERID*SENDERID*20100325*1113*24712*X*004030~
    ST*997*1136~

    What do we see in the first segment?
    The last three characters of the ISA segment are separator characters: "*>~": ‘~’ - segment separation character; ‘*’ - character for separating elements within a segment; ‘>’ is a symbol for separating subelements within an element. By changing these characters, we are essentially changing the formats of packages and documents. In XML and JSON, separator characters are written in the standard and cannot be changed. Variable separator characters are vestiges from an era before Unicode was created. But even in those days, making separator characters mutable wasn't a good idea. The separator characters are very important characters. If we can use any characters as delimiters, this not only changes the logic for parsing packages into their component parts, it greatly complicates the logic for parsing text within the elements themselves.
    Even in the ISA segment, we see elements that define time and date formats. They help us to use custom date and time formats within documents. This made sense in the seventies when we needed to save a few bytes when encoding dates and times. Are these elements needed now, after we have overcome the Y2K problem, after specialized and highly detailed time representation standards have been created?
    We see in the ISA segment elements that define sender and addressee. In essence, this is address(routing) information. That is, the packaging standard is combined with the addressing standard. Using EDI, we must define the sender and destination within our data. The ISA segment also has authorization elements. The whole idea of ​​putting this authorization information inside the messages themselves was once quite progressive, but now it looks at least naive, if not dangerous. Now we understand that authorization information is much, much more complicated than a pair of values. The same can be said about address information. The EDI standard encourages us to use these elements.
    We also see the element confirmation request (acknowledgment request). That is, the creator of the document sets the strategy for using confirmations directly in the document. Is this a good idea? We can use documents in different scenarios. Some use acknowledgments at the application layer, while others use other protocols to improve reliability. Reliability policy is not defined within the data itself, because reliability is a rather complex topic in data communication, defined by many participants in the communication.
    Still inside the packet segments we see control numbers (Control Numbers). They are needed in scenarios where we receive a set of documents but part of the set is lost or corrupted along the way and we are trying to recover as much data as possible. This scenario has not been used for a long time, since such a reliability problem is usually solved at the lower levels of communication protocols. We don't build communication reliability into the application layer, do we?
    The other element of the ISA segment is EDI version(Standard Identifier). This is similar to the versioning support we know from serialization standards.
    The GS segment contains an element that defines document type (Type of document). For example, this is an order or an invoice. There is nothing very wrong with this, although it is easier to set the document type inside the document itself.

    As you can see, almost all elements in the packet segments are either useless or, moreover, dangerous if we use them in accordance with the standard.
    Please do not attempt to use data from packet segments for authentication and addressing.
    EDI was created at a time when putting this information in packages was the only option. We now transfer documents over the Internet and use a large set of standards and protocols for packaging, addressing, authentication, authorization, trustworthiness, encoding, serialization, sharding, and so on and so forth. Protocol-specific information is added and removed along the entire data path, and this information is independent of the data itself.

    Is EDI a data format standard or a protocol?
    EDI tries to be a protocol, which is why we see these elements of addressing, authorization, and confirmation request. I don't know how this information can be compared to the OSI protocol layer model.
    But still, most of the EDI standard is devoted to data formats.
    Document Formats
    Inside the packages we see the documents themselves. But we will not find a standard for a universal, generalized document. The standard defines numerous formats for all kinds of documents: for orders, for invoices, for attachment lists... you will find a small part of the huge list of standardized documents.
    EDI follows a well-known myth: “Somewhere out there there is an ideal format that describes all scenarios in the world. We will definitely find this format. We just need to add new scenarios and tweak the old ones.”
    As a result of EDI, standard documents (specifications) are overly complex.
    Let's take one example: We need an invoice for a small local bookstore. We found a suitable standard specification, EDI 850, Purchase Order. At first glance, it looks too detailed. We will not buy food, coal, grain, liquid products, hazardous products, medical drugs. We don't need international addresses. We will not use express delivery services. The EDI specification describes all of these options, but there are too many fields that we will never use. It is too complex for our simple document.
    There are many industry (domain) standards that are used as a kind of knowledge repository. But these standards are not used as data transmission standards. (See for a description of the industry standards issue.)
    Loops inside documents
    Structure individual documents pretty simple. Documents are made up of a series of segments containing document data.
    But it turns out that segments can be combined into groups or into repeating groups, the so-called cycles(loops). The piquancy is that these cycles are absolutely not highlighted in the document. We can read about the presence of a cycle in the specification of this particular document. Segments of the same type (with the same tags) can be located both independently and inside cycles. Creating a parser that recognizes cycles (which, I repeat, are not marked in any way in the document) is a rather non-trivial task.
    In XML and JSON, this is not a problem; hierarchical objects or collections of objects of any nesting level are very simply defined using opening and closing tags, named or unnamed.
    EDI tried to sit on two chairs. On the one hand, its document format is similar to the csv format and is convenient for presenting tabular data. On the other hand, he tried to describe hierarchical objects, and this attempt ended very unconvincingly. Of course, we understand this now that we have JSON in front of our eyes. But let's remember that EDI was not made for transferring tabular data, but specifically for transferring documents whose structure is precisely hierarchical.

    A non-technical view of EDI

    For the sake of completeness, I will still list some of the non-technical features of EDI:
    • EDI standard not free. It looks rather strange compared to other standards.
    • Specifications of the EDI standard are excessive detailed. EDI specifications are so complex that companies must hire people who are familiar with the specific specification. These specialists communicate using special EDI terms, it's almost an EDI language that has nothing to do with business. Look at EDI agreements between companies. These conventions are full of specific requirements defined by the EDI standard, but far from business requirements.
    • EDI standard not stable. A special committee releases modifications to the EDI standard every six months. Each of these versions brings new refinements. The development of the standard does not follow user requests, rather it simply follows a timetable. Presumably this is not due to very high standards, but because the committee needs to show the results of their work.
    • EDI was created to save bits and keep documents as compact as possible. This requirement still exists, but it is unlikely to be used for the transmission of documents. Every kid now owns a phone that pumps gigabytes of video. The era of mainframes and teletypes is no longer in the yard. And it's rather strange to read reports that seriously discuss the resource savings due to the transition from paper workflow to the use of EDI.
    • To conserve memory, EDI uses codes to present data wherever possible. As a result, documents appear encrypted, which creates an additional problem of exchanging code tables.
    • The EDI standard was created to convey sets (batches) of documents due to the fact that communications and computers were expensive and slow. Much has changed since then, communications and computers have become fast and cheap. Data is now transmitted in small messages or streams, and these small messages are the backbone of distributed systems. Document sets are still used, but not because of slow hardware, but because business processes require it.
    • Does not exist standard for the EDI description language. This means that we cannot create universal parser for processing EDI documents. Parsers must contain descriptions of thousands of existing EDI specifications with a huge amount of detail. (For example, Microsoft provides about 7,000 XML schemas for EDI documents as part of BizTalk Server.) Available EDI parsers are expensive. To work with EDI documents, we will most likely need to convert EDI documents to XML format and use XML Schema along with an XML parser to process EDI documents: for validation, transformation, serialization, deserialization, creation. Which is what is done in BizTalk Server.
    • Due to the lack of a standard EDI description language, documents are described using ... multi-page instructions. Developers of EDI parsers interpret these instructions differently, and because of this, different EDI parsers are incompatible.
    • The EDI standard was created at a time when the development of programs, protocols and data formats was extremely expensive and took a very long time. Creating a standard for universal format documents were justified. Now data formats are generated on the fly and our programs, as a rule, do not use any universal standards, but create different formats for specific cases. EDI specifications include the maximum possible number of parts to satisfy all users. Modern programs include in the specifications of the transmitted data only the data that is needed. The number of elements in an EDI specification that is not needed in your particular case will always be very large.
    • EDI mixes two types of standards: standards for communications and standards for formatting business data. Modern tendencies are directly opposite: the standards must be independent of each other (orthogonal), which allows them to be mixed in any combination.

    As you can see, the EDI standard is outdated in almost every aspect, if we consider it from a technical standpoint. There are hardly any rational technical reasons for using it now. But despite this, EDI is still widely used.
    In the next part, we will try to find the reasons for this. Most likely they will not be of a technical nature.

    What is EDI?
    EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange or Electronic Data Interchange. Simply put, EDI is the sending and receiving of information using computer technology.

    Due to the fact that the use of EDI technologies in business is convenient and practical, this standard has become widely used in various industries economy and social services.

    Any standard business documents that, for example, one FMCG company exchanges with another (such as a purchase order, invoice, shipping plan, inventory request) can be transferred using EDI if both parties have made the necessary preparations for this. .

    The EDI standard was developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Along with EDI, there are other standards for electronic data interchange. For example, EDIFACT is widely used in Europe and in the automotive industry. HIPPA (Health Insurance Accountability and Security Act) is specifically designed to comply with the law in healthcare institutions. The EDI translator you choose must support all standards.

    - Why EDI?
    EDI is significantly different from conventional Email, in which information is transmitted in an unstructured format. What is the difference? For example, if you need to deliver a purchase order in the form of an email, you will probably first print the document and then enter the information into another program ( accounting or warehouse management). EDI has a structured format. Usage EDI for exchange electronic documents guarantees its understanding by all participants in this process.

    For example, you need to get through EDI information about a specific purchase order item. EDI software first processes the information, then translates it into a "readable format" and then imports the data directly into your program. Result - No manual entry of information! In addition, the process can be programmed so that no human intervention is required at all!

    - What are the benefits of EDI?

    • Improved Information Accuracy
    • Ability to avoid large labor costs such as manual entry of information
    • Speed. Thanks to fast and accurate data transfer, the time for negotiations with suppliers is reduced
    • Reduced costs
    • Postage savings
    • uselessness of paper documents

    -How does EDI work?
    Suppose a buyer sends an order to a supplier

    • Most likely, the information about the order is located in a computer application (for example, an accounting software package) on the buyer's personal computer. As long as it is possible to import and export files from the application, the necessary information can be extracted and converted into a file for the translation program EDI
    • The EDI Translator negotiates and verifies that the converted file complies with EDI standards and trading partner implementation guidelines. After that, it translates the message into EDI format.
    • A communication connection is established to transfer the EDI - Purchase Order. EDI software controls communication software.
    • The file is sent either to a mailbox, or to an FTP site, or directly to an AS2 recipient using the HTTP protocol
    • The computer program that receives the EDI purchase order formats the incoming information and prepares it for translation into existing application files. For example, a purchase order received via EDI can be translated and uploaded to the order registration module.

    When an order is received, the software generates a Functional Confirmation back to the buyer. The Functional Acknowledgment displays the receipt of the message and whether or not it has been conformed to the EDI standard. But the data itself is not added to this message.

    - Which data transmission system to choose?
    One of critical aspects EDI is the choice of the way in which information will be transferred from one place to another, directly or through a VAN. In most cases, the method is determined by the trading partners themselves.

    VAN (Value Added Network) - Network with additional services
    It is often referred to as "electronic mail service". VAN is the third participant in the process. An intermediary that transmits and stores information in an electronic mailbox until it is received by one of the parties. Because the EDI message contains an address, the VAN routes the message to the recipient's box. Until recently, this method of transmitting information was considered the safest.

    Direct connection
    Unlike a VAN, a direct connection allows you to transfer data directly to the receiving party. Direct connection types include VPN (Virtual Private Network), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and EDIINT (EDI over the Internet). Typically, EDIINT is done with AS2 software, which encrypts data before sending it over the Internet.

    - Internet EDI or VAN EDI?
    Previously, VANs played the role of electronic postal services for suppliers and buyers who needed to exchange data. For example, company A could send an electronic purchase order to VAN and company B could go to VAN to receive this order. If Company B claimed not to have received the bid, VAN served as an intermediary and confirmed the presence or absence of the bid on the spot. These were the "additional services" that this network provided.

    Despite its advantages, VAN EDI had a limited distribution, as its price was high. Before the Internet was able to exchange data, about 80% of suppliers in any supply chain communicated with their customers via fax, telephone and mail, because. could not afford the significant costs required by VAN EDI. As a result, disruptions appeared in the supply chains, such as: lost or unread orders, late invoices and late replenishment. product range etc.

    With the advent of a better and more acceptable solution - data exchange via the Internet, companies - large and small - have been able to communicate with their trading partners. electronically. And former VAN services, such as message location alerts, are now built into software products.

    - How does Internet EDI work?
    Internet EDI (EDI INT) consists of two approved standards for the secure transmission of data over the Internet. The Internet EDI standards are AS1 and AS2.

    The AS1 standard allows you to securely transfer electronic exchange documents over the Internet using the SMTP (e-mail) protocol.

    The AS2 standard is used to securely transfer EDI and XML documents over the Internet via HTTP (in other words, this is sending a document directly over the Internet, and not, say, via e-mail)

    The primary principles behind the AS1 and AS2 standards are the security and secure transmission of data over the Internet. The four foundations are:

    Confidentiality– ensures the security of the transmission of the information contained in the message by encrypting the data. (Only the sender or recipient can see them)

    Authentication– authentication occurs through verification of the sender's electronic signature

    Message credibility– achieved through the use of MDN (message location alerts) for checksums and completely eliminates the possibility of changing the document without the knowledge of the recipient

    Inability to deny receipt of a message- the recipient signs the notice of the whereabouts of the document, sends it back to the sender and thus can no longer claim that he did not receive it.

    - Benefits of Internet EDI
    The Internet EDI allows thousands of companies around the world to communicate and conduct secure business transactions. The free transfer of information over the Internet allows organizations to do business much faster than when working with papers. With the advent of the AS1 standard, data is quickly transferred via e-mail. The AS2 standard allows for virtually uninterrupted data transfer, as Direct HTTP transfers are used.

    Below is a summary of the pros of Internet EDI:

    • High speed transmission of information
    • Reduced costs and labor/reduced potential for errors
    • Data is entered only once
    • Save time and paperwork
    • 100% secure electronic data transmission
    • No communication costs

    - What is required to get started?
    Here's what you should pay attention to when choosing a solution for the exchange of various business documents with business partners:

    • Low total cost of ownership: Does the solution have an integrated database or does it require additional software or development costs such as SQL Server or Oracle?
    • Flexible connection: Does the solution support all data types (EDI, XML, ebXML, TXT, GISB EDM, HL7, etc.) and their transfer modes (HTTP, FTP, E-mail, SMTP, etc.)?
    • Connection security: Is this solution secure for transferring business data using AS1, AS2 standards, are HTTP/FTP protocols secure, digital certificates, built-in data tracking and storage, reports
      - Does this solution provide security and non-denial of receipt of the message through the use of electronic certification?
      - Does this solution use SSL for security?
    • Easy to install and configure: Does this solution have an automatic installer (automatic installation of all necessary components and automatic creation directories for incoming and outgoing documents)? Does the solution include easy-to-use user help that walks you through, for example, adding a trading partner or setting up AS1/AS2?
    • Interoperability: Does this solution support standards such as AS1, AS2, FTP, etc., allowing you to easily communicate with multiple trading partners and quickly reduce VAN costs?

    - AS1/AS2 again
    AS1 and AS2 are industry standards for data exchange over the Internet. When you choose an AS1 and AS2 certified solution, you will be able to exchange data over the Internet with all your trading partners who use the same solution.

    Standards such as AS1 and AS2 simplify the communication process by reducing the number of technologies involved that require support and maintenance. If each large organization used their data transfer standard, electronic exchange of information would be unacceptable to their smaller partners. The AS1 and AS2 standards allow organizations to choose one solution for exchanging data with all business partners who use solutions based on these standards.

    AS1: Provides information security by S/MIME (Secure/Multiporpose Internet Mail Extensions) encoding over SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocole) AS1 uses MDN (Message Disposition Notification) to validate claims.
    AS2: Data security is provided by S/MIME over HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTP/S (HTTP secure), also using MDN. Unlike AS1, the AS2 standard provides synchronous real-time data transmission with immediate delivery messages.

    How does AS1 work?
    AS1 and AS2 are current specifications developed by the IETF for transferring data between organizations over the Internet. AS1 encrypts data using S/MIME (Secure/Multiporpose Internet Mail Extensions) over SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocole) using MDN (Message Disposition Notification) to validate claims.

    Who uses AS2?
    Today, leading retail chains and manufacturers are finding even more advantages of the AS2 standard. The list of companies includes: Wal-Mart, Shaw`s, Target, Lowe`s, Wegmans, Procter & Gamble, Hershey Foods, Campbell`s and many more. Many of these organizations are enlisting their trading partners to use this technology to do business successfully in the trading community.

    EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) in translation from English means "electronic data interchange". Before this scheme appeared, trade relations had come a long way. Any company that decides to join this form of document forwarding is able to cooperate with all members of the system. Such a process necessarily requires the installation of an EDI gateway in the enterprise.

    What is the purpose of this form of communication?

    The EDI system is capable of exchanging information of a commercial nature (orders, deliveries, money transfers, etc.). This contributes to rapid cooperation between companies in the field of trade relations. Electronic Data Interchange refers to innovative technologies.

    Benefits of EDI

    The EDI ordering system has a number of advantages:

    • All actions are carried out at an automatic level, without delays and errors, in contrast to entering documents manually.
    • The use of automated procedures increases the speed and accuracy of collecting the right data and enables firms to focus on the main problems, and not on paperwork.
    • Any retailer, supplier or logistics company makes just one connection. Thus, there is a limitless possibility of communication with minimal cost with all participants. This does not take into account their accounting systems, the circulation of documents and the qualifications of the staff.
    • The EDI system can resolve disputes in which one partner claims that the order was sent by him, and the other that he did not receive it. This situation occurs frequently. In this case, the system records all transactions and is able to provide detailed information regarding a particular action with the documentation. This contributes to the rapid resolution of the conflict.

    What guarantees the authenticity of the documentation?

    EDI is an electronic data interchange system. In European countries, its software acts as a guarantor of the authenticity of all documentation passing through it. Fakes are not possible. If the tax service is interested in the details of certain reports, including the VAT indicator, then all data can be extracted from the system electronic archive. The right to conduct operations with documents in electronic, and not in paper form, is enshrined at the legislative level.

    EDI Efficiency Calculation Example

    What is the level of efficiency of the EDI system? Calculation examples serve as a clear confirmation.

    It is easy to clarify how many different exchange agreements should be concluded by those involved in a particular case:

    • For six participants, the following calculation applies: N = 6 x (6-1)/2 = 15.
    • For 100 cooperating people, the calculation applies: N = 100 x (100-1)/2 = 4450.

    With an increase in the number of participants, the growth in numbers increases exponentially.

    The number of users is equal to the number of exchange operations, each partner acts in accordance with uniform rules and connects to a common platform. At the same time, he is absolutely not interested in the method of connecting other providers. The EDI provider is responsible for everything thanks to a certain standardization of messages.

    Let's proceed to the analysis of economic efficiency. We will take as a basis a trading network that sends 4,000 orders per month. Manual order processing takes half an hour. The electronic EDI system can do this in five minutes. If a trade Organization has several thousand suppliers, then even a half-hour time saving on each partner gives a significant result.

    What do users themselves think about such a device as an EDI system? Electronic document management reviews are praised. Users claim that the operation of the circuit is clear and uninterrupted. Without such a system it would be difficult to conduct business in modern world business, where every minute is precious.

    EDI providers in Russia

    For example, the commercial form of the system in our country is possible due to the existing localized information exchange standard on EANCOM. There is also a global local information structure and provider companies that undertake to ensure the implementation of all projects for the electronic exchange of documents.

    In 2004, the ECR-Rus technology committee held a tender, as a result of which companies were selected that received the right to provide services for electronic document exchange. The Committee intends to continuously increase the number of providers. The main selection criterion is the technological mobility in the EDI service, as well as the price of the services provided for users.

    The main objective of ECR-Rus is to apply the technologies of the EDI system not only in the sphere of medium and small businesses.

    The Committee concludes an agreement with all service providers, which makes it possible to control and maintain the basic quality standards established by ECR-Rus.

    Obligations of providers

    EDI system providers are required to outsource their own IT structure and provide the user with access to a processing center that has a high level of performance and reliability. System services should be available all year round and at any time of the day.

    Unlike the IT structure of most companies, the processing center is provided with uninterrupted power supply, multi-level protection against hacking, and guarantees of information safety in case of any malfunctions. The time for which the document is sent from one point to another should not exceed 10 minutes.

    The provider is responsible for the speed of the service, guarantees the forwarding of messages and checking for errors in them. At the same time, providers communicate via the Internet, and direct contacts between users are provided using a value-added network (VAN).

    The difference between the domestic model of using the system and the European one

    EDI is an electronic data interchange system. How does this scheme work in Russia? The use of EDI in our country is fundamentally different from the European and American models. In these countries, the form appeared in the 70s of the last century, and in our country it took root 20 years later. Therefore, providers offer different connection systems, which depend on the level of IT in the company, the amount of documentation sent and communication tools. This allows each company to solve its problems optimal way. You should integrate your accounting system and become the owner of a web interface that will ensure the exchange of documentation with business partners.

    A variety of tasks and ways to solve them require different levels of connectivity and service. Providers in our country serve both large companies and small partners - suppliers and customers.

    At first, some firms with a large turnover are so interested in cooperation with the EDI provider that they offer him to pay for the transactions of their counterparties at their own expense or introduce a low subscription fee for using the network.

    Basic requirements for service providers

    The customer sets out his requirements in a written agreement. It indicates the duration of the operation of the service, support, response to a client request, troubleshooting. Other important points are also recorded.

    As a rule, providers offer various schemes for connecting to the system, as well as various tariffs, which depend on the level of network service.

    Client requirements can be much broader than the main provisions established by ECR-Rus.

    For example, large companies need guarantees for the duration of processing and delivery of messages, which are calculated not in minutes, but in seconds. It is assumed that one message will be sent in no more than 10-20 seconds.

    The main requirements for service providers include:

    • support for all types of transmission;
    • low total cost of ownership;
    • connection security;
    • interoperability with partners;
    • ease of installation and configuration;
    • audit of document forwarding via the network;
    • translation of a document from one format to another;
    • quick connection of client business partners;
    • localization and development of EDI;
    • consulting services, training and development of solutions in the system;
    • user technical support.

    Degree of risk when using the system

    Even with a reliable EDI service provider, some internal changes are possible. For example, many Russian companies use internal codes without resorting to the use of the GLN code.

    Before using EDI, you need to obtain these codes and enter them into the system. The risk of implementing EDI depends on the level of IT. With patchwork automation, the threat will come from the lack of a normal accounting system.

    Retailer risks large companies associated with the poor development of the EDI market. Legislation serves as a brake on development, despite the fact that a law on electronic signature has been adopted. Companies doing business in Russia are required to archive all paper documents. Regional partners fear electronic form business and refuse it, not obeying the retailer.

    EDI cost

    As for the cost, the EDI system cannot be expensive for users, as it is designed to optimize logistics costs. However, for small companies, even this technology may seem overwhelming if they are not used to working with IT, their business is not well-established. It is unlikely that such firms will receive monetary benefits from the application of electronic system exchange of documentation.

    What is included in the infrastructure?

    The infrastructure includes dial-up, cable lines, networks. The Internet, with the development of the electronic sphere, offered many open-type networks (BITNET, etc.) and intracorporate specialized networks (EDI-Express General Electric, IBM Information Exchange Network). Backbone networks, which differed in speed, were widely used.

    Transmission scheme

    Transportation is done via e-mail, Telnet and HTTP connections. Other common protocols are SMTP, POP3 (ISP), IMAP, HTML.

    EDI can provide transactions without the use of conventional protocols. In European countries, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and EDIINT (EDI over the Internet), as well as networks with additional services VANs (Value-added Networks) have become direct means of connection.

    Two standards have also been created: AS1, which allows you to transfer EDI documents through the AS2 standard protocol, which is used to transfer via HTTP.

    Basic principles for the application of the EDI system on the Internet through the AS1 and AS2 standards:

    • secrecy of information from unauthorized persons - the possibility of familiarization with documents only by the sender and recipient;
    • providing authentication - authentication by means of verification of an electronic signature;
    • reliability of the document - the impossibility of changing its content without the participation of the recipient;
    • reliable notification - the impossibility of rejecting a received message.

    XML Basics

    The rapid development of the Internet has attracted an increasing number of users to the network. Requirements for the exchange of documentation via the Internet have increased. The HTML protocol has ceased to satisfy the needs of many participants.

    How was the system reformed? XML EDI was approved in early 1998 international organization W3C as a new specification.

    XML (Extensible Markup Language) has become the basis for creating new languages. There are also many Web servers that use XML technology to organize the information they store.

    Using XML, you can describe a whole class of data objects, which are called domain-specific documents. The system makes it possible to determine whether it is permissible to type tags and their attributes.

    XML made it possible to attract medium and small business customers to the electronic market. Existing EDI systems in the modern world are expensive (from 10,000 to 100,000 dollars). Many small companies simply cannot afford them.

    Representation and standards

    This level involves defining the data structure through syntax and semantics. Important question— creating standards for data structuring using the well-known ANSI X.12 standards used in the USA, UNECE EDIFACT used in Europe and Asia.

    PRICAT - the message "Catalogue of goods (services) with prices" may contain a complete or partial list of goods, including price data, logistics characteristics, as well as technical and functional data of the goods. PRICAT can be sent by both the supplier and the distribution network, the manufacturer

    ORDERS (Purchase Order)

    ORDERS - a "Purchase Order" message that the customer sends to the supplier, containing a list of ordered goods (services), quantities, prices, dates and delivery addresses. This message can be used by retail chains, manufacturers, warehouses, raw material suppliers, carriers, etc.

    ORDRSP (Order Response)

    ORDRSP - message "Response to the order", with the help of which the supplier confirms or does not confirm the delivery of a particular commodity item. Use this message can as a supplier trading network, and the distributor exchanging EDI documents with the manufacturer.

    DESADV (Despatch Advice)

    DESADV - "Shipping Notice" message containing full information about the shipment: size, weight, parameters vehicle, quantity and name of the goods, data of the consignee and consignor, unique number shipments, etc. The implementation of DESADV makes it possible to schedule the acceptance of goods.

    RECADV (Receiving Advice)

    RECADV - "Notification of Acceptance" message containing information about actually accepted products (possibly indicating the reason for non-acceptance), and allows the supplier to find out information about the actual acceptance and generate a correct invoice.

    INVOIC

    INVOIC - message "Invoice", containing information for the automatic generation of an electronic invoice (ESI) in the format of the Federal Tax Service. When signing the ESF with an electronic digital signature, the document becomes legally significant.

    • JSC "Rezhevskoy bakery"

      Raisa Rakhimyanova, Chief Accountant

      We have been using the EDI.Kontur system since March 2014. It was very important for us to fully implement the system, because the volume of deliveries in 2013 amounted to 11,714 tons, which implies a large workload of specialists and an impressive volume of document flow. Taking orders via EDI greatly facilitated the work, especially the girls felt it when there was a failure for any reason (once there was a failure in one retail chain).

      Before working with Kontur, we worked with another provider, but now we are completely satisfied with the service and tariffs. The implementation process took a little time, although improvements are still taking place, which are necessary, taking into account the specifics of our company.

      with tech support hotline) we haven’t really encountered yet, but the guys from the implementation and our manager are just smart!

      • Maxim Korzhavin, Head of IT Department

      Our transition to EDI was determined not by any benefits, but by a vital necessity: federal networks interpret their own terms of the game. Only in the process of work comes the understanding that EDI is a good assistant in the business process. To really feel the charm and power of this tool, you need to integrate your accounting system with EDI. In our organization, this is not yet possible due to the transition to a new 1C accounting system. Therefore, we are content with the web platform. Since EDI is a new area in Russia, we can participate in the improvement and refinement of the platform. But a convenient tool for communication with our partners is already emerging. Before coming to Kontur, our path went through other EDI providers. Let's not talk about them. Let's say that our final stop is EDI from SKB Kontur. And we are happy with that. Active work with SKB Kontura on EDI began in mid-2013. By the end of the year, we switched all our partners (retail chains) from other providers to EDI.Kontur. And then they began to connect new vehicles. We still have to integrate with 1C. Therefore work and work. And Kontur, with the help of his specialists, knows how to make this work quite pleasant and comfortable (for which a human “thank you” to them).

      At the very beginning, a work plan was outlined, and throughout the whole time we clearly followed it. All problems were solved on the go and quickly. All this makes SKB Kontur the undisputed leader among other providers. Specialists of SKB Kontur are more interested than us, so that everything works like clockwork for us. And, of course, the prices for Kontur's services are the lowest (and at times).
      The contour will teach you not to be afraid of innovations! Therefore, we are ready with great interest to further fruitfully cooperate with them and be the first to use their new products.

    • All reviews

    • Trading company "Kredos"

      Evgeny Petrenko, Deputy Director for Development of Management Systems and Technologies

      To date, the EDI exchange has been fully implemented. Different chains of document transmission are implemented for different networks.
      A significant advantage of SKB Kontur is the promptness of the solution of both organizational and technical issues when connecting new documents or new counterparties. Believe me, I have something to compare. implementation specialists, technical specialists and managers - all respond quickly, quite clearly and informatively to our requests.

      The most important tasks that EDI.Kontur solves for us are accepting applications from retail chains and sending response documents. And now we are moving to the exchange of legally significant documents.

      In general, I am satisfied with the interaction with SKB Kontur and the results of the project to change the provider.

      • Dmitry Nefedov, Head of IT Department

      With the help of EDI.contour, it was possible to automate the processing of orders and switch to the exchange of legally significant documents.
      In our company, accounting is kept in the 1C program. Important in the implementation of EDI was the setting of the 1C adapter for direct loading from EDI to 1C. We worked with several EDI providers, and we had problems setting up the 1C adapter. When we first got acquainted with the proposal of SKB Kontur, we were rather skeptical about the declared automation. We received the 1C adapter for free, while other companies charged a separate fee for this. Therefore, we decided to connect to one of the retail chains through SKB Kontur. The result made us very happy.

      The adapter in 1C was successfully put into operation. During the implementation of the system, Kontur specialists quickly responded to emerging issues. As a result, we have a working automated system and rates are lower than before.

      I want to note that we liked the system of working with clients in SKB. You can call your manager with any question. The manager always either helps himself or redirects the request to another specialist. We are also pleased Feedback. When closing any application, Kontur specialists are always interested in whether everything suits us. I want to say special thanks to the manager Natalia Butorina.

      JSC "PuragroUK"

      Sergey Burko, System Administrator

      The level of work of this solution is also at its best, not without flaws, of course, but there is something to strive for. I consider the main advantages to be the simplicity of the interface and the need for a minimum of operations to solve our problems.

      I must say, we had our own "Wishlist", which was not in the standard version. The employees of SKB Kontur met us halfway and implemented everything that we asked for for convenience in work. Moreover, as far as I know, after these improvements were included in the standard solution, which means they were useful not only to us. I note that the implementation specialists quickly responded to my requests.

      Both financial and time results pleased us in comparison with how the interaction with another provider was. All this led to the decision to switch to SKB Kontur.

    • Dmitry Mamontov, Head of Business Systems Implementation Department

      When we started implementing EDI at Castorama, we planned to limit ourselves to working with two independent EDI providers. However, during the course of the project, we decided to increase the number of EDI partners primarily in order to speed up the connection of suppliers to EDI. The choice was made in favor of SKB Kontur, which is one of the leaders in this area and is already working with most of our suppliers with other retail chains.

      Now SKB Kontur is actively working with suppliers - in a few months, more than 10% of previously unconnected suppliers have joined the EDI exchange. Keeping this pace, we plan to completely switch all orders of Castorama stores to EDI in the near future.

      • Trading network "Red & White"

      Yana Kokorina, Head of Automated Information Systems Department

      "Red and White" since March 2015 has been working with the provider SKB Kontur, which provides services in working with electronic document management.

      To say that the flow of documents is large is probably not to say anything. And given the volume of work, disagree on electronic document management it would not only be financially unprofitable, but also not expedient from the point of view of saving working time.

      I would also like to note the efficiency of solving requests, both organizational and technical.

      Medvedeva Anastasia, head of customer service department

      After switching to EDI.Kontur, we connected one network after another. And we are satisfied with the level of work of this solution. As for the level of service of SKB Kontur, I am satisfied with it, therefore I systematically transfer it to support our key clients.
      If we talk about the advantages, then one of the first is that Kontur set up integration in our 1C faster than competitors. The second, no less important, is the efficiency in resolving our issues. The third is Contour's customer focus. During our cooperation, the provider implemented in its module the functions that were necessary only for us. The fourth is independence. Most of the adjustments are made by the contour staff with minimal involvement of our IT department.

      Therefore, I rate the work with the Contour at 5 out of 5!

      Concern "Russian Cold"

      V. A. Stoyko, IT Director, Russian Cold Group

      I want to thank ZAO PF SKB Kontur for the prompt implementation of EDI.Kontur in the branches of our company. I especially want to note the professional level of training of the team and separately express my gratitude to the manager Vladimir Vladimirovich Porokhonko, who always responds to requests and successfully resolves any of our issues.

      MPZ "Dobrogost"

      Konstantin Starikov, system administrator

      In the EDI system, we work with retail chains "Monetka", "X5 Retail Group", "Kirovskiy", "Megamart", "Lenta".

      Before concluding an agreement with Kontur, we worked with another provider. This cooperation was extremely costly for us. But it's still half the trouble. Most importantly, we experienced serious difficulties in working with our provider's module. From our side, a colossal amount was required manual labor on processing "automatic" loading of documents in 1C. Also, we were not at all satisfied with the work of technical support. Often, instead of answers, we heard only beeps in the handset. Now we are satisfied with the service of our provider. Issues are resolved quickly, in extreme cases, some problems can be resolved through our manager. As for the module, it works really well. We have finally managed to automate the process of entering data into our accounting system. As a wish, we can say that it would be convenient to work in the future with all retail chains at an unlimited rate.

      OOO TD "Syrobogatov"

      Kupriyanov Konstantin, 1C programmer

      The cost of services provided by Kontur is lower in comparison with other providers, and flexible tariff scale allows you to choose a suitable tariff for each retail chain, based on the volume of document flow. In this cooperation, we feel the balance between the versatility, speed and stability of the integration module with the inventory system based on the 1C Enterprise 7.7 platform. Any questions that arise, both during implementation and during operation, are resolved as quickly as possible by the employees of SKB Kontur, not a single question remains unanswered.



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