Glossary of EDI Terms
GLOSSARY OF EDI TERMS
| EDI Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Attribute: | Characteristic of data element or segment. |
| Mandatory (M): | A data element/segment requirement designator, which indicates that the presence of a specified data element/segment is required. |
| Optional (O): | A data element/segment requirement designator which indicates that the presence of a specified data element/segment is at the option of the sending party or is based on the mutual agreement of the interchange parties. |
| Conditional (X): | A data element/segment requirement designator, which indicates that the presence of a specified data element is dependent on the value or presence of other data elements in the segment. |
| Data Element: | One or more characters that represent numeric or alphanumeric fields of data. A related group of elements make up a segment. |
| Data Element Separator: | A special character used to separate elements in a segment. |
| Delimiter: | A special character used to separate fields of data. |
| Document: | A transaction set. |
| EDI Translator: | Computer software used to perform the conversion of application data to and from the X12 standard format. |
| Electronic Data Interchange (EDI: | The computer application to computer application exchange of business information in a standard format. |
| EDI Standard/Format: | A format for transmitting business documents between business entities in a non-proprietary environment. |
| Electronic Envelope: | An electronic envelope consists of codes that mark the boundaries of electronic documents. The electronic envelope contains the EDI documents and sender/receiver information. |
| Electronic Mailbox: | A term used to refer to the place where an EDI transmission is stored for pick-up or delivery within a third party service system, such as a Value Added Network (VAN). |
| Functional Acknowledgement: | A transaction set (997) transmitted by the receiver of an EDI transaction to the sender, indicating receipt and syntactical acceptability of data transmitted according to the ASC X12 standards. The functional acknowledgement allows the receiving party to report back to the sending party any problems encountered by the syntax analyzer as the data is interpreted. It is not intended to serve as an acknowledgement. |
| Industry Guideline: | Defines the EDI environment for using conventions within an industry. It provides assistance on how to implement the X12 standard. The Utility Industry Group (UIG) establishes industry guidelines for the utility industry. |
| Interchange Control Structure: | The interchange header and trailer segments envelope one or more functional groups or interchange related control segments and perform the following functions:
|
| Mapping: | The process of identifying the relationship of standard data elements to application data elements. |
| Qualifier: | A data element that identifies or defines a related element, set of elements, or a segment. The qualifier contains a code taken from a list of approved codes. |
| Segment: | A combination of related data elements in a specific sequence. A segment consists of a segment identifier, one or more data elements, each proceeded by an element separator, and a segment terminator. |
| Segment Identifier: | A unique identifier for a segment, composed of a combination of two or three uppercase letters and digits. The segment identifier occupies the first character position of the segment. |
| Segment Terminator: | A unique character appearing at the end of a segment to indicate the termination of the segment. |
| Trading Partner: | The sending and/or receiving party involved in the exchange of electronic data interchange transmissions. |
| Transaction Set: | The EDI term for a business document, such as an invoice. |
| Transaction Set ID: | A three digit numerical representation that identifies a transaction set. |
| Translation Software: | Software that is used to translate EDI data to a corporate proprietary format and vice versa. |
| Value Added Network (VAN): | A service provider that provides mailbox access and related services. |
| Version/Release: | Identifies the edition of the standard being used for the generation or the interpretation of data in the X12 standard format. |
