Home Depot has launched a new connection hub called Home Depot Special Order Program which will require its own new ePortal connection. Customers currently trading HD special products using Home Depot EDI will need to add a new trading partner. This is because it requires new mapping which may involve additional implementation costs. The cost will be different for every customer and is dependent on how may maps are necessary.

Home Depot sent eBridge three different implementation PDF’s with information outlining the changes that need to be made. If anyone would like a copy of the Home Depot Special Order Program EDI information, please contact your eBridge representative or email me pvanasseldonk@ebridgeconnections.com and I’ll be sure to forward the information to you. Below are the introductory paragraphs to the EDI maps that need to be changed:

856 Ship Notice/Manifest:
This Draft Standard for Trial Use contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Ship Notice/Manifest Transaction Set (856) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to list the contents of a shipment of goods as well as additional information relating to the shipment, such as order information, product description, physical characteristics, type of packaging, marking, carrier information, and configuration of goods within the transportation equipment. The transaction set enables the sender to describe the contents and configuration of a shipment in various levels of detail and provides an ordered flexibility to convey information. The sender of this transaction is the organization responsible for detailing and communicating the contents of a shipment, or shipments, to one or more receivers of the transaction set. The receiver of this transaction set can be any organization having an interest in the contents of a shipment or information about the contents of a shipment.
810 Invoice:
This Draft Standard for Trial Use contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Invoice Transaction Set (810) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to provide for customary and established business and industry practice relative to the billing for goods and services provided.
855 Purchase Order Acknowledgement:
This Draft Standard for Trial Use contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Purchase Order Acknowledgment Transaction Set (855) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to provide for customary and established business and industry practice relative to a seller’s acknowledgment of a buyer’s purchase order. This transaction set can also be used as notification of a vendor generated order. This usage advises a buyer that a vendor has or will ship merchandise as prearranged in their partnership.

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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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How does EDI work? What is the process? Why do people use it? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

Recently, someone posted these questions on Quora and thought I would post my response here as well.

EDI (electronic data interchange) is a standard data structure that allows companies with differing hardware and software systems to exchange information in a common  format.  EDI is used to communicate a variety of information and is typically used in a supply chain.  It is widely adopted in retail, healthcare, automotive and even by the U.S. Department of Defense.

In my experience, no one does EDI because they want to, they do EDI because a partner in a business relationship mandates it, however it does help save time and money when it comes to communicating business information documents.  Major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot most commonly use EDI to communicate the following information: Orders to their suppliers (850), Invoices from their suppliers (810), Shipment notices from their suppliers (856). There are also a number of other documents that are used but these three are almost always required in a retail relationship.

There are many different EDI solutions in the marketplace so the process and tools you set up and use can differ but the high level processing steps are the same. Read more…

General EDI

If your EDI trading partner has asked you to transmit ASN documents, it is likely that the UCC/EAN-128 barcode label is also required. The label, usually attached to each carton or the entire pallet, allows the shipping receiver to quickly determine the contents of the carton/pallet in conjunction with the ASN paperwork.  This is done by scanning the SSCC-18 bar code at the bottom of the label.

While it seems reasonable to the trading partner that these labels are used since they speed up shipment verification at the receiving dock, they can be a pain for the supplier to generate, particularly since they contain bar codes that need to match the corresponding ASN document.

The labels are typically 4″x6″ in portrait mode and usually need to be printed on thermal paper.  Let’s look at specifications for two different trading partners, Lowe’s and The Sports Authority.

As you can see, both labels contain the same basic information, the exact layout will vary by trading partner. Additionally, some trading partners are more strict than others about tolerances regarding font size, spacing, paper type, barcode density and so on. Read more…

General EDI, Technology Corner

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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Good Afternoon,

Well it’s safe to say that summer has arrived! Despite the week of record-high temperatures, the developers here at eBridge still pumped out an impressive list of updates. Below are the new and updated integration connections that were deployed to the ePortal during the week of May 24, 2010:

• ChannelAdvisor XML To XML
• Dana 4010

Read more…

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Good Afternoon,

Even though we’re seeing monsoon-like weather  in Burlington lately, our developers haven’t been rained out! Below are the new and updated integration connections that were deployed to the ePortal during the week of May 3, 2010:

• CSK Auto Inc 4010
• Dupont DPC 4010

Read more…

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Good Afternoon,

We’ve got another big round-up of connections that made it to the ePortal this week! Below are the new and updated integration connections that were deployed to the ePortal during the week of April 26th, 2010:

• Balkamp 4010
• Chrysler 2040
• Interspire WebStore

Read more…

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