Purpose
This procedure is used to generate customer orders from ‘raw’ EDI details which are created by a third party based product. It is an alternative to the server based data upload based on the “EDI File Parameters” configuration details.
Companies using this method would typically check their EDI mail box for incoming messages during the course of the day and these messages would be “exported” via an output file that then needs to be uploaded into Online. In this situation you are typically using a third party EDI Software tool to check for, read and send EDI messages to your partners. The EDI message you receive will contain Header, Detail and Summary information in a pre-determined format, which may vary depending on the third party product being used and the “standard” document format adopted by your EDI partners.
To eliminate all the differences in EDI message formats, and in order for your EDI software to be able to send the data to Online in a format that can be consistently read and used, a “file map” must be created within this EDI software so the relevant data fields on the EDI message can be stored for later upload into Online. To this end we have adopted a single standard file format for importing into the system. The individual data fields are delimited by a pre-determined separator character. The data file uploaded to Online will contain all the required data to create an Online order, mapped from the various EDI message/document formats used by your partners. The EDI software can usually be setup to automatically output the details of an incoming message to the Online file output format/destination. To assist with the creation of the “file map” you should seek advise from your Online Advantage support team.
Data Input
Step 1 – Run Number
Run Number
Select existing Run Number to access reports from a previous run or a new Run Number can be created to process a new EDI data file.
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Step 2 – Data Source
Source File
Select the source file you wish to upload. The file name and path must exist on the client computer you have logged into Online Advantage using, or that client computer/device must have network access to the EDI file that has been created form the incoming EDI messages. Use the “Browse” button to assist in locating the file and folder in question.
Default File Path
Displays the default file path. The default comes from the EDI File Parameters function and can save you have to “browse” to find the folder and file each time you want to do an order upload.
Separator Character
Input the separator character used in the source file. The character pipe (‘|’) is set as a default.
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