Web-EDI

Web-EDI uses technologies and standards such as HTML, Java, CGI, or ASP for electronic
data interchange over the Internet (Thomas, 1999). The supplier of a Web-EDI system provides
its business partners with a Web site on which they can electronically transact business by
means of a conventional web browser that communicates with a Web-EDI server. The target
user group for Web-EDI is small and middle-sized business partners who cannot afford their
own traditional EDI system due to initial cost and/or ongoing maintenance costs.
Web-EDI systems are transaction-oriented; that is, the processes on the Web-EDI server
are steered by business transactions like orders or accounting. The user must complete the
authentication and authorization process on the website in order to mail an order or retrieve
and print an order. If the user has filled out the corresponding HTML form completely, he
can send the data back to the Web-EDI server. The transmission of data by the Web-EDI
server is carried to the in-house system of the supplier automatically. The integration of the
data into the supplier�s system can be carried out by direct correspondence with its import
interfaces or its EDI converter.
If a supplier already has a traditional EDI system in use, conventional EDI methods are
preferred in order to avoid the additional efforts resulting from conversion into Web-EDI
formats. These in-house systems can normally be used with different EDI partners due to
the ability of the most EDI products to route information. The Web-EDI server is simply
a new data source for the converter. After the data arrives at the converter, the handling of
orders is the same as conventional EDI orders, and the translation process is completely
transparent to the end user.