Integrating your ERP/accounting software with your webstore, EDI trading partners or CRM system may seem like the perfect rectification method to save your company time and money! Along with eliminating data entry, integration can greatly minimize chargebacks and allow you to power a faster order-payment delivery cycle. But before you get too caught up in the benefits of integrating your software, here are some helpful tips you should know before you start your integration project research:

1. Have a list of your ‘pain’ points ready! are going to ask you why you are looking into integration and which aspects of an integration project would help your company. If you have reasons already noted than discussing your needs and requirements for an integration project will be much easier for both ends. You’ll be able to discuss a more detailed plan for your specific integration project in terms of which aspects of integration will really help your companies’ business processes.
2. What platforms are you planning to integrate in your project? It’s important to know which ERP or accounting software you are using as well as what version it is. If you’re looking to integrate with trading partners, eCommerce webstores or CRM packages, have that information ready as well. The more prepared you are the quicker your integration project can be deployed.
   • Note to reader: A lot of times people are pro-active when deciding if integration is right for them or not and haven’t chosen an ERP platform, accounting software, eCommerce webstore or CRM package yet. It’s totally fine to call without this information if you’re doing some preliminary research but even if you have platforms in mind, the Account Manager can inform you if the integration is possible or not.
3. If you have any customizations to your ERP/accounting software, make sure to have that knowledge available. Most adapters are built to a softwares ‘vanilla’ version, so if you have any customizations done to your ERP/accounting software, you will likely need to carry over those customizations to your integration project.
4. Have an ideal ‘Go Live’ date ready. That will give Account Managers an idea of how quickly the integration project needs to be completed so they can build out your project accordingly.
5. It is important to let your Account Manager know if you have had an integration project done in the past, what was integrated during that project and if that project has gone live or not. This allows the Account Manager to understand why you have come looking for a new integration project and helps explain where the last integration provider may have lacked in feature set or functionality.

Bonus Point:

1. Have a budget in mind for your integration project. Different types of projects are available with a wide range of costs so having a budget in mind will help one not get ‘sticker shocked’ once you start discussing your integration needs. Think of it like going car shopping, everyone would buy a souped-up luxury vehicle if we had the budget but the truth of the matter is we often are not awarded with an unlimited budget. You should set a preliminary budget based on your needs and how much you’re willing to pay for an integration project so projects don’t end up being more of an expense than you had hoped for.

If integrating your ERP/accounting software is something that you’re interested in pursuing than you should contact the Integration Specialists at eBridge Connections. We make ERP integration easy with over 20 years of experience in the integration industry and our partner certified adapters. We integrate over 40+ ERP/accounting softwares including Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, SAP, Netsuite, Epicor and many more. We contact to more than 20 popular eCommerce webstores, thousands of EDI trading partners and leading CRM platforms, making eBridge Connections the integration platform of choice for mid-sized businesses. Check if eBridge Connections supports your system on our Integration Blueprint Builder. If you are interested in integration please comment below or contact me via email pvanasseldonk@ebridgeconnections.com.

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Just recently I came across an interesting article on B2B.com which reported that a universal integration system is the top strategy for businesses challenging with internal and supplier communication. Aberdeen Group, a research firm in Boston,  surveyed the chief supply chain officers at 158 enterprises last April and 78% of the respondents said the top business strategy for dealing with supply chain issues is improving internal cross-departmental visibility and integration.

“In short, today’s supply chain management professional is being asked to move products further and faster than ever before through all these various channels while striving to decrease logistics costs and increase profitability,” Aberdeen reports.

B2B Companies today are being asked to have exact inventory levels available at all times to ensure the retailers they are working with have access to their up to date product information. Implementing processes and technologies, like eBridge’s EDI integration, that automate the tedious day-to-day work that keeps your business running will allow you and your employees to focus on higher-level strategic tasks. An EDI integration system for B2B companies ensures an integrated flow of data that eliminates data entry. EDI is used in all major industries, such as health, retail, automotive, finance etc. and can be implemented almost immediately, depending on the type of EDI solution chosen.

This type of seamless integration is also becoming increasingly valuable and often necessary for eCommerce companies. With the eBridge eCommerce integration, customer and sales order information is automatically entered into the back-office financial system from the Ecommerce storefront. In turn, product information and order status updates are automatically entered into the Ecommerce storefront to provide customers with essential and up-to-date information. The eCommerce solution greatly increases the speed of information exchange, resulting in improved customer service efficiency and customer satisfaction.

If you believe your company would benefit from eBridge’s universal integration platform, please comment below or contact me today: pvanasseldonk@ebridgeconnections.com

Also, if you wish to view the report “Supply Chain Visibility and Collaborative Execution in Consumer Markets: Addressing Omni-channel Logistics” it is normally available for Aberdeen clients at a price of $399, but is available as a free download for a limited time only.

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This is an email we received from one of our customers today and wanted to share this information to other EDI customers who are connected to Target Canada. The email read:

If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us!

EDI - Our Customers Trading Partner Series, EDI Integration, EDI Tips and Tricks, EDI Translation, General EDI, Support, Uncategorized, eBRIDGE Blog 850, 860, changes, Compliance, edi, EDI Integration, edi integration support, ePortal, requirements, Target Canada, updates

Similar to the saying ‘Call Before You Dig’ we would like to remind all of our customers to ‘Call Before You Upgrade’. A lot of companies are upgrading their ERP systems or adjusting their eCommerce, EDI or CRM applications so that their company can be using the best and most intuitive software available. eBridge Connections is a firm believer in staying on top of innovative technology but when it comes to making upgrades that may affect your integration, you should always call your eBridge Integration Specialist before making any changes. This will ensure that the upgrade does not interfere with your solution because that ends up creating headaches for both us and you.

The aftermath of upgrading without letting your Integration Specialist know beforehand can vary. Sometimes nothing changes and it’s business as usual, but unfortunately, it usually ends with your integration needing some work done so that it can run properly again.

Here are the most common issues eBridge runs into when you make upgrades without letting us know:

• The integration adapters often have a version check, so while there may not be changes at the database level from version to version, upgrading can cause the solution to fail based on this alone
• An old version of Windows or SQL server may not be compatible with the adapter, however, if the ERP officially supports a particular version of Windows or SQL, this shouldn’t be an issue
• If the customer updates and we haven’t released that version of the adapter, they can be production down for several days…or weeks
• If the customer forgets or isn’t aware they have customized their ERP database in a way that required a customized adapter, this could compound the delays
• It’s possible that the integration will appear to work but some of the data fields will not map to the correct location anymore

If you have any questions about your current solution or are planning an upgrade during the new year I advise you to call your eBridge Connections representative right away. This is because if any changes need to be made to your solution, it can be scheduled ahead of time to avoid any down-time or problems with your integration. If you are not sure which representative you should contact about your integration, please email me at pvanasseldonk@ebridgeconnections.com and I will forward your inquiry to your proper specialist.

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Hello and Good Morning, Here at eBridge we strive to keep our readers and clients up to date on the latest updates and changes from the integration industry. We recently received a notice from the Costco Wholesale EDI department informing us of changes that will be put into effect November 30th. The notice we received read as follows:

Costco Wholesale is currently involved in a project to implement an ERP software solution provided by SAP.  Because you are currently an EDI partner with Costco this will impact you as our EDI requirements must change to accommodate the SAP model. Please see the information below for more details regarding the new requirements that must be followed along with our compliance date. Costco’s new requirements:

• Product identification number transmitted on Costco’s 850/860 Purchase Order/Change must be used on your 810 Invoice.
• All Item level discounts (excluding rebates) transmitted on Costco’s 850/860 Purchase Order/Change must be included on your 810 Invoice.

What we need from you: All of the below bolded information transmitted to you on the 850/860 Purchase Order/Change must be included on the 810 Invoice you transmit to Costco Wholesale. This includes the PO number, PO date, PO terms, quantity, price, product identification number (Costco item number, Supplier item number, UPC, GTIN, etc.) and all item level discounts (excluding rebates). Your compliance is required by November 30, 2012.  If you are already in compliance, we thank you and no action is required. Thank you for your help in this process.  Should you need to contact us please email EDI@costco.com or call our EDI hotline at 425-313-6791. Costco Wholesale EDI Department

As more companies update their current ERP systems or change specific documentation formats, eBridge will continue to update their clients and customers about the changes being made as soon as possible. Please don’t forget that the effective date for these changes is November 30th, 2012.  If you require any additional info or clarification, please contact us or leave a comment below.

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This week in our Support Services blog we would like to continue our discussion about the most common documents which are exchanged between Support Services and our valued eBridge customers.

Just to re-cap: we have in previous weeks looked at the ‘export only’ function which allows the user to extract the raw data used for the EDI document; and we have also outlined the steps required for retrieving a log report, which details the process the application runs to retrieve and send documents, and highlights any possible errors in the process.

Both sets of documentation are essential for troubleshooting issues you may have with your outbound and inbound profiles; but the most vital documentation required for troubleshooting are the maps!

In EDI, document maps determine what specific business data is to be transmitted between trading partners, and the mapping logic defines exactly how, and under what circumstances, that data should be used. Essentially, the maps provide logic and instruction to the translator based on the agreed-to system and business requirements of each trading partner.

Mapping issues can occur for a variety of reasons: Sometimes your trading partner’s system requirements change; other times the data has undergone some subtle change; and in some cases, accepted EDI protocols have changed. Finally, mapping issues may occur where a business scenario arises which is not covered by the current mapping logic.

Whatever the case has happens to be, if a document fails to process or is rejected by your trading partner, Support Services will almost always request a copy of your current document map, corresponding with the document type you are sending or receiving (orders, invoices, ASNs, etc.).

Retrieving the map is a fairly straightforward process:

The maps reside in the mapper folder. This is typically located at: C:\Program Files\eBridgesoft\eBridge200x\Mapper, for eBridge 2004 and 2006; and C:\Program Files\eBridgesoft\Mapper for eBridge 4.1.

For standard EDI, the map names are based on trading partner, document type, and eBridge application version.

For example: Target, 810 (invoice), Version 4010, would be: TAR81041.map

For ePortal users, the trading partner is most often not specified, as the same document map is used for each trading partner. In this instance, for example, an inbound order map would be labeled ‘850’ and the trading partner with which you are having the issue is inconsequential.

For webstore integration, map names vary and determining the correct map may require some dialogue with Support Services.

That is why we are always here to help!

If you have any issues, mapping or otherwise, please do not hesitate to give me a call at the Help Desk at 905-631-8057 or 1-800-755-6921 ext. 224

Have a great week and I will check in soon!

Paul Tittel

Help Desk Administrator

eBridge Support Services

EDI Tips and Tricks, Support

Here at eBridge Connections, we have been putting a lot of emphasis on web store integrations recently but the reality is that EDI is still a major reason companies need to undertake an integration project.

In an effort to realize cost savings throughout the supply chain, more customers than ever are mandating EDI as business requirement. That means that if you want to do business with companies like Walmart, Target, JC Penney, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, or any other number of retail or grocery chains, automotive companies or the healthcare industry, you need to be prepared to exchange your business documents electronically, and that usually means EDI. Read more…

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What is an EDI 855 Document?

The Purchase Order Acknowledgement or 855 is an EDI document sent by the vendor or Trading Partner to the customer to acknowledge the details of the Purchase Order or 850 that was received. If terms of the purchase order cannot be met then this document can also be used to provide the details of the changes to the order that the vendor needed to make (for example an item ordered is out of stock and cannot be shipped or the delivery date cannot be met).

The types of changes that need to be recorded on the 855 vary by EDI trading partner. The changes are denoted on each line item by a change code.

Common 855 Change Codes

• DR  Item Accepted – Date Rescheduled
• IA  Item Accepted
• IB  Item Backordered
• ID  Item Deleted  (Use to indicate Item is being Discontinued)
• IP  Item Accepted – Price Changed
• IQ  Item Accepted – Quantity Changed
• IR  Item Rejected

Read more…

EDI Tips and Tricks edi, EDI Integration

Have you ever had trouble finding a 997 for a specific document or had to search through your mailboxes to see if you returned an 855?

Finally there’s an easier way!

We’ve added the option to Customize Your Grid. By clicking on the wrench icon  at the top of your Mailbox grid, a pop-up window appears allowing you to add and remove the fields that are important to you.

Read more…

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We just received the following notice from Costco regarding changes to their EDI codes for tax qualifiers. Despite the August 24th implementation date, we have  already updated the maps on ePortal to comply with the changes. This means that all ePortal users doing business with Costco will be able to continue business as usual during the changes.

Read more…

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