What is EDIFACT?
EDIFACT stands for Electronic data interchange for administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT). It is an international EDI standard developed and maintained by the United Nations in 1987. This standard provides syntax rules, an interactive exchange protocol and a set of standard messages to facilitate consistent trading between two parties.
The rules surrounding EDIFACT are approved and published by UNECE.
What does EDIFACT do?
The technology provides a standard format for a set of message types which allows electronic data to be passed between trading partners and consistently processed. Electronic Data Interchange standards like EDIFACT allow businesses to efficiently exchange and process large amounts of order and invoice data which subsequently speeds up the supply chain process. This type of electronic trading has replaced paper and PDF orders and invoices in many B2B industries.
Who uses EDIFACT?
It’s not specific to any industry and is used in 90% of EDI transactions across Europe which is a testament to the flexibility and usability of the original development of the standard. A diminishing amount of UK companies still use the alternative Tradacoms format but this is also being slowly replaced by EDIFACT.
What type of EDIFACT messages are there?
EDIFACT covers a comprehensive set of messages to provide maximum flexibility throughout a range of industries. As you’d expect, it covers the main messages such as orders (ORDERS), invoices (INVOIC) and Dispatch Advice (DESADV). It also provides additional functionality such as SCC barcode labelling which is missing from alternative standards like Tradacoms.
A list of popular EDIFACT message types can be seen below:
| EDIFACT Code | Description |
| DELFOR | Delivery Forecast |
| DELJIT | Delivery Just-In-Time |
| DESADV | Dispatch Advice |
| IFTMIN | Instructions for Transport |
| IFTMBF | Transport Booking Request |
| IFTMBC | Transport Booking Confirmation |
| INVOIC | Invoice |
| ORDERS | Purchase Order |
| PAYORD | Payment Order |
| PRICAT | Price Catalogue |
| PRODAT | Product Data |
| INVRPT | Inventory Report |
| RECADV | Receipt Advice |
| MSCONS | Metered Services Consumption Report |
| UTILMD | Utilities Master Data |
| ORDCHG | Purchase Order Change Request |
| CONTRL | Functional Acknowledgement |
| REMADV | Remittance Advice |
| SLSRPT | Outgoing Sales Report |
| ORDRSP | Purchase Order Response |
What is the structure of an EDIFACT message?
A message structure is made up of segments, elements and descriptions. The segment partitions the message into different information types such as the name and address (NAD) and the line item (LIN). The elements then provide a second layer of information in a standardised format such as the item quantity or party code. Lastly, the description provides the detail such as the item name, company address and item number.
What does an EDIFACT message look like?
Each message is split into the 3 components mentioned above – Segments, Elements and Descriptions. The message is split into segments on separate lines and each of these segments is followed by an element and then a description. The syntax of each of these components is very important as it allows the message to be read by the EDI systems. The example EDIFACT purchase order below shows the 3 components colour coded:
UNB+UNOC:3+4000000000000:12+4017315000007:14+150819:0630+00003+++++EANCOM’
UNH+1+ORDERS:D:01B:UN:EAN010′
BGM+220+0812024′
DTM+137:20240913:102′
DTM+2:20240918:102′
NAD+BY+4000000000000::9′
NAD+DP+4000000000000::9′
NAD+SU+4019315000007::9+FARM EGGS LTD+22 CHURCH STREET+CAMBRIDGE++CB21 8TY+UK’
COM+?+44 788 1629722:TE’
COM+INFO@FARMSEGGS.COM:EM’
LIN+1++4000000000000:SRV’
PIA+1+10000-100:SA’
PIA+1+1000000000000:IN’
IMD+F++:::RAW EGGS:GRAHAM’
QTY+21:60′
UNS+S‘
CNT+1:114′
UNT+24+1′
UNZ+1+00003′
What are the challenges surrounding EDIFACT?
One of the main setbacks is it’s difficulty to read in a raw format. The concatenation of codes and syntax used within the elements, segments and descriptions and the difference in syntax to widely used formats like xml make it hard to read by software and people. This unique approach often leads to increased errors within and time consuming remediation when problems occur.
X12
Although EDIFACT was designed as a global EDI standard, it was never adopted in the USA where they created an alternative called X12. ANSI X12 now the predominant EDI standard in the United States. It is particularly common in the US healthcare sector where HIPAA regulations apply and are utilised across all sector by over 300,000 businesses worldwide.
Odette
Odette is another alternative EDI standard which is predominantly used in the European automotive sector. The Odette standard caters for supply chain efficiency with an Odette ID available to identify a large volume of global legal entities within a business such as warehouses, factories and offices.
Celtrino Can Help With
EDI With My Buyers
Serve your buyers accurately and efficiently. Meet buyer EDI requirements quickly, easily and cost effectively.
EDI With My Suppliers
Our EDI solution will enable your suppliers to receive, process and create all of the documents required to meet with your specifications.
Premier Managed EDI
EDI can be complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Let Celtrino manage your electronic trading activity from mapping to system maintenance and upgrades
Benefits of Celtrino EDI
Whether you are a supplier or a customer there are many EDI advantages for you to consider.
Fast and reliable message exchange
Reduce manual intervention, paper and data errors
Free up accounts and IT resources for value-added activities
Better sales reporting, stock control and information sharing
Faster order processing and faster payment of invoices
Easier to grow EDI connections to enter new markets
Respond promptly to key customer EDI and supply chain demands
Get in Touch
Do you have a question or query you’d like to discuss with us? Contact our dedicated team today.
