Re: EDI for LedgerSMB

["Nikolay Raytchev" <..hidden..>]

Chris,
there are ready conversion tools for EDI as mentioned but there is also a possible mix of tools.
In our company we use a third party communication tool - GE Desktop EDI. General Electric are also the actual communication provider in this case. Before we were able to use FTP for communication with the same GE network.

Then we use a homegrown, written personally by me parser for EDIFACT 
First step is to extract the data to simple master-detail tables. EDI is an old standard and you don't get a lot of changes 
Second step is to process the data. This can be continuously adjusted. 
Actually I can use "any" software that would give me an easy interface to import let's say orders. I will simply push the extracted from EDI orders.

This can be "easily" implemented as a separate module in LedgerSMB 
I think a lot of current users can start using EDI from inside LedgerSMB as they may use EDI now in some complex way. 

I suppose that the scenario under which we are using EDI is a common case: A large corporation has set their system in a way that their partners get either a fax or an EDI message for orders, change orders, RFQ etc.. Most of their partners still use the fax as it is more cost effective for them if the number of messages is small. The big partners, we being the biggest from information volume point of view had to spend the resources to implement EDIFACT as it brought a lot of savings. If EDI functionality is "for free" many businesses will find partners that are capable of EDI at the very moment.

I would suggest that the current *users* of LedgerSMB for the most part do not need EDI because if they did they would probably be using other products.  However, I think that an EDI module would greatly increase our ability for businesses to find LSMB useful.

I think that what is necessary is someone to take a lead on defining how something like this would work.  Since the restful WS code has not progressed as fast as we would have hoped, I am open to suggestions as to how to do this.

-- 
Nik