EDI output file from SSIS

Question

I would like to know what are my options for creating an EDI output from SSIS.

I have seen the "EDI source task" from CozyRoc, but I want to export an EDI file from relational tables? Is this even achievable with SSIS or writing a C# program or similar is much easier than having to deal with the nuances of SSIS?

Complete newbie to EDI..Any pointers are appreciated.

Answer 1

You don't need to worry about the nuances of SSIS. You need to worry about the nuances of EDI.

Are you using ANSI X12 or EDIFACT? What are you going to do about enveloping (control numbers, multiple trading partners, splitting interchanges)? What documents are you trying to create? How are you going to handle repeating segments? Delimiters?

Are you trying to do an 856 or 837? If so, using SSIS is just masochistic.

You are reinventing the wheel. Look at Liaison Delta (www.liaison.com). You can map DB -> EDI simply, as well as build in complex logic. It also has built in EDI dictionaries. You should, at the very least, download their free EDI Notepad tool. Tell them I sent you :)

Look at BOTS on SourceForge (bots.sourceforge.net). Look at EDIDEV. There are so many tools to pick from, and cost effective too. These tools / translators exist for a reason. SSIS isn't built for proper EDI creation / producing valid syntax. Can it be done? Possibly. Should it? God, no.

Answer 2

In order to generate an EDI document you should be using some type of EDI Software. There are many types of EDI translators, EDI software packages and other types of EDI services exactly for that.

Don't reinvent the wheel. Google for EDI Software or EDI Services and you'll get plenty options to choose from. Try to look at Amosoft EDI Services (www.amosoft.com) this is what they do.

Answer 3

There are commercial (and free) EDI packages available. However, EVERY one that I looked at has a serious flaw for my purposes. They only handle the syntax--the easy part. For the hard part--the semantics and business logic--they require the user to provide a detailed description of the requirements in XML (or proprieary script). Writing that XML is more difficult than writing the whole solution in VB, C#, or any other procedural language. Or even SQL.

And if I can do it in VB, C#, or SQL, I can easily drop that code into an SSIS script component or SQL component.