The key factor in selecting EDI software is flexibility. Companies need this flexibility to adapt to the rapidly changing user requirements. This article reviews the essential elements of EDI software and discusses software selection and implementation strategies.
The need for electronic messaging services and the potential for participants in the European Electronic Interchange market are considered. It is argued that the future growth and popularisation of EDI and global messaging will be considerable and that EDI has a significant role to play in the actual realisation of a single European market in 1992.
More than 20,000 European companies will become EDI friendly this year. John Sanders reviews the progress of Electronic Data interchange across the continent.
The growth of Electronic Data Interchange is reviewed, asking why should management invest time and resources into developing EDI? A short list of benefits is provided, arguing that EDI may become a prerequisite for conducting business. It can force through a change in market conditions, improve the organisational information flow within a company, and enhance the communication flow with external companies.
The need to hasten the exchange of business information over the years has resulted in ever‐changing business practices culminating in the advent of electronic data interchange (EDI). Looks at the progress of EDI, the evolution of the syntax used for EDI messages and the services available for the electronic transmission of EDI data. As EDI software has become more sophisticated so have its applications and these trends are illustrated by a series of case studies involving large multinationals with dedicated IT departments as well as small organizations, often with no computer knowledge at all. The automotive industry is one sector which is earnestly implementing EDI to maximize its full potential. There is an increasing trend towards the formation of EDI communities to keep costs down and for the mutual benefit of community members. Opportunities available to future generations of EDI users include continuous dialogue simulating conversation between computers.