Looking for Helpful Books on EDI

[wolfdj]

I'm new to EDI and am getting information in bits and pieces. Barnes and Noble has a book on EDI, but I don't know if it's any good or not. It's called Demystifying EDI. Does anyone know anything about this book or any other book that may be helpful from a programmer's standpoint? I will be working with EDI X12 820, Version 3.2.

Since this is coming out of my own pocket, I want to keep the price under $50.

 

[Soupkid]

I have never heard of a book (not that I looked) that will show you the standards and the various elements within each segment of a transation. I use the X12 standards manuals as released by DISA. This gives you the break down of each transaction, the segments required and the elements that make up the segment. To my understanding, the DISA (Data Interchange Standards Association) manual would be the only place that the various element qualifiers would be described. I could be wrong, but in the 4 years that I have been doing mapping and translating, the DISA manual is all I use.

 

[zedsded]

GEIS or GXS website has a pretty good link:

http://www.gxs.com/gxs/education

that may help you get familiar with EDI and ANSI X12. I find it helpful since i'm new to EDI myself. Good Luck! Oh! just a tip: EDI's concept generally is standardization - yeah, a standard headache!%-)

 

[phessup]

EDI is an old enough concept that you should be able to get plenty of the basics from a used book store and save $$$. (Go for a new book only if you need info on XML or e-commerce concepts.) If there is an "EDI for Dummies" book, I think that would be a good starter.

After you browse whatever book you buy, find a live person to explain things: peer, mentor, computer group, or trading partner (with whom you will be exchanging EDI documents). Sometimes a college or local school district will have a Continuing Education course on the subject and may or may not fit within your budget and time constraints. The key here is experience: someone who has done it before.

EDI is standard only in the most general sense. Because EDI is so broad a standard: 1) only a fraction of the available data fields for any particular document (e.g., 820 or standard version, e.g., 3020) are used and 2) one trading partner may differ from another as to how each implements the standard. Big trading partners often create "implementation guides" that give specific information on how they will send or how they expect to receive EDI data. Check with your trading partner.

Communication/transmission/exchange of the documents won't be in any standards book, but is a critical element of doing EDI business. If you are a novice in this area, again, try to find a live person to help you with it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Soupkid]

I agree with the previous two postings…..
1: Standard Headache!!!!!
2: Most large companies have implementation guides which are even posted on the companies web-sites.

 

[wolfdj]

Thanks everyone for your input. We currently do not have EDI where I am, but are just getting into it. ZEDSDED, the website you pointed me to was really very helpful!

While new to EDI, I do know something about standardized headaches. I will follow the advice of everyone who said find a live person!

Thanks again!