What exactly is EDI?

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the electronic exchange of routine business transactions. These transactions include such documents as purchase orders, invoices, inquiries, planning, acknowledgements, pricing, order status, scheduling, test results, shipping and receiving, payments, and financial reporting.

Who uses EDI?

Industries currently using EDI include retail, insurance, education, entertainment, mortgage banking, and numerous departments of the U.S. Government. Note, however, that this list is far from complete! As more and more businesses turn to EDI, several standards committees-including the Accredited Standards Committee X12 (ASC X12) and EDIFACT-are working to include appropriate transactions in its body of standards.