EDI transmission generally falls into two basic types:
Point-to-Point or Direct Connections
Two computers or systems connecting directly over the internet, typically using secure protocols.
Value-Added Network (VAN)
A third-party network manages data transmission, usually employing a mailboxing paradigm.
Protocols for EDI internet transmission include:
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
Applicability Statement 2 (AS2)
HTTPS-based protocol
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
and others
EDI data elements consist of items such as sender ID and receiver ID. Data segments, which combine two or more related elements, provide greater meaning. For instance, combining FNAME and LNAME forms CUSTOMERNAME. Envelopes in EDI structure various types of data and include sender and receiver address information. EDI document flow, or message flow, describes the movement of EDI messages to various inbound and outbound addresses and departments to execute a business process or transaction.