For EDI data flows, create an EDI source (listener) or destination (import) after you set up an EDI connection using a trading partner, AS2, FTP, or VAN connector. If you have a B2B Manager license, you can use VAN and Trading partner connectors based on your subscription tier.
Note
After you create and run an AS2 flow, you can view the Message Disposition Notification (MDN) status and activity log on the EDI activity dashboard – X12 or EDIFACT.
You require a listener to receive inbound EDI data. Start creating and configuring an EDI listener in Flow builder:
Flow builder – new source step
Create source
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Application: Search and select the source application that you want to connect to. For example, VAN (Value-added network).
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Step type: Select the type of step you want to create. The default is Listen for real-time from source application.
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Name your step: Provide a clear and distinguishable name. A unique identifier will prove helpful later if you want to select it from among a list of listeners in the account.
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Optional: Describe your step: Provide meaningful details so that your step can be better understood and reused if required. If you make changes to your step, ensure that you update your description.
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Click Next and continue configuration.
Create listener
General
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Name your listener: The step name that you had earlier entered will be shown.
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Description: The step description that you earlier entered will be shown. If you make any changes to your listener, ensure that you also update the description to reflect the current scope or details.
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Connection: Select a specific previously created EDI connection that uses a trading partner, AS2, FTP, or VAN connector. Or, click the plus sign (+) and create an connection.
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Parse files being transferred: Choose Yes if you want to transfer parsed files or No if you want to transfer raw files. The default option is to parse files for transfer.
How would you like to parse files?
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File type: Choose a file format. You can choose EDI X12 or EDIFACT.
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EDI Profile: After you choose the file type, select the EDI profile that you've already created. If you haven't already created one, click the plus sign (+) and create an EDI profile for EDI X12 or EDIFACT. EDI profiles ensure that the data complies with EDI standards and specific guidelines set by each trading partner.
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Parsing definition: From the list, select the parsing definition based on the EDI document to be exported.
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Process parsed data: Choose either of these options as a rule for the parsed data to move to the next steps in your EDI flow.
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Complete files only: Process the parsed data only if the entire file is 100% valid. If any record in the file is invalid, the file should not be processed further and will not proceed to the next step.
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Skip invalid records: Ignore invalid records and process valid records in the file. The partial file can be processed and proceed to the next step.
Note
You can open the export form and launch the EDI parser helper to troubleshoot any errors.
For any invalid records in a file that are not processed, the trading partner can check the acknowledgment (997/CNTRL) sent from the Celigo platform ( Send Functional acknowledgment box must be checked – see step below). The trading partner can then reshare the EDI file with any required changes so that the records can be successfully processed.
If for any reason, the acknowledgment box is not checked, then you could view the error details in the EDI parser helper and request the trading partner to reshare the EDI file with any required changes.
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Send functional acknowledgment (EDI X12) or Send acknowledgment (EDIFACT): Check the box for EDIFACT files to send an acknowledgment for the EDI docs received from the source/export application.
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Select listener for functional acknowledgment (EDI X12) or Select listener for acknowledgment (EDIFACT): Select a listener that you've already created from the list. The listener will listen for EDI files that are exported; and, a separate flow with this listener will acknowledge the export. For more information on the separate acknowledge flow, see Generate functional acknowledgment for an EDI X12 transaction or Generate acknowledgment for an EDIFACT transaction.
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EDI parser helper: Click Launch to open the the file parser helper. You can use the file definition rules (FDRs) to parse custom files. The file parser helper allows you to modify the template rules to solve more specific file parsing requirements. Within the editor, the rules panel allows you to make changes to parse a custom file into JSON records. Use the sample file and output panels to test your rules.
(Optional) How would you like to group and sort records: To understand this section and related settings, see Sort and group records.
(Optional) Advanced
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Page size: When an export runs in the context of a data flow (where the data from the export is sent right away to an import queue) integrator.io breaks the data being exported into one or more smaller pages of records. Saying this another way, integrator.io uses streaming to export data from one app and import it into another. Specify the number of records to include on each data page in the 'Page Size' field. If left blank, the default system value is 20. There is no max value, but a page of data will automatically get capped when it exceeds 5 MB. Most of the time, the application you import data into will bottleneck the page size value. For example, the API guides for NetSuite and Salesforce define the maximum number of records that can be submitted in any import request.
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Data URI template: When your flow runs but has data errors, use this field to ensure that all the errors in your job dashboard have a link to the original data from the export application. This field uses a handlebars template to generate the dynamic links based on the data being exported.
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Do not store retry data: Check this box if you do not want integrator.io to store retry data for records that fail in your flow. Storing retry data can slow down your flow's overall performance if you are processing very large numbers of records that are failing. Anyone with access to your flow's dashboard can see the retry data in clear text.
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Override trace key template: Define a trace key that integrator.io will use to identify a unique record. Any value you provide overrides the default trace key for your app. You can specify a single field, such as {{record.field1}}, or use a handlebars expression. For example, {{join "_" record.field1 record.field2}} generates a trace key such as 123_456. Note: If you have applied a transformation to exported data, reference its fields in the trace key template without the path record. – for example,
{{field1}}.
After you configure the data, if you have any errors when you preview the data, launch the EDI parser helper to check, make edits if required, and resolve the errors.
Once you have configured the listener,
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Save: Click to save the export.
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Save & close: Click to save the export and exit the window.
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Cancel: Click to exit without saving any new changes.
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You can add transformation rules, output filters, and hooks to customize the listener configuration.
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You can add a content-based flow router (CBR) script to a hook. For a VAN connection, the script updates the flow ID and export ID to identify a specific listener if the flow has multiple listeners/exports.
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If you configure multiple flows, and one or more of those flows has multiple exports/listeners, integrator.io uses the export ID to identify which flow and lstener/export to trigger when ECGrid sends data.
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If you have multiple flows configured, you have to manually update the CBR script with custom rules to sync data appropriately between integrator.io and trading partners.
You require an import to send the outbound EDI data. Start creating and configuring the import in Flow builder:
Flow builder - new destination step
Create destination
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Application: Search and select the destination application that you want to connect to. For example, VAN (Value-added network)For example, VAN.
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Step type: Select the type of step you want to create. The default is Import records into destination application.
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Name your step: Enter a meaningful name to indicate the use or scope of the step.
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Optional: Describe your step: Provide meaningful details so that your step can be better understood and reused if required.
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Click Next and continue configuration.
Create import
General
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Name your import:The step name that you had earlier entered will be shown.
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Description: The step description that you earlier entered will be shown. If you make any changes to your import, ensure that you also update the description to reflect the current scope or details.
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Connection: Select a specific previously created EDI connection that uses a trading partner, AS2, FTP, or VAN connector. Or, click the plus sign (+) and create a connection.
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One to many: Check this box if you have a single record that will be used to create multiple records. You would use this setting if, for example, your parent record contains child records you need to process. This setting cannot be used when importing a CSV file.
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Generate files from records: Choose Yes if you want to generate EDI files or No if you want to transfer raw files. The default option is to generate EDI files for transfer.
How would you like the records imported:
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File type: Choose a file format. You can choose EDI X12 or EDIFACT.
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EDI profile: After you choose the file type, select the EDI profile that you've already created. If you haven't already created one, click the plus sign (+) and create an EDI profile for EDI X12 or EDIFACT. EDI profiles ensure that the data complies with EDI standards and specific guidelines set by each trading partner.
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Generator definition: From the list, select the generator definition to convert the canonical data to an EDI document to import.
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File name: Use this field to specify how the files being sent via AS2 should be named in the AS2 message header. You can type '{{{' to include a variable in your file name, such as timestamp, unique ID, and other AS2 metadata (consult the documentation for more details).
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Message ID: Specify the format of a unique message identifier that can be automatically generated as part of the import and included in the AS2 message header. The field uses handlebars to access available variables. For example, {{dateFormat "ddMMyyyyHHmmssZ"-random@ connection.as2.as2Id _ connection.as2.partnerId.
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EDI generator helper: Click Launch to open the the file generator helper. You can use the file definition rules (FDRs) to generate custom files. The file generator helper allows you to modify the template rules to solve more specific file generating requirements. Within the editor, the rules panel allows you to make changes to generate a custom file from JSON records. Use the sample file and output panels to test your rules.
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Configure HTTP headers: Enter any custom HTTP headers that your API requests, with each name-value pair on a separate line. If you’re providing data from a flow, such as settings in a connection or this import, click
to open the Advanced field editor and build a handlebars template that references the JSON paths that will contain those values at run time.
Mock response: Enter mock response data when configuring imports instead of executing a call to retrieve live response data from an import step. The mock response data that you provide for an import applies only to that specific import, including its components such as mapping, transformation, and hooks. For more information, see Provide mock response data for imports.
(Optional) Advanced
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Compress files: Check this box to compress files before they are posted to the import application. When checked, a new list appears for you to choose the compression format.
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Max retries: Set the number of times integrator.io will retry sending an EDI message when an AS2 returns an error response. By default, message failures are not retried.
Once you have configured the import,
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Save: Click to save the export.
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Save & close: Click to save the export and exit the export window.
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Cancel: Click to exit without saving any new changes.
After configuring your flow, run your flow,, and view the details on the EDI activity dashboard – X12 or EDIFACT.