EDI Standards

An EDI standard defines the specific format, structure, and content rules that electronic business documents must follow. These rules allow different companies’ systems to communicate automatically, without human intervention.

EDI standards are essential for enabling the exchange of documents such as invoices, purchase orders, shipping notifications, and payment confirmations between business partners. Unlike PDFs or email attachments, EDI messages follow a standardized format that computers can read and process directly.

Why EDI Standards Matter

The key value of EDI lies in automation. But for automation to work across different organisations, everyone must agree on a standard EDI format for each type of transaction.

For example:

• A purchase order must include specific elements (like product code, quantity, and price)
• These elements must appear in the right order and use defined codes

These formats are defined by EDI standards, which ensure consistency across industries, software systems, and countries.

Common EDI Standards and Formats

X12 EDI Standard

The X12 EDI standard, developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is widely used in North America. It defines a set of document types and formatting rules for industries such as retail, manufacturing, and logistics.

Two common X12 standards include:

• EDI 810 standard – electronic invoice
• EDI 850 standard – purchase order

The EDI X12 standard documentation specifies the segment structure, element codes, and validation rules required for compliance.

EDIFACT Standard

EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport) is the international EDI standard developed by the United Nations. It is commonly used across Europe and supports a broad range of industries and transactions.

EANCOM Standard

EANCOM is a subset of EDIFACT developed by GS1 to support retail and product identification. It simplifies implementation while maintaining compatibility with full EDIFACT messages.

Tradacoms EDI Standard

The Tradacoms EDI standard was introduced in the UK in the 1980s. Though now largely replaced by EDIFACT and EANCOM, it is still used in specific retail partnerships. Tradacoms laid the groundwork for structured electronic commerce in the UK.

EDI via XML

Unlike traditional standards that rely on fixed positions and segment structures, EDI XML uses tagged data. While more flexible, it often lacks the strict validation rules of older formats. XML is commonly used in modern API-based integrations or industries adopting newer technologies.

EDI Mapping and Document Types

Each standard EDI transaction (such as an EDI 810 invoice or EDI 850 purchase order) can be mapped correctly into your ERP or backend system. EDI mapping ensures the data from your trading partner’s message is translated into a format your system understands.

A reliable EDI provider will offer EDI mapping standards to support accurate integration between formats (e.g., EDIFACT to X12 or XML to EDIFACT).