Overcoming the problems of EDI
Companies have avoided EDI for three main reasons:
1.) It's too difficult to implement.
2.) It's too expensive to implement and maintain.
3.) It's too rigid and not flexible to work.
Overcoming the Difficulty factor
FREDI-COM and FREDI-NET are components, which is a technology already familiar to most programmers.
EDI had always been difficult to implement because users had to deal with two technologies: EDI and the EDI application.
EDI, itself, was already quite complex; but the EDI application that supported EDI also added to the complexity.
With that in mind, EDIdEv designed Framework EDI to include components – a technology familiar to most programmers, and thus reducing the
time spent on having to learn another technology in conjunction with EDI.
Framework EDI has friendly EDI utilities like the eFileManager and eAnalyzer that makes working with EDI files simple.
EDI files were designed for computers, and not for humans, to read them. This made working with EDI files difficult because the codes were not
verbose. EDIdEv eFileManager solved this problem by displaying EDI files with code descriptions and thus making them very comprehendible.
And if there was ever a problem with an EDI file, the eFileManager as well as the eAnalyzer utility can validate and pinpoint to the problems of
the file, saving hours in trouble-shooting.
Because mapping is done at the programming level, Framework EDI users have more flexibility in solving EDI related problems.
Ready-made applications cannot support all EDI related problems of all companies, without them
becoming bulky and cumbersome and contributing to the problem. The Framework EDI components solves this
problem by having all the functionalities of a full-fledge EDI application, but
allowing these EDI functions to be called at the programming level. The
FREDI-COM and FREDI-NET components have built-in methods (or functions) to parse, construct, validate
and transmit EDI files, which programmers can call from within their program. This allows programmers to control
how-when-and-what EDI processes should occur in their EDI solution; thus enabling them to rapidly
create a tailored, robust system that best fits their business.
Overcoming the Cost factor
By making EDI easy, Framework EDI significantly decreases the cost of implementing EDI systems.
The major cost of EDI had always been the implementation phase of it. It was not unheard of companies
to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants just to implement EDI. This was due to the lack of tools consultants had available,
which made implementation laborious. Framework EDI, now adds to their arsenal to tackle huge EDI projects in less time at a fraction of the
cost. Furthermore Framework EDI allows companies to use their existing in-house IT staff to implement and maintain their own EDI system.
This would have been unthinkable prior to Framework EDI because of the complexity of EDI. But Framework EDI made this possible by making
EDI files easier to manage. And its simplistic design of its components facilitates EDI application development, as well as keeping programmers
within the bounds of the EDI standard, and thus safeguarding and keeping the integrity of EDI files.
Framework EDI is only $995.00.
Please see the “Licensing” page of our website for more details.
Overcoming the Rigidity factor
By using SEF files, Framework EDI makes working with EDI very flexible.
Another common myth states that EDI is rigid, but this is not the case. Many make the mistake of thinking their EDI application to be EDI
itself, which unfortunately has become the monkey on EDI's back. EDI has a standard, controlled by a governing body, but within this
standard, EDI allows industries and companies the flexibility to create their own rules or user conventions.
These user conventions can be modified whenever trading partners decide a business change. Unfortunately, many EDI applications do not or
easily support these conventions, which would then result in very expensive upgrades should an EDI document change. It is important to
maintain the standards of EDI, otherwise without a standard, translating EDI files would be very difficult. However, an EDI solution
should also be able to accommodate the flexibility in a standard to allow trading partners to have their own conventions that
may be specific to their business or industry. Framework EDI easily supports this flexibility by using Standard Exchange Format (SEF)
files. Not only do SEF files make it easy for Framework EDI to support all X12 and UN/EDIFACT documents, but it also accommodates user
conventions that may be specific to an industry or business. These SEF files are open-standard-format, computer-readable, and
easily editable text files for the purpose of standardizing implementation guidelines. So should a company decide to change its EDI business form,
it is as simple as editing the SEF files, and a few re-mapping of data, to complete the change. Overhauling a company's existing system
would not be necessary.
Therefore, EDI applications that uses the Framework EDI
components are more flexible, easier, friendlier and less expensive to maintain.
(Click here for a sample program that demonstrates
EDI flexibility and how Framework EDI supports it.)
Click here to evaluate the Framework EDI
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