knowledge that the can trade information, but at the same time avoid giving information away. Neither party has access to the other's systems, but can still freely exchange agreed-upon information. In addition, a full service VAN can provide other services, including translation, standards compliance checking, and EDI software to ease the implementation process.This process is the reverse of outbound translation. Once the PO's have been placed in the electronic mailboxes by the VAN, the vendor can retrieve them at their convenience. “The next step in the process is to "de-map" the file, translating it into the specific format required by the vendor's application(s). “Since a standard format has been used, the vendor will easily be able to first recognize which company the transaction is from, and then which type of transaction it is. When translation is complete it can be made usable in any desired format to the receiver's internal applications. The Kroger Company “experimented with VAN, but quickly purchased the software package Chain-Tracks”. 8 Are there special tools required to implement EDI? Yes they are standards, software, hardware, and service providers. The need for definition of standards is absolute in assuring successful EDI. Without an agreed upon set of standards, EDI would be unworkable from the start. There is a set of public standards that define the requirements for a variety of EDI transaction types, so that any business concerns will be addressed within the guidelines of an internationally accepted set of standards.Companies have been exchanging data electronically for over three decades. Before the existence of national and international standards, companies wishing to exchange information had to determine themselves acceptable formats for the interchange of data. This resulted in the emergence of “in fact” standards defined by those companies with the financial clout to impos...
