EDI Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Access Control: The process of limiting access to resources of a system only to authorized users, programs, processes, or other systems. See also physical security.

Account Identifier: A unique alphanumeric ID assigned to a customer account by a VAN. The account identifier is used for billing purposes.

ACH (Automated Clearing House): A central distribution and settlement point for electronic items exchanged between an originating bank and a receiving bank.

Acknowledgment: A special transaction set (ANSI/X12 997) transmitted by a receiver as an affirmative response to the sender.

Acknowledgments: A specific type of EDI segment used within EDI to indicate acceptance or rejection of an entity.

AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group): An industry organization formed to improve the competitiveness of the American automotive industry. It was an early developer of EDI standards.

Alpha Numeric: A combination of both letters (alpha characters) and numbers (numeric characters).

ANSI (American National Standards Institute): A national voluntary organization of firms and private individuals that develops standardized business conventions.

ANSI ASC X12 (American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Committee X12): A non-profit organization chartered to develop and maintain voluntary American national standards. It is the U.S. secretariat to the International Standards Organization. The X12 committee develops and maintains EDI standards. There are approximately 300 member organizations representing over 30 industries.

ANSI Standard: A document published by ANSI that has been approved through the consensus process of public announcement and review. Each of these standards must have been developed by an ANSI committee and must be revisited by that committee within 5 years for update.

Application acknowledgement: A transaction set whose purpose is to return a response to a transaction set that has been received and processed in an application program. The purchase order acknowledgement is an example of an application acknowledgement. It is used to respond to the purchase order, presenting such things as whether the receiver can fulfill the order and if it can be done in time.

Application advice: A transaction set that documents errors in the content of any transaction set beyond the normal syntax checks.

Applications Link: The software bridge developed to facilitate the interface between a company's internal business management software and EDI translation software.

ASC: Accredited Standards Committee. See ANSI X12.

ASN (Advance Shipment Notice): An X12 transaction set number 856 that is used to notify the receiver that product is in transit.

ASYNC (Abbreviation for asynchronous): A communication protocol, or mode of data transmission, where one character is sent at a time, with each character surrounded by a start, stop, or parity bit.

Asynchronous: A form of data transmission in which individual characters are sent one at a time, delineated by a start bit and a stop bit. Traditionally used for low speed data transmission.

Audit Trail: A permanent record of messages transmitted and received.

Authentication: A mechanism which allows the receiver of an electronic transmission to verify the sender and the integrity of the content of the transmission through the use of an electronic key or algorithm which is shared by the trading partners. This is sometimes referred to as an electronic signature

Autodial (Automatic Dialing): Capability of a terminal, modem, computer or similar device to place a call over the switched telephone network and establish a connection without operator intervention; also known as autocall.
 

B

Bar Code: An array of rectangular marks and spaces in a predetermined pattern. Usually used for automatic product identification.

Batch: An accumulation of data to be brought together for processing or transmission.

Batch Processing: A type of data processing operation and data communications transmission where related transactions are grouped together and transmitted for processing, usually by the same computer and under the same application; generally regarded as non-real-time data traffic consisting of large files.

Baud: A measurement of the signaling speed of a data transmission device; equivalent to the maximum number of signaling elements, or symbols, per second that are generated; may be different from bit/second rate, however, especially at higher speeds, as several bits may be encoded per symbol, or baud, with advance encoding techniques such as phase-shift keying.

BISYNC (Abbreviation for bisynchronous): A communication protocol whereby data is sent as blocks. These blocks are checked for accuracy by the receiving computer.

Bisynchronous (Binary Synchronous Communications [BSC]): A communications protocol whereby messages are sent as blocks of characters. The blocks of data are checked for completeness and accuracy by the receiving computer.

Bit rate (BPS): The rate at which bits (binary digits) are transmitted over a communications path. Normally expressed in bits per second (bps). The bit rate is not to be confused with the data signaling rate (Baud) which measures the rate of signal changes being transmitted.

BSC: Abbreviation for Bisynchronous
 

C

CAD: The electronic storage of drawings developed using computer-aided design applications.

CCITT: The former United Nations standards organisation that recommended world-wide communications standards. Its official name was the Consultative Committee on International Telegraphy and Telephony. See ITU-TSS.

CICS (Customer Information Control System): An IBM program product and mainframe operating environment, designed to enable transactions entered at remote terminals to be processed concurrently by user-written application programs; includes facilities for building and maintaining databases.

Ciphertext: Encrypted output of a cryptograph algorithm. Input to the decryption process.

Clear Text: Data in its original form. Input to the encryption process and output of the decryption process.

Communication Protocol: Methods of communicating data over telephone lines or other physical transmission media.

Compliance checking: A checking process that is used to ensure that a transaction complies with ANSI X12 or EDIFACT syntax rules.

Compliance: Adherence to an accepted EDI standard.

Component Element Separator: A character separating component data elements.

Component Element: In EDIFACT, a sub-element of a composite data element.

Composite Data Element: In EDIFACT, an element that consists of multiple component data elements.

Connect Time: The time that a circuit, typically in a circuit-switched telephone-like environment, is in use; also holding time.

Control Number: A number assigned by the sending EDI partner, used to identify documents and transmissions to the receiving partner.

Control Structure: The beginning and end (header and trailer) segments for entities in EDI.

CRC (The Contractor Registration Capability): Functional asset of the DoD EC Program Office with oversight provided by DISA.

Customer Interface: A customer computer program to "map" data from an EDI standard into the proprietary format required by a computer application.
 

D

D&B (Dun and Bradstreet): "D&B numbers" or DUNS numbers are commonly used to uniquely identify trading partners and their mailboxes on a VAN.

Data Decompression: An automated process to decompress or "unwrap" data received by re-inserting trailing blanks and spaces.

Data Dictionary: The publication which defines all of the data elements approved for use within a given electronic transmission standard.

Data Element: The smallest item of information in an electronic data standard.

Data Element Requirement Designator: A data element has one of the following requirement designators defining its need to appear within the transaction set: M- data element MUST appear; O- data element MAY appear at the option of the sending party; C- data element is dependent on value or appearance of other data elements.

Data Element Separator: A syntax character used to separate data elements within asegment. Also referred to as a "delimiter".

Data element type: A data element may be one of six types: numeric, decimal, identifier, string, data or time.

Data Interchange Standards Association: The Secretariat and administrative arm of ANSI X12.

Data Mapping: Relationship between the X12 message syntax and the user's data.

Data Segment Identifier: A predefined code which identifies a data segment.

Data Segment Terminator: A special character, printable or unprintable, which indicates the end of a segment.

Data segment: A well-defined string of alternating data elements and data element separators. The electronic equivalent of a line item on a business form.

Decryption: A process of transforming ciphertext into clear text for security or privacy reasons.

Dedicated Line: A communication link permanently established between two locations. May be either a privately installed cable or a line leased from the phone company.

Delimiters: These consist of two levels of separators and a terminator. The delimiters are an integral part of the transferred data stream. Delimiters are specified in the interchange header and may not be used in a data element value elsewhere in the interchange. From highest to lowest level, the separators and terminator are segment terminator, data element separator, and subelement separator.

DES (Data Encryption Standard): A Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) for data encryption, using a symmetric security algorithm.

Dial-up Line: Ordinary phone line. Part of the switched network used by the phone company to handle all types of calls-not just data communications transmissions. Contrast with leased line.

Dial-up: Describing the process of, or the equipment or facilities involved in, establishing a temporary connection via the switched telephone network.

Direct transmission: The exchange of data from the computer of the sending party directly to the computer of the receiving party. A third party value added service is not used in a direct transmission code.

DISA (Data Interchange Standards Association): The not-for-profit membership organization that provides secretariat service to ASC X12.

Document: As used in EDI, one complete piece of data. For example, one Purchase Order, or one Invoice. Also known as a "Message".

Download: To transfer information from a large computer to a smaller computer.
 

E

EAGLE: Proprietary standard/network for Hardlines Industry. See definition of Hardlines.

EAN (European Article Number): A number that can be assigned to and encoded on an article of merchandise for wanding or scanning in certain countries.

EC: See Electronic Commerce.

EDE (Event Driven EDI): See definition of Event Driven EDI.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange): The computer-to-computer transmission of business data in a standard format. For pure EDI "computer-to-computer" means "original application program-to-processing application program."

EDI Compliance Test Facility: Functional asset of the DoD EC Program Office with oversight provided by DISA.

EDI Standards: A defined standardized format for transaction sets.

EDI Translation Software: Software that translates data in and out of the ANSI X12 format.

EDI translation: The conversion of application data to and from an EDI standard format.

EDI Translator: Computer software used to perform the conversion of application data to and from the X12 standard.

EDI Users Group: The governing body of all EDI standards composed of members from industry and government organizations. The major responsibility of the EDI Users Group is to approve proposed changes to EDI standards.

EDI/FAX: Converts computer-readable EDI documents to human-readable printed form and sends to receiver's facsimile machine.

EDI/LaserMail: Converts computer-readable EDI documents to human-readable printed form and mails document(s) to recipient.

EDIA: Electronic Data Interchange Association. A nonprofit, public interest organisation designed to develop, foster and maintain a program of action to achieve coordination of data and information systems by the standardisation of descriptions and codes for intercompany computer-to-computer EDI for business transactions.

EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Trade): The internationally recognized standard for electronic data interchange, started in September 1986 by the United Nations Joint Electronic Data Interchange Committee. It provides details of syntax rules, segment construction and message structure. Also known as UN/EDIFACT and ISO 9735.

EFT: Electronic Funds Transfer. See also ACH.

Electronic Commerce (EC): 1) Any form of electronic communication that facilitates performing business related activities electronically. EDI and E-Mail are subsets of EC. 2) The conduct of business transactions, supporting functions such as, administration, finance, logistics, procurement and transportation, between the Government and private industry using an integrated automated information environment to interchange business information.

Electronic Envelope: Electronic information which groups a set of transmitted documents being sent from one sender to one receiver.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT): an electronically transmitted credit or debit transaction within the financial community where availability of funds is either immediate or for next business day's settlement.

Electronic mailbox: The place where EDI transmission is stored for pickup or delivery within third party service provider's system. Trading partners

Element: The smallest item of information in the standard. Comparable to a "field".

E-mail: Electronic mail. Text messages sent from one person to another person, on the same or different computer systems. Systems at the same building or site may be connected together with a LAN, while systems at different sites are generally connected by a WAN.

Encryption: A process of transforming clear text into ciphertext for security or privacy reasons.

Envelope: The transmission header and trailer enclosing an EDI message.

Event-Driven EDI: Centralized control and overall automation of the EDI process. Supplies integration of batch and online capabilities for time-critical EDI requirements.
 

F

FA (Functional Acknowledgment): Also know as the 997 document. An electronic acknowledgment indicating the ANSI X12 message that was received is syntactically correct.

Facsimile Transmission: A process involving the transmission and reproduction of photographs, maps, drawings and other graphic matter.

FAX: A scanner/printer combination that transmits text and graphics over telephone lines. Since the 1980s, fax machines have undergone rapid development and refinement and are now indispensable communication aids for news services, businesses, government agencies, and individuals. It uses CCITT Group 3 data compression techniques. Small paper documents can be transmitted over long distances very quickly, but the information is not represented as structured data elements as in EDI.

FEDI (Financial Electronic Data Interchange): An EFT transaction which contains payment-related information in an EDI format, within the addenda record. FEDI transactions are normally associated with a Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) ACH payment format.

Field: The smallest item of information in a record.

File: Grouping of records each made up of multiple logical segments. A file is the largest unit of information recognized by the system.

Fixed Length Format: A computer flat file format which requires each line (segment) of information to be a specific length, usually 80 columns or spaces.

Fixed-length files: Typically used in proprietary or private EDI standards; the makeup of which is composed of 80-bite segments.

Flat File: A computer file from which all formatting symbols have been stripped. Flat files are generated by computer applications or translation software so that data can be mapped from one format to another.

Formats: A set of records where element lengths and types are defined.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A protocol used to transfer files between two computers. Generally used over a TCP/IP-based network.

Functional Acknowledgment: These are used by the receiving party to indicate the syntactical correctness of the Groups and Transactions received from atrading partner. They are returned to the sender in a Functional Acknowledgment Group with individual transactions indicatingacceptance.

Functional Group: A grouping of several transaction sets of the same type. For example, a group of purchase order documents.

Functional Group Envelope: An EDI envelope that separates different types of transaction sets.
 

G

Gateway/Network Interconnect: A connection between two networks that allows messages on one network to be routed through to the other.

Gateway: A conceptual or logical network station that serves to interconnect two otherwise incomplete networks, network notes, subnetworks or devices; performs a protocol-conversion operation across numerous communications layers.

GENCOD: French retail industry standard.

GTDI: Guide for Trade Data Interchange, a standards document supporting Eurpoean Trade Data Interchange published by UN/EDIFACT.
 

H

Handshaking: That portion of a communications protocol necessary to maintain the connection during periods of inactivity.

Hardlines Industry: Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, home centers and retail chains of hardware and housewares products - see definition of EAGLE.

Header: The portion of the message that precedes the actual body and trailer of the business transaction.

HTML: HyperText Markup Language, an SGML document type definition used as an authoring language for the World Wide Web.

Hub: A large company very active in EDI, which strongly encourages business partners to use EDI. Also called "sponsor." Its trading partners are called "spoke" companies.
 

I

IE Information Exchange: A VAN service that acts as an interpreter, making it possible for dissimilar computer systems to talk to each other. IE provides a nationwide electronic message service that links sponsors and their suppliers allowing the exchange of business documents.

Industry Guideline: A subset of a national standard designed for ease of use within one industry. For example, AIAG is an X12 subset.

Interactive EDI: The use of EDI in a transaction processing environment.

Interactive: A program that is able to carry on a "conversation" with the operator. The program prompts the operator helping the user through a routine while checking input for acceptability and notifying the operator when an error is made.

Interchange Acknowledgment: An Interchange Acknowledgment indicates the success or failure of a particular Interchange transmission. It does not imply acceptance of the EDI documents that make up the Interchange.

Interchange Control Structure: The beginning and ending segments of each EDI transmission.

Interchange Envelope: An EDI envelope that contains all the transaction sets for a particular trading partner.

Interchange Header: The Interchange Header contains the sender and receiver addressing information, the sender date and time, and a control number which uniquely identifies the interchange between the trading partners. It also defines the Data Element Separator, the Sub-element Separator, and the Segment Terminator to be used throughout the interchange (i.e., until the next Interchange Trailer).

Interchange Trailer: Contains information to match it with its Interchange Header and audit trailer information to ensure that no data was lost during the transmission.

Interchange: The actual exchange of information from one company to another. A set of documents is sent from one sender to one receiver at a time. Each interchange begins with an Interchange Header segment, ends with an Interchange Trailer segment and is delineated by interchange control segments.

Internet: A world wide network of networks with 20-25 million users, and growing at the rate of 50% per year. Most value added networks are connected to the Internet. See also World Wide Web.

Invoice: Also know as the 810 document. This is a request for payment from the purchaser for products or services rendered.

ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network): Based on digital transmission, a network that allows voice and data traffic to use the same digital links and exchanges.

ISO: International organization for standardization.

ITU-TSS: The United Nations standards organisation that recommends world-wide communications standards. Its official name is the International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunications Standardisation Sector. Formerly know as CCITT.
 

J

Just-In-Time (JIT): The set of techniques for managing the delivery of supplies to manufacturing plants, so that they are delivered just before they are required at the plant. The technique allows for a reduction in inventory level, and more flexibility in the output of the finished goods.
 

K

KEDIFACT: The version of the UN/EDIFACT standard used in Korea.

L

LAN: Local Area Network. LANs are usually restricted to a building. See also Router and WAN.

Leased Line: A telephone line reserved for the exclusive use of a leasing customer without interexchange switching arrangements. Also called a private or dedicated line.

Line Speed: The rate signals are transmitted over a channel, usually measured in bauds or bits per second.

LINX: The EDI program established by the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma.

Loop: A repetition of a segment or a group of segments
 

M

Mailbox: An electronic message storage place for data. A customer can retrieve messages from his/her own mailbox, and can send messages to other trading partners' mailboxes. See VAN.

Mailslot: A subdivision of the mailbox. that allows for the separation of various types of EDI data.

Mapping: The translation from an EDI standard format to a company's internal format.

Message Disposition Notification: Netscape's ECXpert uses a Message Disposition Notification (MDN) to alert trading partners that an SMTP document was received.

Message: (USA) The entire data stream including the outer envelope, also known as a document. (International) The equivalent of transaction set in the USA.

MIME: Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions.

MNP (Microcom Networking Protocol): Proprietary error-correcting protocol for modems operating at speeds from 2.4 kbit/s to 9.6 kbit/s; operates only point-to-point and does not have easy connections to X.25 and ISDN technology.

Modem (MOdulator-DEModulator): Electronic device that converts signals from one form to a form compatible with another kind of equipment, such as transmitting computer data over telephone lines.
 

N

Network Architecture: Reference used for the definition and development of protocols and products for interworking between data processing systems, often used to define a hierarchy of communication function layers.

Network: The interconnection, through telecommunications links, of computers and terminals in different locations. Also, a network is a third-party mailbox service that can be accessed by EDI customers to send/receive data.

Node: A site housing one or more communication processors, usually geographically removed from a centrally located computer.
 

O

ODETTE (Organization for Data Exchange by Teletransmission in Europe): A European project with agreed EDI standards for interchange among European automobile manufacturers.

On-Line: Interactive use of a computer.

Operating System: Software that controls the execution of programs. An operating system may perform resource allocation, scheduling, input/ output control, and data management.

ORDERNET: Proprietary standard for Healthcare Industry.
 

P

PAEB: The Pan American EDIFACT Board is separate from ANSI X12, and it serves as the coordinating body on EDI for national standards organisations of North, Central and South Americas.

Partnership Agreement: An agreement set up for two or more EDI users before theycan begin communication.

PEDI: An interim term for the standards describing the provision of EDI over X.400 (X.435 or F.435)

PO (Purchase Order): Also known as the 850 document. Record of the agreement made with a vendor to purchase merchandise. Includes item description, quantity, cost, discount terms and method of shipping.

Private Network: A network established and operated by a private organization or corporation for users within that organization or corporation.

Proprietary Format: A data format specific to a company, industry, or other limited group. Proprietary formats do not comply with the ASC X12 standards.

Protocol: Formal set of rules governing the format, timing, sequencing, and error control of exchanged messages on a data network; may be oriented toward data transfer over an interface, between two logical units directly connected, or on an end-to-end basis between two users over a large and complex network.

PTT (Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Agencies): A generic name for government agency responsible for operating a nation's communications services and systems.

Public Network: Generically, a network operated by common carriers or telecommunications administrations for the provision of circuit-switched, packet-switched, and leased-line circuits to the public.

Public Standards: EDI standards that are used by multiple industries and are developed and maintained by open organizations.
 

Q

QR (Quick Response): Retail Sector -- see definition

Qualifier: A data element which gives a generic segment or a generic data element a specific meaning.

Quick Response: The set of techniques for managing the distribution of goods so that they are delivered just before they are required at the retail end point. The technique allows for a reduction in inventory level. Analogous to Just-In-Time in manufacturing.
 

R

RAILINC: For-profit subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (its network)

Real Time: A transmission or data processing operating mode by which data is entered in an interactive session; pertaining to an application whereby response to input is fast enough to affect subsequent input, such as a process-control "system" or a computer-aided designed "system" (IBM); describing processing in which the results are used to influence an ongoing process.

Record: A set of elements relating to a specific unit of information.

REDINET: The EDI network originally developed by Control Data Corporation; operated by Sterling Commerce's Network Services Group since June 1991.

Router: The bridge between two or more LANs or a LAN and a WAN.

RTE (Real Time EDI): See definition
 

S

SDLC (Synchronous Data Link Control): A communications line discipline associated with the IBM systems network architecture (SNA).

Security: A process of system screening that denies access to unauthorised users and protects data from unauthorised uses. See also encryption . In many cases security refers to physical security such as keyboard locks or the placing of computers in secure areas behind locked doors. See also system access control.

Segment Identifier: A 2 or 3 character code which uniquely identifies a specific segment. The identifier serves as a name for the segment and occupies the first character positions of the segment.

Segment Requirement Designator: A segment has one of the following requirement designators defining its need to appear within the transaction set: mandatory segment must occur; optional segment may occur at the option of sending party; floating segment may occur anywhere after the first or preceding the last segment in a transaction set.

Segment Tag: This is a unique identifier composed of a combination of two or three uppercase letters and/or digits, the first character of which is alphabetic. The identifier serves as a name for the segment and is located in the first character position of the segment.

Segment Terminator: A character that separates segments. A segment terminator tells the computer where one segment ends and the next begins. The terminator is defined in the Interchange Header.

Segment: A segment is the intermediate unit of information in a transaction set. Segments consist of a predefined set of functionally related data elements which are identified by their sequential position within the segment. A segment begins with a segment identifier, and ends with a segment terminator. Each line item in a transaction set is a segment.

Session: The act of (at least) signing on and signing off one's Mailbox. A session may or may not include sending and/or receiving data to/from the System. A session MUST end with the transmission (by the customer of a Signoff record.)

SGML: Standard Generalized Markup Language, ISO standard 8879 for the representation of data structures and relationships. Often associated with text and publishing. See also HTML.

SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

SNA (Systems Network Architecture): An architecture for interchanging data trough an SNA network in a sort-and-forward fashion.

SNA/DS (System Network Architectural Distribution Services): an E-mail messaging protocol that is used with many mainframe based messaging systems. It operates over a dedicated line using the SNA communications protocol.

SPEC 2000: Airline industry standard for spare parts.

Spoke Company: A trading partner of a hub company.

Standards Bodies: Organizations and/or committees that develop EDI standards.

Standards Maintenance Commitee: A sub-group of the EDI Users Group that reviews and analyzes all proposed changes and recommends appropriate actions.

Store and Forward: Service where a message carried by the network may be temporarily sorted or routed in the network prior to delivery to the recipient.

Sub-element Separator: A single character used to separate the components of an element.

Sub-element: A portion of a larger composite data element.

Subset: A subset of a national standard for ease-of-use within one industry. The subset usually indicates only those segments, elements, and code values needed by the industry.

SYNC: Abbreviation for Synchronous. A communi-cation protocol where data is sent in blocks based on a common clock signal.

Synchronous Transmission: Data communications in which characters or bits are sent at a fixed rate, with the transmitting and receiving devices synchronized; eliminates the need for start and stop bits basic to asynchronous transmission and significantly increases data throughput rates.

Syntax: The rules governing the structuring of the user data and of associated data in the interchange of messages.
 

T

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): TCP/IP is a set of protocols for Layers three and four of the seven-layer OSI network model. These are respectively, the network and the transport layers.

TDCC (Transportation Data Coordinating Committee): Sets standards for motor, rail, ocean and air industry, administered by EDIA.

TDI: Trade Data Interchange. An EDI standard used by the European business community for general business documents.

Telecommunications: A term encompassing both voice and data communications in the form of coded signals over via public or private telecommunications media.

Third-Party Network: A commercial service that allows people to transmit data to a computer and store it so it can be retrieved by the party to whom it is addressed. This is also called an electronic mailbox.

TPA (Trading Partner Agreement): Contractual arrangement between the parties involved in electronic trading covering the EDI specific parts of the exchange of trading information. Also called Interchange Agreement.

TRADACOMS (Trading Data Communications Standard): An EDI standard for retail used primarily in the United Kingdom and Western Europe.

Trading Partner Agreement: A service order spelling out the terms and conditions for doing business electronically.

Trading Partner: In EDI, this generally applies to two parties engaged in the exchange of business data through electronic means.

Transaction Set: Standard defined groupings of one or more segments which represent a specific EDI document. Examples of transactions include Equipment Interchange Reports (Gate-in and Gate-out) and Repair Estimates. The order and number of segments within a transaction are defined for each applicable EDI standard.

Translation Software: A software program used to reformat business documents into an EDI standard. Translation software puts the data into the standard's syntax and inserts the appropriate EDI symbols for the transmission of the transaction set. The CDX EDI Bridge is an example of a translation software program.

Translation: The act of accepting documents in other than standard format and translating them to the EDI standard.

Transmission: All the data to be transmitted between one user and another, or one user and the VAN.
 

U

UCS (Uniform Communication Standard, used for Grocery Industry ): A standard for EDI documents developed specifically for the Grocery industry.

UN/EDIFACT: See EDIFACT.

UPC (Universal Product Code): A standard numeric product identifier and its associated graphical representation used as a product descriptor.
 

V

VAN (Value Added Network): 1) A secure and privately owned network offering services such as mailboxing, reliable data transmission, carbon copy services, many access methods and other value-added capabilities. 2) A company that provides communications services, electronic mailboxing and other communications services for EDI transmissions.

Variable Length Format: A computer format in which fields or elements are given a specific location, a maximum length, and are separated with a symbol that denotes the end of the element. EDI standards use a variable length format.

Variable-length files: Typically used in public EDI standards; where the length of a segment can be variable within a minimum and maximum length as required by each standard.

VDA: German automotive industry standard.

Version: The version number of the ANSI standard being used. This is important because different trading partners may be using different versions of the standard, and your EDI system must know which version of the standard to use. EDI products like Netscape's ECXpert and TSI's Mercator mapping tool can handle multiple versions of the ANSI standard.

VICS (Voluntary Inter-Industry Communications Standard): A standard for EDI documents developed specifically for the Retail industry.
 

W

WAN: Wide Area Network. A WAN is usually used to connect LANs through Routers.

WINS (Warehouse Information Network Standard): A standard for EDI documents developed specifically for the Warehouse industry.

Work-flow Automation: The use of automated processing in everyday business operations.

World Wide Web: A graphical user interface layer that sits on top of Internet . See also HTML.
 

X

X.25: A synchronous communications protocol defined by the ITU-TSS to establish a virtual connection between two parties (as though it were a dedicated line). This protocol is often referred to as packet switching, after its method of encapsulating portions of the message in small packets for transmission. The protocol was originally defined for data transmission , but is now widely employed for voice, video, facsimile and other applications.

X.400: A communications standard defined by the ITU-TSS for a store -and- forward messaging system.

X.435: CCITT draft recommendation which specifies how the PEDI protocol can be used to provide EDI over X.400.

X.75: A communications protocol defined by the ITU-TSS for interconnecting two X.25 networks.

X12: The North American ANSI EDI standard, which arose in 1979.
 

Y

Z