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How Do
I Get My Data?
Think of your EDI address like
it’s your home postal address. Just like the postal system,
everyone has an address. When your Trading Partner creates a
Purchase Order, they then (via their computer) affix your EDI
address to the P.O. The P.O. is then sent electronically to
a Value Added Network, or VAN. The VAN works like the Postal
Service – it knows the best route to your EDI address,
your mailbox on the network.
The challenge is getting the data – in this case, your
P.O. – from the mailbox to your office. This is where
your EDI software, Web-based application or Outsourcing Company
comes in. Any of these entities can receive data on your behalf
and translate it into a format or language you can understand.
The format used depends on the provider, and what your goals
are for the data received. If you’re going to print
it, your solution has to allow you to print it as efficiently
(for your needs) as possible. If you’re integrating
the EDI data into your back office system (QuickBooks or Great
Plains, for examples), then your solution needs to address
this as well.
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