ANSI X12 Standard
ANSI ASC X12 is the predominant EDI standard in North America, maintained by the Accredited Standards Committee. It defines over 300 transaction sets covering virtually every business document type - from purchase orders (850) and invoices (810) to advance ship notices (856) and payment orders (820).
- Used by 99% of Fortune 500 companies in the United States.
- Organized into envelopes: ISA/IEA (interchange), GS/GE (functional group), ST/SE (transaction set).
- Version numbers like 4010, 5010, and 7030 indicate the release of the standard.
- Each transaction set has specific segment and element requirements defined by the standard.
UN/EDIFACT
United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport is the international EDI standard. It's widely used in Europe, Asia, and for cross-border trade. EDIFACT messages include ORDERS (purchase orders), INVOIC (invoices), DESADV (dispatch advice), and hundreds more.
- Mandatory for many European retailers and government agencies.
- Supports multi-language and multi-currency transactions.
- Organized into UNB/UNZ (interchange), UNG/UNE (group), UNH/UNT (message) envelopes.
- Maintained by the UN/CEFACT working group with regular updates.
Other Standards & Formats
Beyond X12 and EDIFACT, several other formats play important roles in B2B data exchange:
- TRADACOMS - Used primarily in UK retail, predecessor to EDIFACT.
- HIPAA - Healthcare-specific EDI standards based on X12 for claims, eligibility, and remittance.
- RosettaNet - XML-based standard for high-tech and semiconductor industries.
- GS1 XML / GDSN - Global product data synchronization standards.
- JSON/REST APIs - Modern alternatives that complement traditional EDI for real-time integrations.
Choosing the Right Standard
Your choice of EDI standard is typically dictated by your trading partners and industry. Most North American companies use X12, while international trade often requires EDIFACT. Many companies need to support multiple standards simultaneously - Yoke Integration's platform handles all major standards from a single managed environment.