EDI – Changing Business Practice

The need to hasten the exchange of business information over the years has resulted in ever‐changing business practices culminating in the advent of electronic data interchange (EDI). Looks at the progress of EDI, the evolution of the syntax used for EDI messages and the services available for the electronic transmission of EDI data. As EDI software has become more sophisticated so have its applications and these trends are illustrated by a series of case studies involving large multinationals with dedicated IT departments as well as small organizations, often with no computer knowledge at all. The automotive industry is one sector which is earnestly implementing EDI to maximize its full potential. There is an increasing trend towards the formation of EDI communities to keep costs down and for the mutual benefit of community members. Opportunities available to future generations of EDI users include continuous dialogue simulating conversation between computers.