EDI standards

EDI standards are formats for EDI documents that specify what information goes where within an EDI document. Your industry or trading partners determine which EDI standard you must use. When information is missing or in the wrong place, the EDI document might not be processed correctly.

There are two types of EDI standards:

• Proprietary standard - EDI standard developed for a specific company or industry. This is also called a non-public or private standard.
• Public standard - EDI standard developed for use across one or more industries.

Standards versions and releases

Over time, EDI standards change to reflect business needs and practices. The governing committee for each standard periodically reviews and revises the standard. Depending on the standard you use, you might receive frequent updates about it.

EDI standards might define version and release differently. For example, some standards consider versions to be new editions and releases to be small revisions of the standard. Be sure to understand how your standard defines version and release.