Analysis of ANSI ASC X12 and UN/EDIFACT Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)Standards

摘要

The report discusses the two Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards that arebeing developed by the ANSI ASC X12 and the UN/EDIFACT committees, respectively. Discussion is focused on the basic EDI data structures, syntax rules, and functionality. In order to illustrate the concepts and issues involved, a particular application, health care claim submission, is examined. An example scenario is presented which demonstrates how EDI can be used to support this traditional business process. An analysis is then presented which compares these two standards in detail. This analysis look at functionality, efficiency, and existing levels of standards development. To investigate issues of relative efficiency, a comparison is made of record lengths for the basic control/service elements for both standards.