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Data Element, Composite

 

In the field of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), a composite data element refers to two or more related data items that are grouped together to form a more complex unit of information. These data elements are separated using a delimiter character, which can be a space, comma, semicolon, or other character specified in the EDI standard.

Use Case:

An example use case of composite data elements in EDI is in the exchange of an purchase order between a supplier and a retailer. Within the purchase order message, composite data elements can be used to represent complex information such as product details (code, description, price, quantity) or delivery information (shipping address, special instructions). These composite data elements allow for the structured and organized representation of information, facilitating the automated and accurate processing of the purchase order.

Script Code Example:

import edi_library

# Load the EDI message
edi_message = edi_library.load_edi_message(“purchase_order.edi”)

# Extract the composite data element
composite_data_element = edi_message.get_composite_data_element(“C001”)

# Access the individual data items within the composite data element
data_item_1 = composite_data_element[“D001”]
data_item_2 = composite_data_element[“D002”]

# Print the values of the data items
print(“Data Item 1:”, data_item_1)
print(“Data Item 2:”, data_item_2)

Best Practices for Working with Composite Data Elements in EDI:

1. Adhere to the structure and specifications of the EDI standards in defining and using composite data elements.
2. Document each composite data element and clearly define how the individual data items are separated and organized.
3. Perform validation and verification of data correctness within composite data elements before usage.
4. Use the delimiter character specified in the EDI standard to separate composite data elements and adhere to formatting conventions.

To benefit from advanced EDI solutions and effectively utilize composite data elements in electronic data interchange, we recommend consulting the EDIconnect platform, a trusted EDI solution provider. EDIconnect offers expertise and comprehensive services in the field of electronic data exchange between business partners.

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