The Integration Engineer
When it just has to work.

I started thinking that I would create a comprehensive integration guide and framework. A document that would guide a person from the beginning to end of an integration, covering all the bases, and addressing all the issues. Then I ditched the idea. No one would ever want to read it. (not even me.) Instead here are 7 simple steps that should get your going, and that you should follow in each integration project. The rest of the plan is largely, and subjectively up to you. (more…)

ACK is an Acknowledgment segment. It is commonly found on response transactions to Purchase Orders or 855. It is one of the lines found in the PO1 loop or group.  As this line modifies the PO1 line data from the Purchase Order, what it can contain and how that data is handled is important for the stability of the supply chain integration.  For clarity, we are going to use the 4010 x12 standard.

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I google people.

If I had said this a decade ago, you would have thought that I was confessing to something akin to being a peeping tom or voyeur.  But today, everyone reading this knows that I am telling you that I look people up on google to see what the internet says about them.  If you have ever done or said anything on-line, (or if anyone has done or said anything that references you on-line) it can be found.  And it will be by someone at some time.  Don’t let this on-line first impression be random or worse, in someone else’s control.

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Like the PO1 segment, IT1 is another line item segment used in the supply chain.  This is the line item segment found in invoices.  And since invoices make up an important part of a supply chain, I wanted to spend another article on this segment.  (IT1 is a group or loop so it is more than just a segment.)  In this article we will discuss what data is found on the IT1 segment, and how it should be handled on both inbound and outbound document.  For clarity, we are going to use the 4010 x12 standard.

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One of the things that I advocate is keeping a copy of the documentation you produce, and the documentation that you encounter and use.  Over a short period of time, this can become a large amount of stuff.  If you are just throwing it all in your MyDocuments folder, it can quickly get out of hand.  To help out in this ongoing task and fight against the chaos, I am going to share some basic approaches that can help keep the sanity and utility in your documentation collection. (more…)

Sometimes a picture can bring more clarity to a concept. For Canonical Data, an animation is what is called for. I found this animation of canonical data and its implementation.  I think the first minute and a half paint a very good picture of how canonical data is implemented and can be leveraged.  Later in the animation they start to describe a global vision of implementation.  Unfortunately I must disagree with this vision.  I don’t think that having a global canonical form of data will ever truly be a solution that works.

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When we are dealing with supply chain or e-commerce related EDI, we probably will deal with line item data.  On a Purchase Order, (PO) or 850, the line item data is contained on the PO1 segment or the PO1 group.  (PO1 is a group or loop so it is more than just a segment.)  In this article we will discuss what data is found on the PO1 segment, and how it should be handled on both inbound and outbound document.  For clarity, we are going to use the 4010 x12 standard.  The PO1 hasn’t changed in content for a while, but it has gotten longer, (you will see how this works when we talk about the PO1 elements). (more…)