EDIFACT Mapping: Data Elements Types
EDIFACT Mapping is an example of how many businesses can reach one definite standard. In the early days, each business had its own applications for tracking merchandise, ordering, invoicing, accounts payable, receivable, and other business needs. EDI has joined many apps in it and EDI mapping, including EDIFACT mapping, shows how approved standard works. EDIFACT mapping solution aims to standardize the data that was read by a computer program so that the data could be read by all programs with that standard.
Data Elements: Simple and Composite
A simple data element in EDIFACT Mapping contains one piece of information. The composite data element contains more than one piece of information, usually containing qualifiers.
In EDIFACT Mapping, all mandatory data elements must contain data. Conditional data elements may or may not contain data, depending on the requirements of the particular transmission. Since data elements must be accounted for by their position in the segment, if an optional or conditional data element does not have data, that data element must still be accounted for in its position within the segment by using the appropriate number of data element separators to ‘skip over’ the empty field.
Numeric
A numeric EDIFACT Mapping segment may contain only digits, a decimal point and, if negative, a minus sign. If the numeric is a given as a decimal, the number must have a digit before and after the decimal point. For example: 2.0 is correct (as is 2), however, 2. is wrong. 0.50 is correct (as is 0.5), .50 is wrong.
Alphabetic
An alphabetic segment contains the specified number of alpha characters, including embedded blanks. Leading spaces must be preserved.
Alphanumeric
Alphanumeric segments contain the specified number of alphanumeric characters (including embedded blanks). Leading spaces must be preserved.
Different types of data elements in EDIFACT Mapping also have specific rules they must follow. The data element dictionary usually specifies the codes (identifiers) by using the words ‘coded’ or ‘qualifier’ in the data element name.
Composite Data Elements: Qualifier and Value
In EDIFACT Mapping, the composite data element is made up of two or more pieces of data (known as components) which form a single data unit. Typically, the first data element is the value, which is being qualified. The second data element is typically the qualifier. These are typically ID (code values) fields. The qualifier gives additional definition to the value.
The composite data elements are made up of various conditional components from the segment table. Because they are conditional, not all of the data elements are used. All components are separated by a sub-element qualifier (:).