Mapping and EDI
Efficient and stable mapping for smooth communication
The nuts and bolts for your success as a supplier and thus a factor relevant to competition is fast and smooth supported collaboration with customers and partners in the supply chain. A central prerequisite for this is the efficient mapping of incoming and outgoing EDI messages.
Efficient EDI integration from the expert
Mapping converts incoming EDI messages such as purchase orders or delivery schedules into the data format that your business software can process; in the case of SAP software, this is the various SAP IDoc-formats. It is not only a matter of technically correct conversion, but also of correctly "interpreting" the data transmitted by the customer, for example on the location, date and time of a JIS delivery, in order to be able to comply with his specifications.
Conversely, outgoing EDI messages such as shipping notifications, delivery bills or invoices must be precisely adapted to the guidelines of the respective customer in terms of format, structure and content via mapping. If a delivery bill or an invoice does not meet the customer's requirements in all details, high penalties can follow or payment is delayed enormously.
For suppliers, efficient and - in the case of JIS processes - also highly available EDI communication with customers and external partners is a business-critical factor. Through efficient mapping, EDI processes can be integrated into a back-end system. We at WSW Software support you with all our experience and comprehensive process and consulting know-how. We provide a large number of mappings "out of the box" and also implement new requirements immediately. This way you establish an efficient and stable EDI communication - to the satisfaction of your customers.
EDI communication with SAP TM
An excerpt of our customers
The right mapping for every challenge
High diversity of requirements and standards
Especially in the automotive industry, each manufacturer (OEM) has its own requirements for EDI exchange and there are numerous EDI standards such as VDA (Germany), Edifact, ANSI X.12 (USA), ODETTE or ANFAVEA RND (Brazil).
Increasing number of formats and data
The complexity increases even more with proprietary EDI formats and diverse transmission protocols such as AS2-4, HTTP, FTP, OFTP, X.400, ebMS. In addition, OEMs are constantly expanding their JIS processes, which is why the volume of data per EDI message is constantly growing.
Constant need for adaptation
To keep up with the changes, existing mappings have to be continuously adapted and new ones quickly developed. The technical and functional implementation of mappings proves to be quite complicated for suppliers.
Performance overview
At WSW Software, we support you with all our experience and comprehensive process and consulting know-how, regardless of whether you use SAP systems in conjunction with our SAP-based extensions or our powerful JIS and logistics platform LOJISTIX.
Our partners
FAQ
The most frequently asked questions about mapping and EDI:Â
A mapping is the conversion of data from one structure to another, e.g. from an SAP IDOC structure to an EXCEL table structure. Mapping means on the one hand the rule (mapping from which source field into which target field) and on the other hand the program that performs the conversion itself.
You need a mapping to transport data from one system to another, e.g. from an MS Excel file to an SAP system. Each system provides an interface (in Excel a sequence of fields, in SAP an IDoc structure) and the mapping converts the data from one interface to the other.
The technical implementation of mappings runs in an EDI converter, which receives messages, performs the mapping, and forwards the new message. For this purpose, the EDI converter knows all the required structures and interfaces of the connected systems, has the mapping programs and, of course, routing information, e.g. on which route a message is forwarded to which system. The technical implementation is developed by consultants or users depending on guidelines, application experience and process know-how and serves as a template for the mapping developer.