PRISM-EDI · EDI and B2B integration platform
EDI and B2B integration that connects every trading partner to your ERP
PRISM-EDI is ECOM's core EDI/B2B integration platform. It works as a B2B gateway between your trading partners and your ERP and operational systems, and it is backed by the ECOM team that implements, monitors and, if you choose, runs your integration for you.
What is an EDI and B2B integration platform?
An EDI and B2B integration platform, often called a B2B gateway, is the software layer between an organization and its external trading partners. It manages the connections partners use, translates documents between partner standards and the formats internal systems expect, checks them against partner rules, and routes the result to systems such as the ERP, warehouse or transportation system. It replaces a patchwork of point-to-point connections with one governed, monitored hub.
Why it matters
Business benefits
One governed hub instead of point-to-point connections
Bring partner connections, maps and routing into one platform, so each new partner or document type builds on what already exists instead of adding another one-off integration.
Fewer manual touches
Documents flow between partners and your ERP without re-keying, which removes a common source of order, shipment and invoice errors.
Problems found where they happen
With processing in one place, your team can see what arrived, what was sent and where a document stopped, and PRISM-SCV can add a business view on top.
Technology and people from one company
The platform, the integration specialists and the managed service come from ECOM, so there is one accountable partner from onboarding to daily operations.
Who it's for
Who uses PRISM-EDI
Enterprises with many EDI trading partners
Retail, manufacturing, logistics and distribution businesses that exchange orders, ship notices, invoices and schedules with many partners, each with its own requirements.
Teams replacing a legacy translator or VAN setup
Organizations moving off an aging EDI platform, scripts and FTP servers to one governed hub, in planned waves.
IT teams integrating EDI with ERP, WMS and TMS
Integration teams that need partner documents created in and generated from the systems that run the business, not re-keyed.
How it works
How PRISM-EDI works, step by step
- 01
Connect
Each partner connects over AS2, SFTP, FTPS, a VAN or APIs, chosen to match the partner's requirements.
- 02
Translate
Documents in X12, EDIFACT, TRADACOMS or RosettaNet are translated to and from the formats your systems use.
- 03
Validate
Documents are checked against the standard and the partner's rules, and functional acknowledgments are exchanged.
- 04
Route and deliver
Each document is delivered to the right ERP, WMS, TMS or other application.
How it fits
Where PRISM-EDI sits in your integration landscape
Conceptual diagram, not a product screenshot
Trading partners
- Retailers and customers
- Suppliers and manufacturers
- Carriers and 3PLs
- Banks and marketplaces
EDI, API and file connections
PRISM-EDI core EDI/B2B integration platform
One governed hub for partner connections, maps and partner rules, and the routing of documents to and from your systems, instead of separate point-to-point integrations.
Your systems
- ERP
- Warehouse and transportation systems
- Finance and accounting
- Commerce and data platforms
Delivered in the formats each system expects
Capabilities
What PRISM-EDI does
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Global EDI standards
ANSI X12, EDIFACT, TRADACOMS and RosettaNet, with each partner's implementation guide applied on top of the standard.
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Trading partner connectivity
Exchange documents over AS2, SFTP, FTPS, VAN connections and API-based integration, chosen per partner.
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Translation to and from your systems
Maps between partner standards and the formats your ERP, WMS and TMS use, including XML, JSON, flat files and ERP-specific formats.
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Validation and acknowledgments
Documents are checked against the standard and partner rules, and functional acknowledgments such as the 997 are exchanged.
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Routing to the right system
Documents are delivered to ERP, warehouse, transportation and other applications, including the right plant, location or ERP instance, using rules based on trading partner, location or document content.
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Partner testing and certification
Each partner is set up, tested with sample documents and real-world scenarios, and promoted to production through ECOM's certification process.
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Managed file transfer alongside EDI
Secure, monitored exchange of files next to EDI and API traffic.
Systems integration
What PRISM-EDI connects
Partners on one side, the systems that run your business on the other. Connector availability depends on each application and version, and is confirmed during scoping.
| System | What flows | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| ERP | Orders in as sales orders; ship notices and invoices out from ERP data. | SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Infor, Epicor, QAD, Sage and others, through APIs, IDocs, files or databases. |
| WMS | Warehouse shipping orders in; shipping advice, receipts and inventory out. | Including Manhattan WMS environments. |
| TMS | Load tenders, responses, shipment status and freight invoices. | Including Oracle Transportation Management environments. |
| Commerce and finance applications | Orders from channels; remittances and payment data. | By EDI, APIs or files, chosen per application. |
Inputs, outputs and integration
Standards, connections and formats
What PRISM-EDI supports. Whether a ready-made map exists for a given partner, or a partner-specific or custom map is needed, is confirmed during scoping.
| EDI standards | ANSI X12, EDIFACT, TRADACOMS, RosettaNet |
|---|---|
| Communication methods | AS2, SFTP, FTPS, VAN, API-based integration |
| Internal formats | XML, JSON, flat files and ERP-specific formats |
| Systems | ERP, WMS, TMS, commerce and finance applications |
| Delivery models | iPaaS, SaaS, private cloud, on-premises or hybrid; run by your team, by ECOM or both |
Standards support
What "supported" means for a trading partner
Four different things are often all called "support". Knowing which one applies to each partner sets realistic expectations for time and cost.
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Standards support
PRISM-EDI reads and writes the standard, such as X12 or EDIFACT, and its versions. This is the foundation, not a finished integration.
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Existing maps
Where ECOM has already mapped a document for a common use, the map is a starting point and is still tested against the partner's current guide.
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Partner-specific requirements
Each partner's implementation guide adds required fields, code values, structures and timing on top of the standard, which are configured and tested for that partner.
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Custom implementation
Unusual documents, internal formats or business rules are mapped and tested as a project, with the scope agreed up front.
Trading partner connectivity
Connect every partner the way they need to connect
Large retailers, manufacturers, carriers and banks each set their own connection, standard and testing requirements. The platform has to absorb that variety without a new project for every partner.
Trading partner onboarding-
What to check in any EDI platform
Which protocols and standards your current and planned partners require, whether partner-specific rules need custom code, and whether a partner can be tested and certified before it goes live.
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Questions to ask about onboarding
Who builds the maps, who coordinates testing with the partner, and how long a typical retailer or carrier onboarding takes in your situation. With PRISM-EDI, that work can stay with your team or be handed to ECOM.
ERP integration
Deliver partner data into the ERP, not just to a folder
Many EDI problems surface at the ERP boundary, where documents are re-keyed, only partly integrated or stuck in an interface queue nobody watches.
ERP integration guides-
What a good ERP integration looks like
Inbound orders created in the ERP with the right customer, item and price data; outbound ship notices and invoices generated from ERP events; errors caught before they reach finance.
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ERP-specific expertise from ECOM
ECOM's ERP integration guides cover SAP, including SAP Business One, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Infor, Epicor, QAD, Sage and others, and ECOM consultants implement ERP integrations as a service, alongside or as part of a PRISM-EDI project.
Partners without EDI
Bring partners without EDI into the same flow
Automation stops at the weakest link. Orders that arrive as PDFs, or sit in a customer portal, still need manual work unless the platform reaches them too. Other PRISM products extend PRISM-EDI to those partners.
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Documents and portals
PRISM-SmartConvert converts business documents such as PDFs and spreadsheets into structured integration data, and PRISM-WebLink applies robotic process automation to trading partner portals.
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Smaller trading partners
PRISM-WebEDI gives trading partners and businesses web-based EDI, so partners without their own EDI system can still exchange documents electronically.
Monitoring and exceptions
Know when something goes wrong before your partner does
A translator that only reports file success or failure leaves the business to discover missing ship notices and rejected invoices through chargebacks and phone calls.
PRISM-SCV supply chain visibility-
Technical monitoring is not enough
Knowing that a file was delivered does not tell you whether the order shipped on time or the invoice was accepted. Business teams need to see transactions as orders, shipments and invoices.
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Business visibility with PRISM-SCV
PRISM-SCV, ECOM's supply chain visibility product, adds that business view across the transactions PRISM-EDI processes, such as whether each order progressed as expected.
Implementation
What a PRISM-EDI implementation involves
The sequence ECOM follows, whether ECOM runs the platform or your team does.
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Inventory partners and documents
List partners, documents, versions, connections and volumes, and the systems each document comes from or goes to.
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Design the system integration
Agree how orders, shipments and invoices are created in and taken from the ERP, WMS and TMS.
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Build, test and certify per partner
Maps and connections are tested with sample documents and real-world scenarios with each partner before production.
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Cut over in waves
Move partners in planned groups, so existing integrations keep running until each wave is live.
Use cases
Where teams use it
Consolidating EDI tools
Replace separate EDI translators, FTP servers and custom scripts with one PRISM platform, one place for partner connections and one place to look when something fails.
Retail compliance programs
Exchange purchase orders, acknowledgments, ship notices and invoices with several retailers, each with its own rules and deadlines, on one platform.
Integrating a new ERP
Keep partner connections stable while the internal endpoint moves from a legacy ERP to a new one, which reduces cutover risk.
Replacing an aging EDI platform
Move partners from a legacy translator, such as an older IBM Sterling or Gentran environment, in planned waves with partner testing.
Automotive suppliers
Exchange 830 and 862 schedules or DELFOR and DELJIT, ship notices and self-billing remittances with OEMs and tier-one customers, routed to the right plant or ERP instance.
Technology, expertise and operations
Choose how PRISM-EDI is run
PRISM is ECOM's own integration technology. The company that builds it also implements, operates and supports enterprise integration platforms, so you can choose how much of the work you keep.
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Run it with your team
Use PRISM-EDI on the PRISM platform with your own staff, supported by ECOM.
Platform delivery options -
Share the work
ECOM integration specialists extend your team for mapping, onboarding, monitoring and changes.
EDI Team as a Service -
Hand it over
ECOM operates the integration end to end as a fully managed service, within an agreed scope.
Fully managed EDI
Running IBM Sterling or another integration platform today? ECOM's enterprise integration specialists can help you keep, modernize or migrate it. IBM Sterling services · Migration and modernization
Available delivery options depend on the product and your requirements and are confirmed during scoping. Compare delivery models.
Frequently asked questions
What is PRISM-EDI?
PRISM-EDI is ECOM's core EDI/B2B integration platform. It connects trading partners, translates documents and delivers data to your ERP and other systems, and it is the base the other PRISM products build on.
Is PRISM-EDI a B2B gateway or an EDI translator?
Both terms describe parts of the job. An EDI translator converts documents between formats; a B2B gateway also manages partner connections, security, routing and monitoring. PRISM-EDI is ECOM's platform for the whole job.
What about partners who use APIs instead of EDI?
PRISM-API Gateway provides API integration and connectivity on the PRISM platform. ECOM confirms the right combination of EDI and API connections for your partners during discovery.
Can PRISM-EDI connect to our existing ERP?
ECOM reviews your ERP version and integration options during discovery and confirms the approach. ECOM's ERP integration guides cover the most common ERP systems.
Do we have to replace our current EDI platform all at once?
No. Many organizations move in stages, starting with new partners or specific document types while existing integrations keep running, then migrating the rest on a planned schedule.
What should we prepare for a first conversation?
A list of your main trading partners and document types, your ERP and its version, approximate volumes, and the problems you want to solve. ECOM uses this to scope a demonstration and an approach.
ECOM products
Integration, visibility, automation and business applications
PRISM is ECOM's own integration and automation platform. PRISM-EDI is the core; the other products extend it to visibility, partner and document automation, APIs and commerce channels. ECOM's business applications, PRISM-ERP and Inventory on Cloud, run core operations alongside it.
- Integration platform PRISM-EDIYou are here Our core EDI/B2B integration platform.
- Visibility and optimization PRISM-SCV Visibility into document status, transaction activity, and exceptions across trading partners. Explore
- Partner and document automation PRISM-WebEDI Web-based EDI collaboration and document processing. Explore
- Partner and document automation PRISM-SmartConvert Converting business documents into structured integration data. Explore
- Partner and document automation PRISM-WebLink Automation of trading partner portals and workflows.
- APIs and commerce channels PRISM-API Gateway API integration and connectivity.
- Visibility and optimization PRISM-DriveSync Routing and delivery optimization.
- APIs and commerce channels PRISM UniChannel Omnichannel order and fulfillment integration.
See PRISM-EDI with your partners and ERP
Bring your partner list, document types and ERP details. We will walk through how PRISM-EDI would connect them, and who would run it.