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    EDI Glossary

    Complete glossary of EDI terms, acronyms, and industry jargon explained in plain language.

    A – D

    Key EDI terms from A through D:

    • ACH - Automated Clearing House, electronic network for financial transactions.
    • ANSI - American National Standards Institute, accredits X12 standards.
    • AS2 - Applicability Statement 2, secure protocol for EDI over the internet.
    • ASN - Advance Ship Notice (EDI 856), sent before shipment arrives.
    • Chargeback - Financial penalty from a trading partner for non-compliance.
    • Companion Guide - Trading partner's specific implementation requirements.
    • Control Number - Unique identifier for tracking EDI interchanges and groups.
    • Data Element - The smallest unit of data in an EDI document.

    E – M

    Key EDI terms from E through M:

    • EDI - Electronic Data Interchange, computer-to-computer B2B document exchange.
    • EDIFACT - UN/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport.
    • Envelope - The ISA/IEA, GS/GE, ST/SE wrappers around EDI transaction data.
    • Functional Acknowledgment (997) - Confirms receipt of an EDI document.
    • GS1-128 - Barcode label standard used in supply chain and retail.
    • ISA/IEA - Interchange Control Header/Trailer, outermost EDI envelope.
    • Mapping - Process of translating data between internal format and EDI standard.
    • MDN - Message Disposition Notification, AS2 receipt confirmation.

    N – S

    Key EDI terms from N through S:

    • NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology.
    • PO - Purchase Order, typically EDI 850.
    • Qualifier - Code that identifies the type of ID used in an EDI document.
    • Segment - A logical grouping of data elements in an EDI document (e.g., N1, PO1).
    • SPS Commerce - Major EDI network and trading community.
    • ST/SE - Transaction Set Header/Trailer, innermost EDI envelope.

    T – Z

    Key EDI terms from T through Z:

    • Trading Partner - Any business entity you exchange EDI documents with.
    • Transaction Set - A complete EDI document (e.g., 850 Purchase Order).
    • Translation - Converting data between internal format and EDI standard format.
    • UPC - Universal Product Code, barcode identifier required in retail EDI.
    • VAN - Value-Added Network, managed network for routing EDI documents.
    • X12 - ANSI standard for EDI in North America.

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