EDI Specialized for Your Industry from Decades of Experience

M3 is delivered as pre-configured for an industry. This means the EDI components are there, but not ready to use out of the box. Data Communication Solutions (DCS) is ready to set the EDI and B2B documents and processes to make sure your key customers are not impacted.

Our DCS EDI Specialists may be able to adapt your existing EDI system to reduce your capital investment. Or, we can guide you to EDI systems compatible with M3. For example, a manufacturer of an automotive part for General Motors (OEM) and for Wal-Mart (After Market) requires different EDI documents (Releases and Cross-docked Purchase Orders). Second, automotive manufacturing is segmented by automobiles, engines, construction, agriculture equipment, etc., each with subtlety different configurations. Other industries have different challenges such as lot tracing for food producers.

Experience shortens the configuration time, which must occur both on the M3 gateway and the EDI map systems. Simply put: for any EDI document creation of a master map means

1) “turning off” fields that are not needed and

2) “turning on” the codes applicable to each field.

A thorough gap analysis of historical data using robust analysis tools is required to learn the “special arrangements” for each customer that have been granted over the years.  Taking time to write a sound comprehensive intermediate file and map is well worth the effort.

The second step is “customization” for a specific customer; again a series of turning-off and turning on.  The time needed is less than you may think due to the gap analysis previously done.

Steps DCS takes to configure M3 for your unique procedures:

  1. Analyze 12 months of historical data to ensure “special concessions” gathered over the years are not lost
  2. Install the comprehensive map for each EDI Transaction Set (document) and configure the M3 gateway (either positional or XML) and set the M3 Trading Partner profile
  3. Customize the map for each customer, includes setting the Trading Partner profile in M3 and data transmission (AS2 or FTPS) that is direct, secure, and economical
  4. Test, test, test (using a data analyzer)
  5. Deploy (notes, training materials, training, cut-over to production, monitoring)
  6. Optional – PROMPT™ Remote Services or OPERATE™ Managed Services

Until ION™ has X12 and EDIFACT capability, conversion is needed.

DCS NEXT LEVEL™ is a set of templates for specific documents such as the P.O. and PROCESS™ is the methodology such as keeping hard earned concessions from key customers. These ensure an effective and reliable conversion and set a sound foundation for more process automation. These crystallize our 23 years experience with your EDI system and Infor business application to maximize the return from M3.

Data Communication Solutions can assist you during conversion with your EDI challenges and can provide you a thorough gap analysis. Contact us at info@dcsedi.com to learn more.