-----Original Message-----
From: Tzeweng Foong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2000 7:45 PM
Subject: Re: Comparative List
>
>I have received the Spreadsheet with the X12 Documents
>crossreferenced with the related EDIFACT Document.
>...
>
>What I was looking for was an element by element
>comparison between the X12 PO(850) and the EDIFACT ORDERS,
>the X12 Invoice(810) and the EDIFACT INVOIC and the
>X12 ASN 856 to EDIFACT DESADV
>
2/18/00
One of the problems creating an 'element by element' cross-reference - as
with, say, converting from an ANSI 003040-based implementation to an ANSI
004010-based implementation - is that the meaning of each element can vary
wildly from implementation to implementation, or even from trading partner
to trading partner.
While the public standards (ANSI, EDIFACT and the others) provide a solid
general 'framework' for document exchange, the key business data is always
subject to an agreement between partners.
True, the common business documents use the same elements for some common
data (e.g., in an ANSI '850' Purchase Order the BEG segment contains the
PO#, the PO1 segment is used to specify the quantity, part number and costs,
etc); but since I've been working in the EDI field (1983-84 or so) things
such as color, size, packaging, date wanted, and ship-to location codes are
consistent *at best* only 'a fair portion of the time.'
I try to educate my clients to not even talk about the ANSI version of a
document - that is, I don't want them to think in terms of "ANSI 003051 837
Claim/Encounter." Better they should think in terms of the "HCFA 4A.01 835
Remittance Advice", where "HCFA 4A.01" is what is really needed to identify
the data element content.
I find that cross-references at the segment or element level in the hands of
the know-what-the-book-says-but-never-done-it-for-real crowd do more harm
than good.
Michael C. Mattias
Tal Systems
Racine WI
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(PS: Here's a suprise: I am also somewhat skeptical about XML 'tags'
replacing 'traditional' EDI's segments and elements).
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