EDI - Electronic Data Interchange

Through the EDI interface, Visual AS/AP™ can integrate purchase orders received from your trading partner (850) with the AS/AP™ sales order system and invoices produced (810) can then be sent back to the trading partner to expedite payment.  The invoices paid by your trading partner can be received electronically (820).

The EDI Interface takes over as soon as the raw purchase order file is received from the trading partner. The system uses a cross-reference table to take the trading partner SKU and translate it to the item number in your system. The system prints an Order Tally report to show a summary of the orders by Style, Size, and Color. The Packing List is printed and used to pick and then pack the individual orders.

Once the sales orders are packed, the system has a menu option to print the UCC128 labels for each order. After the orders are invoiced, the Advanced Shipping Notice - ASN (856), if requested by your trading partner, is prepared for transmission to the trading partner.

From this data the system can create a Consolidated Invoice (810), which is either mailed or transmitted to the trading partner. The AS/AP™ Finished Garment Inventory files are updated during the processing of the invoice.  In versions requiring packing, the inventory is deducted during packing.

Exceptional Performance

In previous time trials, AS/AP™, running in Windows95 and FoxPro 2.6a, imported 2,000 (6,000 lines) Purchase Orders from the translation file, packed the 2,000 orders in preparation for shipping, created the 2,000 invoices, and created the EDI invoice translation file (810), in less than 17 minutes.

Extensive Error Checking

Based on the needs of individual clients, AS/AP™ can perform varying levels of purchase order testing. Typically the system checks for duplicate POs; invalid styles, colors, sizes; contract prices; and valid delivery dates.

Custom Solutions

Since no two trading partners have the exact same requirements, a customized solution is the ONLY way to integrate the data into an existing Accounting System. Since we wrote every line of every AS/AP™ module, we know where and how to best integrate imported data. The result is that an operator handling sales orders on AS/AP™ can only tell the EDI orders from the manually entered orders by knowing the customer. The computer knows one customer from the other and can be customized to handle virtually all of the paper work with minimal operator intervention.

Translation Software

AS/AP™ provides a direct translation capability, which will eliminate the need for any additional software or involvement of any other vendors. Alternately, you may choose the TSI translator, which is our preferred option, as a third party package.

The complete translation option will also include the creation and tracking of functional acknowledgments (997).

Forms & Versions Handled

The forms handled include:

753; 754; 810; 812; 816; 820; 824; 830; 832; 850; 852; 855; 856; 860; 864; 869; 870; 997

The versions handled include:

3030, 3040, 3060, 4010, 4030

Current Trading Partners

The following is a list of trading partners presently handled by AS/AP™:

AAFES; ACADEMY; AMES; ARAMARK; ARIZONA MAIL ORDER; BED, BATH & BEYOND; BIGGS; BLOOMINGDALES; BOB'S STORE; BON MARCHE; BON TON; BOSCOV; BRADLEYS; BURDINES; CARSON PIRIE SCOTT; CATHERINES; CHARMING SHOPPE; DAYTON/HUDSON; DESIGNS INC.; DICKS SPORTING GOODS; DILLARDS; DOLLAR GENERAL; ELDER-BEERMAN; FAMILY DOLLAR STORES; FAMOUS BARR; FEDERATED; FOLEY'S; GANDER MOUNTAIN; THE GAP; GOTTCHAULK'S; GUESS; HILLS; HOMEPLACE; HUB DISTRIBUTING; JCPENNEY; K-MART; KAUFMANN'S; KOHLS; LAZARUS; LL BEAN; LANDS' END; LINENS N THINGS; LIBERTY STORE; LORD AND TAYLOR; MACY*S (EAST/WEST); MARK'S WAREHOUSE*; MAY COMPANY; MEIER & FRANK; MEIJER; MERCHANTILE; MERVYNS; MONTGOMERY WARD; NORDSTROMS; PAMIDA; PARISIAN; PROFFITS; R.E.I.; ROBINSON'S; ROSES; SAKS, SEARS; SHOPKO; STEINMART; STERNS; TARGET; WAL-MART; YOUNKERS; VENTURE; VON MAUR; WOOLWORTH; WACCAMAW; ZCMI

* CANADA ONLY

New trading partners and UCC128 labels are added weekly, so, check with your dealer for the latest list.

UCC128 Labels

AS/AP™ can produce any UCC128 labels required by your trading partners.  In fact formats already exist for the following trading partners:

BED, BATH & BEYOND; BELK; BON TON; BON MARCHE; BURDINES; DAYTON/HUDSON; DESIGNS INC.; DICKS SPORTING GOODS; DILLARDS; ELDER-BEERMAN; FEDERATED; FOOT ACTION; GANDER MOUNTAIN; GOTTCHAULKS; HOMEPLACE; HUB DISTRIBUTING; JCPENNEY; K-MART; KOHLS; LL BEAN; LANDS' END; MACY*S; MARKS WAREHOUSE; MAY COMPANY; MEIJER; MERVYNS; NORDSTROMS; R.E.I.; SAKS; SEARS; SHOPKO; STERNS; TARGET; VON MAUR

*All of the EDI Forms, Versions, and Trading Partners listed above have been implemented for our clients, but not all permutations have been implemented and tested.

Mailboxes Handled

The mailboxes currently handled include:

GEIS, ADVANTIS, STERLING, WAL-MART