Networks In EDI Operation (BaanERP Directory)
Networks in EDI operation are used to specify the directory that Baan EDI uses to store and retrieve messages (ASCII files). Because data for multisite business partners does not need to be translated into actual EDI messages, internal EDI data must be separated from external EDI data. In most cases, you will need two networks in EDI operation.
- One network represents the directory for internal (multisite) EDI.
- The other network represents the directory where you will exchange files with the translation/communication software that handles the transmission of messages to external trading partners.
Explanation of fields
- Network – Your name for the network.
- Description – Free form description of the network that is being defined.
- Path – The directory where all EDI data related to this network will be stored. This is usually is a subdirectory of the EDI directory defined in the EDI parameters. If you have more than one Baan company that will be used for external EDI, you should create unique directories for each company. An easy way to accommodate this is to create a subdirectory under your EDI path for each company and assign that directory to each company’s network.
- Our Identification – Your network address for this particular network. This may be the unique code you use to represent yourself to your EDI trading partners (internal and external).
- General Reference – If this check box is selected, unique message numbers are created for messages sent through this network based on EDI parameter settings. If this check box is not selected, you can create different settings for each network.
- Fixed Part – Identifies the fixed part of the reference number created in this network if the General Reference field is No.
- Date Format – Identifies the date format of the reference number created in this network if the General Reference field is No.
- First Free Number – The next available sequence number if the General Reference field is No.
- Multicompany – For external EDI, this field is No; for multisite (internal) EDI, this field is Yes
- Automatic Read in Generated Messages – This field pertains only to internal EDI. It is used to allow automatic processing of data without requiring user intervention to start the process.
- Record Separator – Each line (record) in the ASCII file ends with an LF (Linefeed) and CR (Carriage Return) character, or only the LF (use this when the CR is automatically added by the system).
- Field Type – Fixed Length, each field has a specific, absolute start position and length.
- Separator Sign – The character that is used to delimit fields in the ASCII files if the Field Type field is Delimited.
- Replacement Sign – If the separator sign is used in a field content, this character will replace it (otherwise it would be interpreted as a separator).
- Sign Around Strings – This character will be used to enclose fields that contain alphanumeric characters. This field is optional.
- Replacement Sign – If the sign around strings is used in a string field, this character will replace it (otherwise it would be interpreted at the end of the string). This field is optional.
When creating any of the special signs, do not use any common punctuation characters. This could cause problems when a message is translated. For example, never use a comma as a separator or the sign around a string because this character is used in the Address field.