Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management EDI Integration Types

EDI Integration in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

While EDI is a standardized solution for data movement to/from business partners there are different means to integrating the solution into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (D635) and many others.

Integration allows business to replace tediously sending paper documents and manual data entry that often requires the need to hire additional resources to keep up with the growing demands between businesses.

Integration has allowed for a cost reduction by reducing the number of resources required to perform simple tasks and allowing automation of these tasks to improve overall efficiency within current business processes.

EDI Integration Types:

Direct EDI Integration – Direct is specifically “end to end” with your business partner. Often this is set up with an SFTP, OFTP, or AS2 connection and is used to share files that meet EDI protocols and standards. This can be more complex over time but can typically provide a more inexpensive means of transmitting EDI.

Indirect EDI Integration – Indirect works through a VAN or third-party broker to share files that also meet EDI protocols and standards as well as other formats. This can be a much more simplistic approach and provides a piece of mind to know the connection between business partners is being managed by a team of experts. This approach can be more costly however as it typically requires setup fees, transactional fees, and maintenance fees that grow as your business needs grow.

Hybrid EDI Integration – This approach combines both direct and indirect to manage EDI business partners and can provide for the most flexibility in integration. For non-EDI business partners this solution can also include integration methods via Email, PDFs, Excel, flat files, etc. for those without EDI capabilities. These solutions typically leverage solutions via web portals, OCR, etc. to translate and communicate data between business partners.

Application Integration Types:

File Integration – This method involves routing files to/from your D365 system via dedicated files specifications required for D365. This could be flat files, XML, JSON, or others. Typically, the layout has a predefined layout specific to the given transaction type that integrates into the D365 directly. Typically, this is a non-standard approach for D365 but can be performed with custom programming when out of box connectors and API’s fall short on specific transaction availability.

API Integration – API or Application Programming Interfaces is an integration process that involves a set of protocols and standards that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. There are several REST API’s (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface) available for Microsoft Dynamics 365 that could be leveraged through HTTP requests.

Pre-Built Connectors – Connectors are tools EDI service providers have developed to provide direct connections into D365 to allow for EDI files to flow directly to/from the connection point to the D365 and back out? Most service providers cover the basic transaction sets but some of the less communicated documents may not be available as a part of their “out of the box” solution.

Conclusion

In summary, there are many different means of integrating your EDI solution that can fit your technical, functional, and budgetary needs. The benefits of integrating are faster transactions, more streamlined processes, improved data accuracy, improved data visualization, and increased business partner satisfaction. These benefits can lead to the ability to be more flexible and scalable in adapting to future growth. This can also provide a more competitive advantage in the marketplace by allowing you to react quickly to your customers’ needs as well. With the more streamlined solutions in place, you can greatly reduce your overall cost as well by removing the need for manual intervention of simple but tedious tasks.

Our team of experienced EDI experts can help you identify what integration options are best suited for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. Contact us at EDInfo@loganconsulting.com for more information.

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