« Back to Glossary Index

Interchange: The Exchange of Information Between Companies

 

An interchange represents a fundamental unit in EDI where business information is transmitted between companies in a structured and standardized manner. It may consist of multiple transaction sets, such as orders, invoices, delivery confirmations, and others, which are grouped together and sent from a sender to a receiver.

Use case:

A use case example of an interchange can be found in the logistics and transportation industry. Let’s assume that a transportation company sends an interchange to a logistics provider. This interchange may contain transaction sets describing transportation orders, delivery schedules, receipt confirmations, and other relevant information. Through the interchange, companies can efficiently communicate and automate logistics and transportation processes, eliminating errors and delays associated with manual information exchange.

Example code:

import ediconnect

def send_interchange(interchange, sender, receiver):
# Send the interchange from the sender to the receiver
ediconnect.send_interchange(interchange, sender, receiver)
return “Interchange sent successfully!”

def receive_interchange():
# Receive and process the incoming interchange
interchange = ediconnect.receive_interchange()
# Process the received interchange
process_interchange(interchange)
return “Interchange received and processed successfully!”

def process_interchange(interchange):
# Extract and process the transaction sets within the interchange
for transaction_set in interchange:
# Process each transaction set
process_transaction_set(transaction_set)

def process_transaction_set(transaction_set):
# Process the specific business information within the transaction set
# …
pass

# Example interchange data
interchange_data = {
‘sender’: ‘CompanyA’,
‘receiver’: ‘CompanyB’,
‘transaction_sets’: [
# Transaction set 1
{
‘type’: ‘Order’,
‘data’: {
‘order_number’: ‘12345’,
‘customer_ID’: ‘67890’,
# other order details…
}
},
# Transaction set 2
{
‘type’: ‘Invoice’,
‘data’: {
‘invoice_number’: ‘INV123’,
‘customer_ID’: ‘67890’,
# other invoice details…
}
},
# Add more transaction sets as needed
]
}

# Sending the interchange
result = send_interchange(interchange_data[‘transaction_sets’], interchange_data[‘sender’], interchange_data[‘receiver’])
print(result)

# Receiving the interchange
result = receive_interchange()
print(result)

Best Practices:

1. Adhere to and utilize EDI standards for defining and structuring interchanges and transaction sets.
2. Implement validation and verification mechanisms for interchanges to ensure data integrity and compliance.
3. Use secure and reliable communication channels for transmitting interchanges between companies.
4. Monitor and log the interchange exchange for auditing and troubleshooting purposes.
5. Use a trusted EDI platform such as EDIconnect, which provides interchange and EDI transaction management services.

To implement efficient interchanges and benefit from advanced EDI solutions, you can utilize the EDIconnect platform, an EDI solution provider. EDIconnect offers a comprehensive set of tools and services to facilitate electronic data interchange and ensure efficient and secure interchange integration and management.