Your EDI platform should pass a real trading partner test before you sign a contract. I have watched too many teams pick software based on slide decks then regret it six months later when chargebacks pile up and acknowledgments go missing.
Use this process to evaluate EDI integration platforms with concrete steps and pass fail checks. Map partner mandates, choose the right architecture and run a live pilot that proves the platform works before you commit.
Know EDI Basics Before You Evaluate Platforms
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is computer to computer exchange of business documents with minimal human intervention. Standards exist so different systems can communicate without building custom formats for every connection.
In the U.S. you will encounter ASC X12, the Accredited Standards Committee format for supply chain and healthcare transactions. Globally UN/EDIFACT, the United Nations standard, dominates and the directory includes over 200 message types updated twice yearly.
Documents You Will Touch First
- 850 Purchase Order starts the order flow
- 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment confirms receipt
- 856 Advance Ship Notice communicates pack and shipment details
- 810 Invoice triggers payment
The 997 Functional Acknowledgment reports receipt and syntax status. Tracking timely 997 returns proves message health before business users see issues.
Let Partner Mandates Drive Your Platform Choice
Your trading partners set the rules so you must start with their requirements. Gather their EDI implementation guides and transport specifications before you talk with any vendor.
Major retailers like Walmart mandate AS2 transport, the Applicability Statement 2 protocol over HTTPS and strict ASN validation. Their Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) 204 updates require traceability data in the 856 with correct SSCC and GS1-128 labeling on pallets and cases.
Healthcare Requirements
HIPAA covered healthcare transactions use ASC X12 Version 5010. Common document sets include 270 and 271 eligibility inquiries and 837 claims. Any platform you pick must handle these formats cleanly.
Capture each partner’s transport requirements and label specifications in a simple spreadsheet. This becomes your requirements filter for every vendor conversation.
Write Your Requirements Before You Talk to Vendors
Draft a one page requirements brief that keeps demos honest. Include expected daily document counts and peak hour rates across your core transactions. Note seasonal spikes that could triple volumes.
Integration Points to Document
- ERP and order management system (OMS) data ownership and flow direction
- File formats in and out of each system
- Master data sources for items and partners
Decide your support model early. Will you run operations in house or use a managed service provider? Define on call expectations and escalation paths so vendors can quote accurately.
Pick the Simplest Architecture That Meets Mandates
Choose the transport and orchestration method that satisfies partner rules without adding complexity your team cannot support.
AS2 provides direct secure connections over HTTPS with signed Message Disposition Notifications (MDNs) for acknowledgments. Many large retailers require it and Drummond Group certification validates interoperability. This option works best for high volume relationships with strict service level agreements.
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) handles batch file drops with scheduled polling. It works for partners without AS2 requirements or when event timing is flexible.
Value added networks (VANs) offer network mediated routing that simplifies legacy connections. They help when you have several partners on older links who resist change.
Modern integration platform as a service (iPaaS) tools add orchestration and REST hooks for faster onboarding. They fit well when you integrate with SaaS applications and want event driven triggers.
Demand Security And Compliance Evidence
Ask for third party attestations and do not accept vague promises about security or uptime.
Require a SOC 2 Type II report with clear scope and date range. This AICPA attestation covers controls for security and availability based on Trust Services Criteria. Also request ISO 27001 certification with a scope statement that covers the full platform.
Operational Resilience Questions
- What is the uptime SLA and maintenance window policy?
- What are the RTO and RPO targets?
- How often do you run disaster recovery tests?
Get specific answers on encryption in transit and at rest. Ask about key rotation schedules and hardware security module (HSM) usage for AS2 certificates.
Insist On EDI Features That Prove Platform Quality
If these capabilities are missing you should move on. You will pay later through chargebacks and manual rework.
Look for a mapping studio with version control and reusable templates for 850, 855, 856 and 810. The platform should validate documents against partner implementation guides and provide test harnesses.
Resilience And Visibility
Auto retry and duplicate detection prevent lost documents. Alerting for failed 997 acknowledgments with resend workflows catches problems before they become chargebacks.
Dashboards should show document lifecycle and partner SLAs at a glance. Exception queues need ownership assignment and notes so nothing falls through the cracks.
Build Your Vendor Shortlist With Clear Criteria
Start broad then filter ruthlessly by partner mandates and support models. Your shortlist should only include vendors that demonstrate working maps for your top partner.
Verify these items before scheduling deep demos. First check for evidence of working maps with your primary partner’s 850, 855, 856 and 810 documents. Confirm AS2 support with signed MDNs and ask about Drummond tested interoperability. Request current SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 scope statements.
For a quick vendor landscape overview covering key pricing models, implementation approaches, and support levels across U.S. focused tools, including cloud-native EDI platforms, traditional VAN providers, integration-platform-as-a-service offerings, and managed service providers that support retail and healthcare use cases for mid-market and enterprise teams with mixed ERP environments across industries, see the Orderful best EDI solution resource, which provides useful context for comparing options. Use it alongside other references while you verify maps and run pilots rather than relying on any single source.
Vendors To Eliminate Immediately
Remove anyone who cannot show a working map for your top partner. Also cut vendors that refuse a two hour pilot or will not share real attestation dates and report scopes.
Run A Two Hour Pilot That Mirrors Production
Trust a live test, not a slide deck. Your pilot should ingest an 850 into your ERP sandbox and generate a compliant 855. Then produce an 856 with pack structure and send an 810 after ship confirmation.
Pass Fail Checks
- Signed MDN received for the AS2 leg
- 997 returned with no syntax errors
- Mapping validation passes against partner guide
- Alerting fires on seeded error
Seed one bad unit of measure or missing pack level to confirm alerting works. Test duplicate detection and replay without double billing. These edge cases reveal platform quality better than any feature list.
Score Vendors And Make A Fast Decision
Weight what matters most then decide quickly. I recommend partner mandate fit at 30 percent since it reduces rework and chargebacks directly.
Distribute remaining weight across operations and alerting at 20 percent and security at 15. Give mapping tooling 15 percent and cost another 15. References can take the final 5 percent.
Use the two hour pilot results as your tie breaker. Prefer vendors with clearer runbooks and faster mean time to repair incidents.
Stop Deals When You See Red Flags
Watch for transport gaps like no MDN support or vague AS2 claims without Drummond certification evidence. Custom maps with no version control signal future pain when partners update requirements.
Operational gaps hurt worse over time. Avoid platforms with no 997 tracking or only email based support without on-call rotation. A SOC 2 Type I report instead of Type II means they have not proven controls work over time.
Plan Your Next Steps For This Week
Build your partner mandate spreadsheet and draft the one page requirements brief. Schedule two vendor pilots and prepare test data for 850, 855, 856 and 810 documents.
Run the weekly ops review from day one after going live. Track timely 997 returns and mean time to repair as your core metrics. Expand onboarding with reusable profiles and maps as you add partners.
Your best EDI decision passes a real trading partner test. Define clear requirements and score vendors against mandates and operations rather than feature promises. The platform that clears your pilot with clean acknowledgments and working alerts is the one that will actually work.
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