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SAP EDI

SAP EDI is a subject that many of the largest companies in the world struggle with. To do EDI with SAP can be a relatively inexpensive and straightforward task, especially when utilizing a SAP EDI adaptor from EMANIO. Whereas accomplishing SAP EDI integrations can be both expensive and time consuming, the expense can sometimes be inflated because of the SAP EDI consultant’s need to invoice billable hours.

The most common form of SAP EDI integration is performed using the SAP IDoc format, which is essentially a hierarchical flat file format which SAP developed to perform several types of integrations, including EDI integration. There are several advantages of doing SAP EDI integration:

• Enhanced data integrity and accuracy: there is no need to re-key data to and from paper, which prevents data entry errors.
• Lowered costs: by integrating EDI with SAP, there is a lowered need for data entry and auditing personnel. SAP EDI integration ensures that the data is deposited directly into the SAP system, avoiding the costs associated with manual processes.
• Improved business processes: with SAP EDI integration, the speed of turnaround for orders, invoices and other documents becomes virtually instantaneous, making the company significantly more competitive.

To do SAP EDI integration, there are five essential steps that must be completed in the project:

1. SAP EDI evaluation and project planning – determining the business requirements and processes and mapping these to EDI, gap analysis and consequences, test project, scope and sign-off.
2. Designing the SAP EDI project – determining the EDI standards, versions and other similar issues; determining the type of interface, identifying future needs, disaster recovery, auditing and archiving.
3. Configuring the SAP EDI implementation – ensuring that the business requirements are determined, considered and satisfied, technical configuration, functional configuration, testing, quality assurance and sign-off.
4. Developing SAP EDI for non-traditional functions – determining business requirements, functional specs and technical specs; the subsequent development and configuration, quality assurance and testing with business partners and sign-off.
5. SAP EDI operational environment – ensuring that the SAP EDI is supported and functions with required capacity, monitoring and issue resolution.

EMANIO has significant experience working with SAP EDI domestically and internationally. With pre-configured SAP EDI adaptors, implementing EDI becomes virtually plug-and-play, something that’s unusual in a SAP environment. In instances of restricted budgets and increased pressure to execute, EMANIO’s SAP EDI solution is available for both on-site and remote implementation.

There is no longer need for SAP customers to fear implementing EDI from a perspective of expense or difficulty. SAP EDI is now an affordable and easily implemented solution.

SAP EDI integration is critical to ensure that your supply chain remains efficient and that your processes take maximum advantage of EDI.  Implementing SAP EDI integration requires a great deal of preparation and expertise.  For most large organizations, SAP EDI is not usually problematic, due to the availability of in-house resources and consultants who have experience with SAP EDI.  Small and mid-sized businesses, with less knowledge of SAP EDI, can experience a great deal of frustration with SAP EDI due to the complex nature of SAP EDI integration.  Because SAP EDI integration can be very complex, it is critical for any small business that is considering SAP EDI to spend some time planning all phases of the SAP EDI integration project  before actually implementing it.
 
A key part of the planning process for SAP EDI integration will involve the aligning of manual EDI processes with the SAP EDI processes that will eventually replace them.  How many trading partners will go through the SAP EDI integration process? How many documents will be integrated via SAP EDI? These and other questions should be thoroughly investigated and answered before any SAP EDI Integration project can begin.  As the small business begins to look for vendors of SAP EDI and providers who can support SAP EDI integration they must ensure that any vendor they are considering will be able to address the types of SAP EDI processes that have been identified during the planning stage.

Implementations of SAP EDI integration must also be carefully planned and resourced.  Any vendor that claims to provide SAP EDI Integration should be asking you plenty of questions about how you plan to use SAP EDI in order to provide the best possible SAP EDI implementation and the best results.  SAP EDI can provide a significant number of benefits with returns on investment that can be often measured in weeks or just a few months.  SAP EDI integration, however, can also lead to a number of problems and pitfalls if the planning has not been done carefully.  SAP EDI integrations can drag on for months, and sometimes more than a year, if poor or inadequate planning was done at the beginning of the process.

At EMANIO, our years of experience with not only SAP EDI, but also with integration of other EDI systems, gives us the type of knowledge that is invaluable to a small business planning SAP EDI.