RFC 1865:EDI Meets the Internet ...
RFC-Ref

EDI Meets the Internet Frequently Asked Questions about Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) on the Internet


1. Introduction
1.1. What is this document
1.2. What do you mean by electronic data interchange (EDI) ?
1.3. What are the X12 Standards that I should be aware of ?
1.4. To whom do I send comments and suggestions ?
1.5. How can I get a copy of this document?
2. General Information
2.1. What is the Internet ?
2.2. Is there a difference between EDI and electronic commerce (EC) ?
2.3. What makes the Internet useful for EDI ?
2.4. Does this means we will now have to coordinate our EC/EDI activities with the Internet?
2.5. How do I find the addresses of other Trading partners on the Internet if I don't have to coordinate my EDI activities with a central organization or VAN?
2.6. How fast is the Internet?
2.7. What about reliability of the Internet?
2.8. What are RFCs and where can I get them ?
2.9. Where can I get general information about the Internet?
3. Getting Connected To The Internet
3.1. What do I need to get to use the Internet?
3.2. What software is used to support electronic mail?
3.3. What types of client-server or server-server protocols exist on the Internet?
3.4. What methods exist to broadcast information across the Internet?
3.5. What are the ways to connect to the Internet ?
4. Organizational Issues
4.1. Why is the way we currently do EDI so limiting to its growth?
4.2. My organization has an internal automated system for processing requisitions and issuing purchase orders, but it does not create the X12 formatted EDI transactions; what should we do ?
4.3. My organization already has a dial-in bulletin board service (BBS) where we post transactions; should we keep it?
4.4. My organization currently has a Trading Partner Agreement with each trading partner we're currently doing business with. Can we keep them ?
4.5. It would be nice to get more trading partners and/or more competition, but I'm worried about getting too many transactions to be able to handle them. Has this been a problem ?
4.6. Does this mean that I'll receive more messages ?
4.7. If we see a transaction posted on VAN, how do we respond in electronic format ?
4.8. My organization has an established bilateral relationship (such as an existing contract. Can we send these transaction via the Internet ?
5. The Role Of Value Added Networks
5.1. What is a VAN?
5.2. What is an Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
5.3. How might an ISP be used for EDI?
5.4. Doesn't EDI presume the services of companies called Value Added Networks (VANs)?
5.5. If I can use X12 protocol and my VAN to send transactions, what is the benefit of using the Internet?
5.6. Can we expect VANs to offer connections to other VANs via the Internet?
5.7. How can I use the Internet directly for exchanging EDI messages without going through a VAN?
5.8. Can the ISA 06 or 08 identify any entity other than the 'end' Trading Partners (i.e. a routing entity) ?
5.9. Can we specify both the recipient's address and their VAN address in the ISA ?
5.10. Are there other options for routing EDI X12 messages ?
6. US Federal Involvement
6.1. What is the commitment of the US Federal Government to EDI ?
6.2. What is the timetable for the Federal effort ?
6.3. Will the US Government use the Internet to send EDI transactions ?
6.4. I heard the US Government prohibited commercial use of the Internet?
6.5. The US Government is using both Internet and OSI E-mail protocols. What should one consider when choosing which to use ?
6.6. How is the US Government using VANs to distribute business opportunities?
6.7. How would use of the Internet for Federal procurement change this RFQ process?
7. EDI Resources On The Internet
7.1. Are EDI Standards available on the Internet ?
7.2. Are EDIFACT Standards available on the Internet ?
7.3. The EDI X12 standards are quite complex. How do we decide what X12 transactions to implement and how ?
7.4. What Implementation Conventions (ICs) are available over the Internet ?
7.5. How can a trading partner keep up with all these implementation conventions (ICs) and revisions in X12 and EDIFACT?
7.6. Where can I get information on EDI translation software ?
7.7. How do I keep in touch with others pursuing EDI and Electronic Commerce on the Internet ?
7.8. Can I get messages that have been previously posted to the EDI mailing lists ?
7.9. I have EDI related material I'd like to make available to the Internet community. How do I do that ?
7.10. Where are EDI Archives on the Internet ?
8. Security Considerations
8.1. What security measures are needed to connect to the Internet ?
8.2. How do we go about protecting our system ?
8.3. Is there good publicly available software I can use?
8.4. How good are electronic or digital signatures ? Can they be used in court ?
8.5. Are there other US government standards publications I should be aware of?
9. References
10. Credits
11. Authors' Addresses

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