Current%20Trends%20in%20Electronic%20Data%20Interchange%20(EDI)

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Current Trends in Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI)

• Faith Lamprey
• Aurora Technologies
• [phone]
• aurora_at_auroratechedi.com
• www.auroratechedi.com

NEMUGNovember, 2008
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Agenda

• EDI Terminology
• Item Synchronization
• RFID
• AS3/AS4
• EDI vs XML
• New X12 Envelope
• Future of EDI

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Terminology

• GS1, the global organization that manages
  standards and guidelines for several industries,
  including retail and grocery, publishes GS1
  General Specifications
• Glossary of Terms can be downloaded with
  (www.gs1.org/docs/barcode/GS1_Standards_Glossary_o
  f_Terms.pdf)

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UPC

• UPC - Universal Product Code
• Bar Code Symbology
• NOT the same as an Item Number

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GTIN

• GTIN Global Trade Identification Number
• Any item (product or service) upon which there is
  a need to retrieve pre-defined information and
  that may be priced, or ordered, or invoiced at
  any point in any supply chain
• One type of GTIN is GTIN-12 (made up of twelve
  digits), assigned by brand owners in the U.S. for
  trade items that are an each, inner pack,
  standard case or even unit load (more on unit
  load later)
• Each unit of measure needs a separate GTIN

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The structure is a UCC-12 in the 14 digit GTIN
Representation
Standard trade item grouping of 8 cases 00
614141 44444 C
Zeroes are needed if ITF-14 or UCC/EAN-128 bar
codes are used
Standard trade item Grouping of 4 cases 00
614141 33333 C
Standard trade item grouping of 1 case of 15
retail items 00 614141 22222 C

Item Reference method of uniqueness for fixed
content products
Retail Consumer Trade Item quantity of
one 614141 11111 C
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SSCC

• SSCC - Serial Shipping Container Code
• Serial Number given to a logistics unit for
  shipping and receiving
• It is tied to an advanced ship notice (ASN) so we
  know the contents, ordering, and shipping
  information related to that carton or unit load
• (00) 0 0614141 123456789 0

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EPC

• EPC is the acronym for Electronic Product Code
• The structure of the data on a tag

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EPC Format
Header
EPC Manager Number
Object Class
Serial Number

• Header - identifies the length, type, structure,
  version, and generation of the EPC
• EPC Manager Number - entity responsible for
  maintaining the subsequent partitions (company
  prefix)
• Object Class - identifies a class of objects
  (item reference number)
• Serial Number - identifies the instance

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Item Synchronization

• Originally UCCnet
• Now managed by GS1
• Wal-Mart launched an initiative this past spring
  called the New Item Creation through Data
  Synchronization where they asked all of their
  suppliers to be on Global Data Synchronization by
  June 1
• Both 1SYNC and GSDN were acceptable data pools
  and data could be submitted via spreadsheet, EDI
  832 document or XML formats
• Ensures data elements are in synch between
  Trading Partners

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RF

• RF is Radio Frequency
• Radio Frequency is a method of wireless
  communication
• Your garage door is RF
• EZ Pass is RF
• Wireless LAN
• RF is a method of data capture
• Many scanners are wireless (RF)
• You are not tethered to a computing device

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RF

• Uses an RF tag that contains the new EPC
  (Electronic Product Code)
• Tags
• Chip and antenna inside a traditional label
• Built into a plastic or rubber RF tag
• Chips built into packaging

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RFID Tags

• Active
• A tag that has its own power source (battery)
• It chirps or sends out a signal that says Here
  I am
• Passive
• Must pass through electromagnetic field that
  sends power to the chip

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RFID Components

• Reader Antenna Tag
  (chipantenna)

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RF Chips

• Static serial numbers pre-written
• Write Once Read Many (WORM)
• Write and add information
• Write and over-write
• Types
• Smart Cards
• Smart Chips
• Rubber tags in a cows ear
• Tags built into containers, packaging, pallets

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RFID Tags
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RFID Tags
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RFID Issues

• Reading problems
• Depth of field read too many or not enough
• Liquid absorbs RF signals
• Other RF devices may interfere
• Wireless Scanners
• Wireless networks
• Current reads are 85-90
• Cost of labels still too high for widespread
  adoption
• Privacy issues

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RFID Advantages

• Can read through the box labels are not smudged
• Can read the cartons in the middle of the pallet
• Can be automated and not dependent on people
  scanning the right label (Label format and
  placement not an issue)
• Things talking to things fork lifts, shelves,
  dock doors, trucks, garbage containers, products
• Food / Drug Tracing
• Automatic check out
• Call out stale / discontinued product
• Find product in wrong locations

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AS3

• AS3 stands for Applicability Statement 3
• It is a communications standard that uses FTP/S
  to send EDI transactions over the Internet
• Some say it offers greater security than the
  HTTP/S-based AS2 protocol
• Its a push and pull technology, as opposed to
  AS2, which is a push-only technology
• EDI or XML transactions can be sent over the
  Internet using AS3
• There are not many large companies mandating use
  of AS3, as Wal-Mart did with AS2.
• AS3 has added benefits for those companies that
  already rely heavily on FTP to send and receive
  transactions

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AS4

• AS4 Secure B2B Document Exchange Using Web
  Services
• Web Services based protocol
• AS4 standard is being developed by a subcommittee
  of the OASIS ebXML Messaging Services Technical
  Committee
• An open standard for the secure and
  payload-agnostic exchange of B2B documents using
  Web services
• AS4 will not replace AS2
• The end goal is to replicate and strategically
  extend the existing functional requirements
  currently satisfied by AS2 by mapping those
  requirements onto the Web services platform

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EDI vs XML

• EDI has defined auditability, tracing, speed
• Companies do not wish to change what works
• EDI is well established with defined standards
• XML has ease-of-use, easy viewing capability,
  more tools in the market
• Companies do not wish to implement old
  technologies
• XML standards are still in the development stage

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EDI vs XML
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New X12 Envelope

• ANSI X12 is the most commonly used B2B standard
• Increasing use of EDI globally requires continued
  development
• Innovation by businesses continue to drive EDI
  document development and enhancements

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New X12 Envelope

• Changes to the X12 Envelope Standards have been
  proposed to support
• Multiple destinations (i.e., carbon copy
  functionality)
• Multi-hop capability
• Wider (more digits/characters) in send/receive
  fields
• Release and additional delimiters
• Internationalization - Multi-byte character sets
• Real time transactions with a session number
• Publish and subscribe mode HL7 / Public Bid
  Response
• Harmonization with other Standard Organizations
  and national efforts
• Have a separate field for versioning the code
  lists so that the code lists are not dependent
  on the standard/implementation version numbers.

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Future of EDI

• EDI is experiencing an increase in usage as more
  companies use it to exchange business documents
• 85-90 of all B2B transaction volumes are based
  on EDI (2007 study by Forrester Research, B2B
  Integration Trends Message Formats)
• XML is growing quickly but remain, at best, 15
  of B2B traffic.

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Why has EDI not been replaced with another
Technology?

• EDI is a mature standard (is reliable and has
  wide-spread use)
• EDI is working Dont fix what isnt broken!
• EDI is less expensive than implementing newer
  technologies
• EDI is ubiquitous it is everywhere!
• HIPAA mandates the use of EDI for secure exchange
  of medical information (they just changed the law
  to update to a higher version of the standard!)

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Why has EDI not been replaced with another
Technology?

• EDI is not industry specific
• EDI is network protocol independent, allowing it
  to work with newer protocol standards like AS2
• While new technologies and techniques like XML
  will surely increase in usage, EDI is here to
  stay!

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The End

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