Electronic data interchange is an efficient method of transferring structured data in business transactions between different information systems and applications. EDI communication users are spared the need to manually transfer data from paper or electronic documents created by a business partner into their own system, making the flow of data between partners faster and more efficient. EDI communication is used by, for example, retail chains (Globus, OBI, …) and car dealers. You can learn more about EDI communication in the Electronic data interchange article on Wikipedia.
EDI communication support is included in the Premium license. Before starting EDI communication, you will need to sign a contract with an EDI service provider, such as GRiT, EDITEL, etc.
ABRA Flexi uses the so-called inhouse format (D96A in its basic form, without extensions) for communication with EDI service providers, including support for reverse charge VAT. Prior to planned implementation, we recommend consulting the integration with one of our consultants.
Supported modules
ABRA Flexi supports the following EDI operations:
export purchase orders ("ORDERS"),
import received orders ("ORDERS"),
export delivery notes (issues) ("DESADV"),
> the exporter allows you to configure the export of pallet SSCC codes
import goods receipts ("DESADV"),
export issued invoices, with price list items only ("INVOIC"),
> EDI invoice export is extended with bank account details (IBAN and BIC fields). > invoice export in EDI in foreign currency is also supported.
> basic recycling fee support: total per line item, contribution per unit, and contribution type.
> When importing from EDI, fees are no longer created for a line item based on the price list definition. A line item imported from EDI has fees included in the item price.
import received invoices, with price list items only ("INVOIC").
> import of EDI invoices in foreign currency is also supported. The currency and its exchange rate are read from the HDR line (if the exchange rate is not specified, it is taken from the exchange rate table based on the company settings). The ERT line with totals in the domestic currency is also processed. If the totals do not match the calculated totals (totals in currency / exchange rate), a balancing line item is created.
> additionally, using the advanced parameter paramEDIImportLINEanNepovinny, you can enable the import of line items that do not have an EAN code specified.
> fees are not created for line items based on the price list definition. A line item imported from EDI has fees included in the item price.
These exports and imports are always available in the top toolbar of document table views, under the button.
Configuration
To enable EDI communication, you must have:
in your company settings: on the "Details" tab, the EAN code and file reference number filled in; on the "Automatic operations" tab, under the Document Types sub-tab, in the Advance tax document (ATD) block, the Issued and Received fields filled in; on the Modules tab, under the "Goods" sub-tab, in the new document type selection section, the document type for goods receipts from EDI; on the Modules tab, under the Sales sub-tab, under the "Sales" sub-tab, the document series for issued invoices; on the Modules tab, under the Sales sub-tab, under the "Document types for automatic generation" sub-tab, the document type for issued advance payments; on the Modules tab, under the Sales sub-tab, under the "Document types for automatic generation" sub-tab, the document type for orders received from EDI; on the Modules tab, under the Purchase sub-tab, under the "Document types for automatic generation" sub-tab, the document type for invoices received from EDI;
in the address record of the company you want to communicate with: the EAN code filled in on the main panel, the company registration number (IČO) and VAT number (DIČ) on the "Basic information" tab, and the "EDI" format set in the "Export format" field on the "Accounting" tab;
if you want to export a document to EDI for a specific delivery destination, that destination must be entered in the address book for the customer and must have an EAN code filled in. The delivery destination must then be set on the document.
for any goods you want to export via EDI communication in documents, the EAN code filled in on the "Details" tab (in the "Price List" module).
Automating EDI document import
Using advanced parameterization, you can automate the import of EDI documents, which will run each time you log in to the company. The parameters for configuring automatic import are:
paramLoginImportEDIDirectory
Source directory for automatic import of EDI ORDERS files (received orders) at login.
paramLoginImportEDIMoveTo
Directory to move EDI ORDERS files (received orders) that were imported at login.
paramLoginImportEDIFapDirectory
Source directory for automatic import of EDI INVOIC files (received invoices) at login.
paramLoginImportEDIFapMoveTo
Directory to move EDI INVOIC files (received invoices) that were imported at login.
paramLoginImportEDISklDirectory
Source directory for automatic import of EDI DESADV files (goods receipts) at login.
paramLoginImportEDISklMoveTo
Directory to move EDI DESADV files (goods receipts) that were imported at login.
paramLoginImportEDISklad
Warehouse code for importing orders from EDI.
To enable automatic import, you do not need to configure all parameters — only those relevant to the document types for which automatic import is required.
Sample XML file with parameter settings for importing received orders and received invoices:
<?xml version="1.0"?><winstrom version="1.0"> <parametr> <paramK>paramLoginImportEDIDirectory</paramK> <hodnota>c:\edi\obp_in</hodnota> </parametr> <parametr> <paramK>paramLoginImportEDIMoveTo</paramK> <hodnota>c:\edi\obp_loaded</hodnota> </parametr> <parametr> <paramK>paramLoginImportEDIFapDirectory</paramK> <hodnota>c:\edi\fap_in</hodnota> </parametr> <parametr> <paramK>paramLoginImportEDIFapMoveTo</paramK> <hodnota>c:\edi\fap_loaded</hodnota> </parametr> <parametr> <paramK>paramLoginImportEDISklad</paramK> <hodnota>SKLAD</hodnota> </parametr></winstrom>
Steps to enable automatic import:
Prepare the folders from which the EDI files will be imported.
Then create an XML file with the parameter settings and import it into ABRA Flexi.
Save incoming EDI files to the designated folders. The next time you log in to the company, their sequential import will start automatically, and the files will then be moved to the folder for imported files.
Additional parameterization options
Using advanced parameterization, you can configure additional parameters to adjust the behavior of EDI electronic data interchange support:
paramEDIEanObjednateleZMistaUrceni
Value "true" if the EAN from the delivery destination should be used as the buyer's GLN during EDI export; "false" for standard behavior (EAN from the document).
paramEDIExportPodleZaskrtavatek
Whether to respect the document selection when exporting to EDI (value "true") or to export only the current record as standard (value "false")
paramEDIExportDirectory
Directory for saving exported files in EDI format.
Implementation note
Some retail chains (Globus, Ahold, …) do not allow alphanumeric characters A–Z to be used in document series when importing documents. If you use such characters in your document series, you must create separate document series for them.