EDI business partners

Also called direct EDI, point-to-point EDI is an individual, secure internet connection between two business partners. This option is commonly used by business partners that frequently transmit and receive large amounts of data. Both of the business partners must agree on which messaging protocols to use and purchase the software for those protocols.

A value-added network (VAN) provider facilitates the secure exchange of electronic documents via its “document mailbox” service with each business partner having their documents sent to and retrieved from the mailbox. The VAN provider maintains the security and history of transmissions.

In-house solution gives your company more control of the system, of the system’s management and its security. In-house solution also includes  costs for EDI software, communications software, mapping and standards-based translation software, EDI and mapping specialists and for ongoing upgrades, support and maintenance.

Third-party solution provides ull receipt and delivery of business documents and assumes responsibility for all data mapping, translation, technical support, data center operations and reporting. Third-party solution also includes costs for volume of data transmitted via EDI messages, for support and training, and for other contract-based services.

A full, direct-sales EDI implementation with Micron contains the main Order to Cash (OTC) transactions:

• Purchase Order (PO)
• Purchase Order Response
• Order Change
• Order Change Response
• Advance Ship Notice (ASN)
• Invoice

Enabling the full OTC cycle ensures that all of the key business processes, from the creation of an order through delivery to the final billing, are fully automated—making certain that data is exchanged between Micron and our customers with a high degree of speed and accuracy.

If a customer chooses not to support the full OTC data exchange, Micron prefers to at least implement the PO, Order Change and Invoice transactions. The PO and Order Change transactions provide Micron with exact customer order data. The initial order and any subsequent changes to the sales order data in the Micron system will exactly match the purchase order data in the customer's system. This level of data accuracy gives both parties confidence that the product being shipped to the customer meets their needs and that it will be received by the customer on time. Adding the invoice to this basic data flow ensures that billing information is sent and received promptly and accurately after product delivery.

Implementing Purchase Order Response, Order Change Response and Advance Ship Notice add further business value to the EDI exchange. These transactions help keep the data in sync between the Micron system and the customer’s system. They are highly recommended and can be implemented on a case-by-case basis, per customer request.