EDI File Format Pane

The EDI File Format Pane (left side of the Forms Integration subsystem main window) contains the EDI file format. The EDI file must contain all the information that you need to include to either create a document using the Document Editor (screen entry translation object) or print documents (print translation object), so that your system can accurately process the data.

Generating EDI files

Sterling Gentran:Server® generates an EDI file for you, based on the standard (agency), version, transaction set, and release (for the TRADACOMS standard only) you selected. The system includes all the groups, segments, composites, and elements that are defined by the standards agency for the version of the document you selected.

You typically need to customize the system-generated EDI file by modifying the properties of the form components, and using specialized Sterling Gentran:Server functions to manipulate the EDI file structure.

Generating specialized EDI standard versions

If you want to use a specialized version of an EDI standard that is not available in the IBM® Sterling Gentran® Standards Database for EDI, it may be appropriate for you to define the EDI file yourself.

Regardless of whether the system generates the EDI file or you define it, the specific EDI form components that you use depend on the type of form you are creating. This includes the standard, version, and transaction set (document) selected, and which groups, segments, composites, and elements your company requires.

We recommend that you determine which form components you are using before generating or defining an EDI file.

Form components

This table describes form components that Sterling Gentran:Server uses to define the EDI file format.

Icon	Description
Group	A group is a looping structure that contains related segments and/or groups that repeat in sequence until either the group data ends or the maximum number of times that the loop is allowed to repeat is exhausted. Groups are defined by the EDI standards. A group that is subordinate to another group is a subgroup (this corresponds to a nested looping structure – a loop within a loop). The EDI file is a group and therefore, it is visually represented the same way as other groups and subgroups in Sterling Gentran:Server.
Segment	A segment contains a group of related elements or composite data elements that combine to communicate useful data. Segments are defined by the EDI standards. A segment can occur once or can repeat multiple times. Maximum use: Refers to the number of times that a segment can be used within the structure in which the segment is defined. For example, if a segment can be used only once within a group, but the group can be used multiple times, the segment still has a maximum use of one within each occurrence of the group. The standard defines the maximum number of times a segment can be used, but you must determine how many times a segment is used, based on what you are sending your trading partner.
Composite	A composite is a data element that contains two or more component data elements or subelements. Composites are defined by the EDI standards that use them (EDIFACT, TRADACOMS, and certain ANSI X12 standards).
Element	An element is the smallest piece of information defined by the EDI standards. When an element has an operation performed against it, a red checkmark is displayed over the element icon. When an element contains a standard or extended rule, a black asterisk appears to the right of the element icon.