Electronic Data Interchange Fundamentals

This course will introduce you to Electronic Data Interchange, or EDI.

EDI is a set of standards and technologies designed to automate the sending and receiving of routine business documents between trading partners, such as an automotive company and its suppliers.  A wide range of documents can be transmitted in EDI format which lowers costs and streamlines operations for companies that implement EDI systems.

The goal of this course is to provide an overview of EDI from an industry perspective.  Completion of this course will be helpful if you plan on working with Netscape Electronic Commerce products, such as ECXpert, and will also be helpful for data analysts who will be working with data mapping tools like TSI’s Mercator product.

This course can also be downloaded in book form (PDF format).

To navigate the presentations:

EDI Overview

This module provides a brief, high-level overview of EDI and its supporting technologies.

Introduction to Electronic Data Interchange

Electronic Data Interchange and its supporting technologies are defined and discussed .  It provides a discussion of the forces leading to the development of EDI, a "real-world" definition, the historical trends that led to EDI, the basic components of EDI, and trends in electronic commerce.

Value Added Networks

In this section you will learn about Value Added Networks and the services they provide.  Alternatives to traditional VANS, like Netscape's CommerceXpert products, are also discussed.

EDI User Profiles and Key Barriers

This module discusses typical EDI user profiles and examines the barriers that many organizations experience when they begin to implement an EDI system.

ANSI X12 Standards

This module describes the ANSI X12 and UN/EDIFACT EDI standards.  It describes the ANSI X12 standards documentation and provides a step-by-step instructions in how to read and understand the standards documents.  You will learn about the components that make up an EDI transmission and about the differences between the U.S. ANSI X12 standard and the international UN/EDIFACT standard.

EDI Hardware and Software

In this module you will learn about the various hardware and software products available to support EDI in a variety of business settings, from very small business to large, multinational corporations.