Comments on: ERP and EDI http://blogs.inovis.com/2008/06/24/erp-and-edi/ Power Profitable Business Communities™ Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:08:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Jay Melton http://blogs.inovis.com/2008/06/24/erp-and-edi/#comment-1336 Jay Melton Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:10:38 +0000 http://inovis.wordpress.com/?p=618#comment-1336 Good points Will. It is true, in the past, small companies could not afford a large scale EDI software package - from not only a straight cost perspective but also the additional headcount to run an EDI shop in-house. Not only have VAN costs dropped to a more affordable rate, but there are new alternatives on the market. Not only are there easy to use SaaS versions available through protected web forms, there are also lower end software solutions that will keep you connected with your trading partners in a more affordable fashion. Good points Will. It is true, in the past, small companies could not afford a large scale EDI software package – from not only a straight cost perspective but also the additional headcount to run an EDI shop in-house. Not only have VAN costs dropped to a more affordable rate, but there are new alternatives on the market. Not only are there easy to use SaaS versions available through protected web forms, there are also lower end software solutions that will keep you connected with your trading partners in a more affordable fashion.

]]> By: Will Harris http://blogs.inovis.com/2008/06/24/erp-and-edi/#comment-1334 Will Harris Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:05:53 +0000 http://inovis.wordpress.com/?p=618#comment-1334 We actually use True Commerce for our EDI solution, with a single exception for Inovis who does our packing slip for Federated. True Commerce integrated well with Quickbooks (our temporary solution for this one aspect of our business) but does have translators for MAS90, our main system which we will eventually integrate as well. We also have a custom ERP/CRM system that doesn't interface with anything!!! Someday we hope to get more control over it and integrate it as well, but these types of systems seem to be in a perpetual cycle of being completely frozen in time or in complete upheaval during rewrite attempts. I think at this point, for small/medium vendors, it only makes sense to "accept" EDI requirements from the big players if you can offset your EDI cost (time, complexity, monthly fees, usage fees, etc.) with a win on the data entry side for accounting documents. Smaller companies have only really recently been able to implement EDI effectively through the efforts of EDI companies like Inovis giving people hosted services...before that, the complexity was just too high for a smaller company to implement. I can't imagine a small company having to not only conform to new physical and data requirements of EDI but also to have to hand enter or use some other manual process to get the data into their accounting software (or into their EDI solution, depending on order) and still manage to stay afloat! Integration is everything for the smaller company dealing in EDI. We actually use True Commerce for our EDI solution, with a single exception for Inovis who does our packing slip for Federated. True Commerce integrated well with Quickbooks (our temporary solution for this one aspect of our business) but does have translators for MAS90, our main system which we will eventually integrate as well.

We also have a custom ERP/CRM system that doesn’t interface with anything!!! Someday we hope to get more control over it and integrate it as well, but these types of systems seem to be in a perpetual cycle of being completely frozen in time or in complete upheaval during rewrite attempts.

I think at this point, for small/medium vendors, it only makes sense to “accept” EDI requirements from the big players if you can offset your EDI cost (time, complexity, monthly fees, usage fees, etc.) with a win on the data entry side for accounting documents. Smaller companies have only really recently been able to implement EDI effectively through the efforts of EDI companies like Inovis giving people hosted services…before that, the complexity was just too high for a smaller company to implement.

I can’t imagine a small company having to not only conform to new physical and data requirements of EDI but also to have to hand enter or use some other manual process to get the data into their accounting software (or into their EDI solution, depending on order) and still manage to stay afloat! Integration is everything for the smaller company dealing in EDI.

]]>