Every new trading partner has to be set up before it can exchange orders, shipment notices and invoices with you. For EDI trading partners, that means agreeing on documents, connectivity and data rules, then proving the connection works. For non-EDI trading partners, it means giving them a workable channel and training them to use it.
A typical EDI onboarding process includes:
- Outreach and requirements: which documents, versions and business rules apply
- Connectivity: AS2, SFTP, an EDI VAN or API
- EDI mapping between the trading partner’s format and your systems
- EDI testing and certification against your requirements
- Go-live and monitoring of the first production transactions
Onboarding slows down when it runs one trading partner at a time through email threads and an overloaded EDI team. The pressure peaks during onboarding waves, such as an ERP change, an acquisition or a new compliance mandate, when dozens of trading partners need to be connected at once.