B2B Integration Needs Data Validation and Process Not Just Translation
Posted by Jim Cantrell on June 22, 2011
In the previous post of this series, I said a B2B integration provider must be able to manage “any-to-many” file formats. But transforming and routing data from one place or format to another is not the only value add an integration provider should deliver. The very existence of translation between multiple trading partners indicates the business processes taking place are complex and should be managed closely. In order for data to be repurposed effectively, policies (business rules) and normalization must be applied to data which has been validated.
In the VAN world, too often you hear about an import file “blowing up”. This (and other tragedies) take place because there was no process in place to validate the data prior to import. By validating data, typically you consider both syntax (schema, file format, etc.) and semantics (example; using UPC vs. GTIN). This needs to be done to maintain the receiving system’s integrity. You don’t want to import data whose format is incorrect or contains the wrong kind of information.
B2B Integration isn’t just an exercise in export, translate, transmit, import. Validating data for syntax and semantics insures that data can be consumed safely and allows processes to continue without interruption.
Changing data based on pre-defined business rules, rerouting based on events or information contained within files, or normalizing data are more examples of what would be considered “advanced” processing by a Value Added Network, but are available elsewhere in the market as standard integration services.
Here are some other examples of in-line data processing features:
- Event Notification: A colleague of mine works for a major shoe company on the East Coast. One of her biggest ‘beefs’ with their VAN is there are no event notifications. An event notification is commonly an e-mail sent to various users based on a trigger. Essentially placing a business rule within the system that will send an alert (E-mail) if “X” occurs.
- Business Rules: A retailer in Northern California asked for a business rule to be added to their inbound invoices. Essentially they wanted Invoices, which had no purchase order number, to be routed to an invoice approval process while invoices with a purchase order followed a straight integration path.
- Real-time Price Check: A grocery chain in Northern California was unable to issue prices in their outbound purchase orders, but many vendors needed them in order to return invoices. The solution was to cross reference the UPC’s in outbound EDI 850’s with retail pricing. This gave the vendors what they needed and required no custom or internal work on the part of the grocer.
Often, people will use the analogy that a VAN is like a post office, continually moving bags of mail from place to place and delivering envelopes to the intended recipients. We trust our mail carriers to never open our mail and look at it. The same has held true of VANs. But in B2B integration, the routing, data validation, business rules, and other business process requirements demand more than just delivering the message from point A to point B. VANs don’t provide this level of processing.
Tags: B2B Integration, EDI 850 process, EDI Event Notification, EDI VAN
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