[Closed] Calling all IT people..... "EDI" what is it?

EDI is sharing data with other organisations.

traditionally done 'offline' by nightly batch processes generating files which were ftp'd to the other companies (e.g. BACS).

more recntly XML (and the like) are used to do this online via http or shhtp (basically a web connection) in realtime (e.g. gettign credit card authorisation for an online sale).

from above soudn sliek you'll be responsible for the infrastructure and managing the actual content (i.e. if changes are required due to legisltaive or business needs moving) of the messages with thrid paryies and co-ordinating implementation.

Electronic Data Interchange.

Messages are sent directly from their computer system to your computer system without human intervention, thus eliminating the risk of human errors. In theory.

EDI messages are typically sent through a "value added network" although use of the internet is becoming more common.
Typical messages would be a customer's purchase order or a supplier's Sales Invoice. When your system receives a customer's Purchase Order, it should automatically generate a Sales Order and, potentially, an EDI acknowledgment.

Your sales order is then turned into a production work order, or a purchase order on another supplier (usually by hand in the production planning department), from where you will receive the goods into your Finished Goods warehouse either as a Purchase Receipt or a receipt from production. You can then despatch the goods, at which point an invoice is usually generated. This will then be sent either as a paper form, a PDF, or another EDI message.

This of course is equally applicable if you're the customer rather than the supplier

Like all standards, there's lots of them to choose from. In theory it saves lots of time and money, but chances are you'd be dealing with conflicting systems. If you're a supplier you'll have multiple customers, if you're a customer, you'll have lots of suppliers. If you're a retailer/wholesaler you'll have lots of both. Our tame expert has a lot less hair than he used to. Hope this helps 😉

cheers guys,

bare with me 😉

the bit i can't get my head around is what application/software do you use to send/review the data in real time, what is the front-end?

would it be a special written script/program that bolts onto SAGE for example?

or is totally bespoke written databases and a designated workstation which 'receives/sends' the data?

you'll probably have either a propriety piece of software that came with an app or a specially written piece of code that runs straight off a database that manages the whole process - will normally just run as a background job and send 'I'm still here' message to the world every so often so you know it's running.

just admit you know nothing about it, otherwise you'll be found out - or be perfect management material

the last time I had to deal with EDI (thankfully one of my colleagues is the in-house EDI expert), we had a PC with a bespoke package and a dial-up modem - but that was over 10 years ago.

If you have one of these, then somebody will need to write or maintain an application on your Sage system that exports your invoices and purchase orders to the EDI package, and imports your suppliers' invoices, and your customers' orders, into your Sage system. This will typically either be somebody in your IT team, or if it's outsourced, a third party.

We still have to have a special bit of code to do this, but these days it goes straight out of our main ERP system rather than having to drop it onto / pull it out of a PC.

If you're [i]really[/i] lucky, your system will have an EDI module, so all you have to do is maintain the top-end data, such as Supplier, Customer and Product databases, and the system should do the rest...

however, [i]“Overall supervision of the Company communications systems including EDI and liaison with the relevant Service Providers”[/i]

roughly translated, this sounds like

"we have an EDI system that works most of the time but it'll be your job to make sure it keeps working and know who to contact when it doesn't" - I suspect you won't be required to do any of the nitty gritty

That line could easily fall into my job description, I'm by no means a techy and think john_drummers translation sums it up perfectly.

EDI could utilise a wide array of communication mediums and originating/recieving packages etc so I don't expect they'll be expecting straight answers in relation to their config, more so just an understanding so you know who to kick when it falls down!

cheers all....

one part of the job ref also stated

"our client wants a 'jack of all trades'"

you could translate that a few ways!

Mmmmmm made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up a bit....

the agency guy has given me all the usual bull "your CV is perfect" etc, so lets just see i guess.

EDI is just transferring data electronically and almost always automatically - eg just a way of sending data between two systems. There's no such thing as a standard EDI

For example a big customer of ours can load orders on their system and overnight, the new orders are sent electronically to our system which loads them, rather than requiring their people to manually send us individual orders which we then load.

would it be a special written script/program that bolts onto SAGE for example?

Yes, it could be

or is totally bespoke written databases and a designated workstation which 'receives/sends' the data?

It could be that too 🙂

Thank all again,

just got off the blower to the agency, he said the companies system is all in an archaic form of MS Access and the guy leaving is the guy who devolped it all but he is going to the company that supports their every day to day IT?

the company want to come bang up to date and go the SQL route.

So one guy built some crazy system, is now leaving and they want it replaced with a new totally different system. And it sounds like this system is a core part of the business.

That sounds like a 'mare of a job, full of hassles - rather you than me!

So one guy built some crazy system, is now leaving and they want it replaced with a new totally different system. And it sounds like this system is a core part of the business.

That sounds like a 'mare of a job, full of hassles - rather you than me!

thats kind of the way i read it....

the guy in the agency said "it is to the companies benefit that the guy who has left is going to the suppor company"?

also in the job description is actually says they want a "jack of all trades" which 'could' be highly suss and point to the fact they are in a right mess

he's putting me for an interview anyway next week, so i'll go to that and sus it out more then.

these guys specialise in EDI, used to work for them.
www.kewill.com
the web site should tell you pretty much everything you need to know.
nice people but the job was dull as hell 🙂

[i]just got off the blower to the agency, he said the companies system is all in an archaic form of MS Access and the guy leaving is the guy who devolped it all but he is going to the company that supports their every day to day IT?

the company want to come bang up to date and go the SQL route.[/i]

and they want a jack of all trades with no experience of IT Project Management to implement that? Be afraid, be very afraid.