How to make EDI forms more readable?

Question

I have an EDI form, I want make it more readable especially the naming conventions for tax types, name, year etc. This way I wanna cross check my application.

When I open the EDI form it opens in XL sheet and I am unable to do search etc.

How to convert an EDI form into understandable format?

Answer 1

http://liaison.com/products/integrate/edi-notepad

This is the best tool I've found for reading just about any type of EDI document in a nice format. I don't use it a ton, but if I have a document I need to print and send to someone who doesn't know EDI, it works fantastically.

Answer 2

The short answer is that you will not be able to make EDI messages into an easily-readable format. EDI was designed as a machine-to-machine format in an age when bandwidth was very limited and expensive. The presence or omission of data elements is based on their implicit position in the EDI message standard and any non-standard variations that your Trading Partner may be doing with that message.

This conspires to make EDI hard to read. Even if you validate it against the right message standard Directory/Dialect/Version there are still likely to be elements that your trading partner are doing that don't quite fit what you expect.

For a quick look I would simply use a good text editor and add CR LF's to the segment terminators. Add a blank row for messages within an interchange. After a while you will become familiar with the segment naming conventions and counts.

If you are sending outbound messages the validation requirement will ultimately be at your trading partner end and visa versa. This can make testing difficult as you don't want to send a load of crud to your new EDI buddy.

Check the syntax, control counts etc are all correct first, then does it match the Message Directory / Version etc. Then check that the Trading Partner exceptions / non-standard use of fields etc are okay.