Overview of EDI Functionality

The Aptean EDI solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central comprises EDI Ports (along with their associated XML Ports), EDI Messages, and (for on-premise deployments) an Auto-processing Job Queue for invoice processing, shipment processing, and other related activities.

This document mainly discusses EDI ports that handle sales transactions, but it's important to note that the Aptean EDI solution also fully supports purchase transactions.

• EDI/XML Ports: An EDI port is an inbound or outbound connectivity entity that is linked to an XML port. The XML port contains the actual business logic that dictates how data will be processed. An XML port can be assigned to one or more EDI ports to manage the running of that XML port. This enables an organization to set up different configurations for the same EDI business process. For instance, if we want to send a notification email when an inbound sales order (850) is processed, but the email recipient varies based on the trading partner who placed the sales order, we could define a single XML port to execute the necessary business logic and assign it to different EDI ports, each with a different notification email address.
• EDI Messages: An EDI message contains data that is transmitted to and from a trading partner. In inbound activities, an inbound message is received from a trading partner via Aptean EDI service, and the information it contains will generate Business Central documents, such as sales orders. On the outbound side, the data that is contained in a Business Central document, such as a sales invoice, is processed into an outbound message and then sent to the trading partner, again via Aptean EDI service.
• Auto-processing Jobs: A Job Queue (Application Server) is a predefined, automatically timed job that processes EDI-linked documents such as sales orders, posted sales credit memos, posted sales invoices, transfer shipments, and transfer orders. In addition, Job Queue also process all pending inbound and outbound EDI messages, as well as all active inbound EDI ports. The level of EDI automation that will occur within a particular environment is determined during the setup process. It is also possible to use the Service Tier in lieu of Job Queue (or set up Service Tier instance specifically for Job Queue). Depending on your environment, your auto-processing activities may be handled directly through the Service Tier. The optimal setup for a particular organization is based on a number of different factors, and you should contact your Dynamics partner to determine which approach is best for your environment.

A series of automated Job Queues perform predefined activities on a recurring basis. Each job performs a specific function. The job tasked with processing EDI ports runs each EDI port's related XML port according to the manner in which the EDI port has been configured. If an inbound activity has been submitted by a trading partner, it is identified by the relevant EDI port, and an inbound EDI message containing the submitted data is created. The inbound message processing job uses the data in this EDI message to either create a new record or update an existing one in Business Central.

The same steps occur when working with outbound activities, but in reverse order. Multiple jobs exist to process different types of outbound documents, such as sales order acknowledgments (855), sales advance ship notices (856), and sales invoices (810). After a document is processed, the related processing job converts the data into an outbound EDI message. At this point, the relevant EDI port transmits the data in the EDI message to the appropriate trading partner via Aptean EDI.