Messages
The data that is transferred to and received from an external trading partner is packaged together into what is called an “EDI Message.” EDI messages exist for both inbound and outbound activities. You can view the EDI message records that have been generated with Aptean EDI, which is accessed from the search icon.
There are three types of EDI message that can be viewed:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending | Messages that are awaiting processing. Processing can be performed either manually by a user or automatically through the Job Queue. The result of processing a pending message is determined by the message direction. Processing an inbound message will result in the creation of a Business Central document based on the message contents. Processing an outbound message will transmit the message contents to an external trading partner. |
| Processed | Messages that have been successfully processed. |
| Failed | Messages that have failed to process. It is important to record failed messages, as this will assist in determining the reason for the failure, hopefully leading to resolution. |
You can view a list of all existing EDI message records, regardless of type. Additionally, you can open an existing record to view further details about the EDI message.
You can view the status of the source document in the Source Status field on the EDI Messages page. The available options are:
- Not Applicable (N/A)
- Document has been released
- Document has been posted
- Document has failed being Released or Posted
The opened message card provides general information about the message’s creation/processing, source details, and the data within the message. The presentation of this data can be either in simple text or XML format, which can be set by selecting an option in the Navigate tab’s View Message group. Please note that all information on an EDI message card is for informational purposes only and cannot be edited. However, you can perform various activities for a specific message from the action bar by selecting Actions > Functions.
Available EDI message activities are:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Import XML | Imports data from an XML file you specify. Because an EDI message’s values cannot be edited directly in Business Central, this is the only way in which its content can be changed. Please note that an EDI message’s current XML data will be replaced by the imported file. More importantly, please note that this feature exists primarily for testing and troubleshooting, and should not be used in a live environment. If an inbound message requires alteration, the relevant trading partner should be instructed to make the necessary adjustments, then resend the document. If changes must be made to an outbound message, the corrections should be entered directly in Dynamics Business Central (either on the related source document or through a setup table), followed by a reprocessing of the transaction. |
| Export XML | Exports the EDI message in an XML format. This is useful if you need to review or test the raw XML data that comprises an EDI message. Exported data can also be modified, then imported back into the appropriate EDI message record (as stated above, however, this activity should not occur in a live environment). |
| Delete | Deletes the EDI message record. |
| Reset | Resets the EDI message record. |
| Process Selected | Specify the process selected for processing the EDI messages. |
| Process | Processes the EDI message. This action would most commonly occur when working with failed messages, as the user can correct the issue that resulted in the failure, then re-attempt the activity (it should be noted that Job Scheduler will only automatically process pending messages, so any failed message must be manually processed in this manner). The process action can also be used for pending (if the user needs to manually process a pending activity) and processed (if the user needs to re-process a message) messages, as well. |
In addition to these activities, you can view a list of all EDI documents (including other messages) related to the message from the action bar by clicking the Actions > Other > Linked Documents. You can then select a line on the EDI Message Linkage page and on the action bar, click Show to view the source document.
Also, you can generate EDI packages for sales orders and warehouse shipments through EDI messages. On the relevant Location Card page, you should select the type of document in the ASN Type field to generate EDI packages for them. This field allows you to select one of the following options:
- Blank–allows generating EDI for warehouse shipments.
- Warehouse Shipment–allows generating EDI packages for warehouse shipments.
- Sales Order–allows generating EDI packages for sales orders.
Both the Warehouse Shipment and Blank options support generating EDI packages for warehouse shipments but do not allow for sales orders.
File name variables
You can use variables in the name of the flat file generated when the Process action is executed on EDI messages. On the EDI Port Card page, in the File Pattern field, you can use the following patterns:
- {%1}: Message Entry No.
- {%2}: Message Subject
- {%3}: Date/Time
- {%4}: EDI POR Translation
- {%5}: EDI Message Source No.
- {%6}: EDI Message External Document No.
- {%7}: Port variable value