Introduction to EDI - A Primer

This primer is designed to provide a brief overview of EDI for anyone who is considering incorporating EDI into their business. While the fundamentals of EDI are relatively simple, the practical application of those simple basic elements will often present a bewildering variety of choices. The choices range across all aspects of an implementation.

1. THE TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF EDI
   • How EDI Works
   • Traditional Implementation Of EDI
   • Traditional Benefits Of EDI
   • The Downside Of Traditional EDI

2. THE EVOLUTION OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
   • Changes In The Computing Environment
   • Automation Of Internal Processes
   • Automated Processes Surrounded By Manual Processes
   • New Ways To Extend EDI Into Manual Processes
   • A New Definition Of EDI

3. THE BUSINESS OF EDI
   • The Need For Speed And Accuracy
   • Opportunities

4. HOW EDI WORKS
   • The Basic Steps Of EDI
   • Preparation Of Electronic Documents
   • Outbound Translation
   • Communication
   • Inbound Translation
   • Processing The Electronic Documents

5. THE TOOLS OF EDI
   • EDI Standards
   • EDI Software
   • EDI Hardware Platforms
   • EDI Communications

6. IMPLEMENTING EDI
   • Define A Strategy
   • Seek Objectives Of Mutual Benefit
   • Define Realistic Objectives
   • Provide Measurable Objectives
   • Plan Carefully
   • Know The Costs
   • Encourage Wide-Spread Participation
   • Training

7. OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS

8. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

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