EDI Discovery & Integration Workshop

Objective

The EDI Discovery & Integration Workshop provides a structured analysis of the customer's existing EDI landscape and establishes a reliable foundation for integration, migration, or optimization initiatives.

The workshop helps evaluate:

• the customer's technical setup and existing EDI infrastructure

• deployed EDI standards, formats, and document types

• communication channels and partner dependencies

• integration and operational requirements

• technical and organizational risks and complexity

The outcome supports:

• implementation and migration project planning

• effort estimation and architecture decisions

• standardization and optimization initiatives

• further Professional Services engagements

Typical Customer Scenarios

The service is particularly suitable for customers with:

• planned EDI integration or migration projects requiring a validated technical baseline

• historically grown EDI landscapes with limited transparency over standards, channels, or dependencies

• multiple ERP systems, middleware platforms, or EDI providers operating in parallel

• partner onboarding initiatives requiring a clear understanding of current communication architecture

• compliance or operational requirements driving EDI standardization or modernization

Scope of Services

EDI Landscape Assessment The workshop includes a structured inventory and analysis of the existing EDI infrastructure, covering:

• involved systems: ERP platforms, middleware, EDI gateways, and existing providers

• overall communication architecture

• centralized or decentralized EDI structure

• in-house vs. outsourced operation model

• existing monitoring processes and operational governance

Document Types & Message Classes Analysis Identification and assessment of deployed document types and message classes, including:

• standard messages: ORDERS, ORDRSP, DESADV, INVOIC, REMADV, DELFOR

• customer-specific or additional message types

• evaluation of volume, complexity, variants, and partner dependencies per message type

Standards & Formats Analysis Assessment of deployed EDI standards and formats, including:

• EDIFACT, X12, XML, IDoc, VDA, CSV / flat files

• customer-specific formats

• versions, subsets, and custom extensions in use

Communication Channel Analysis Assessment of deployed communication channels and protocols, including:

• AS2, SFTP, OFTP2, HTTPS, VAN, API-based communication

• certificate management, encryption, and signing

• failover and redundancy concepts

Process & Operations Analysis Analysis of operational processes and responsibilities, including:

• monitoring, error handling, and reprocessing procedures

• escalation processes and SLA requirements

• operational responsibilities and manual interventions

• media disruptions and partner onboarding processes

Typical Coverage Areas

The workshop addresses:

• EDI system landscape and integration architecture

• deployed standards, formats, and message types

• communication channels and protocol configurations

• partner dependencies and onboarding processes

• operational monitoring, error handling, and escalation

• technical and organizational risks

The exact focus areas are aligned with the customer during the kick-off session.

Deliverables

The workshop provides the following documentation:

Technical Documentation

• EDI Landscape Overview

• System Architecture Diagram

• Communication Matrix

Business Documentation

• Overview of all identified document types and message classes

• Partner Matrix

• Message Flow Documentation

Risk Analysis

• Assessment of technical risks, legacy dependencies, missing standards, operational risks, and scalability limitations

Recommendations

• Target architecture guidance

• Standardization and migration recommendations

• Partner onboarding approach

• Identified optimization potential

Customer Responsibilities

The customer is responsible for providing:

• relevant technical contacts: EDI administration, IT architecture, and operations stakeholders

• existing documentation on EDI systems, communication channels, and partner configurations where available

• participation of required stakeholders in workshop and review sessions

• timely provision of requested system and configuration information

Incomplete or delayed provision of technical documentation will impact assessment quality and may affect delivery timelines.

Assumptions & Limitations

The workshop is limited to:

• analysis and documentation activities only

• assessment of existing EDI infrastructure as-is

• standard documentation and reporting deliverables

The following activities are explicitly out of scope:

• EDI implementation or configuration

• migration execution

• partner onboarding execution

• custom development or format development

• production system changes

Outcome

After completion of the workshop, the customer receives:

• a comprehensive view of their existing EDI landscape, standards, and partner dependencies

• documented technical and operational risks and complexity assessment

• a validated foundation for implementation, migration, or optimization planning

• concrete recommendations for target architecture, standardization, and next steps

Format & Scope