EDI compliance refers to the ability to exchange business documents in the way your trading partner requires.

Each document must adhere to a specific EDI format to ensure the successful exchange of EDI documents.

Do You Need EDI Compliance?

Nearly all major trading partners require you to be EDI compliant, this includes;

  • Belks
  • Bed Bath & Beyond
  • Dillards
  • Home Depot
  • Lowes
  • Target
  • Walmart

To answer that question, it’s a BIG YES! You need it, you can’t do without it.

How Do You Become EDI Compliant?

There are a few key steps in the process to becoming EDI compliant.

  • What Does Your Trading Partner Require – The first step of EDI compliance is understanding the requirements your specific trading partner has. Fortunately, most trading partners will have resources on their website that detail the full set of requirements and expectations with respect to EDI.
  • Choosing Your EDI Solution – When it comes to choosing your EDI solution, you have a few different options. You can outsource your EDI requirements to a third-party provider, you could also build an in-house EDI solution. For most companies out there, building an in-house EDI solution can be a huge challenge. This process involves developing the software needed to securely exchange EDI documents. However, as long as you’re working with the right provider, an in-house solution can be built.
  • Testing Your EDI – Once you have your EDI solution set up, you’re ready to move to the next stage: testing your EDI. You’re going to need to test your EDI solution to ensure that all your documents can successfully be exchanged in the proper format with your trading partner(s). After testing is done with the trading partner, you’re ready for business!
  • EDI Reporting – If you’re using EDI 852, you need an EDI reporting solution. Accelerated Analytics provides EDI reporting, we also provide POS reporting. EDI data is not just about invoices and purchase orders. EDI 852 is also referred to as a product activity report. It provides data on your current products and inventory. If you’re a retailer, EDI 852 is vital to growing your company. To learn more about our EDI 852 reports, take a minute to reach out here.