The short answer
Distributors on Epicor Prophet 21 trade EDI on two sides. Customer purchase orders become P21 orders, and P21 sends ship notices and invoices back. On the supplier side, P21 purchase orders go out, and acknowledgments, ship notices, invoices and price catalogs come in. An integration layer translates the documents and exchanges data with P21 through its APIs and import interfaces.
Read the diagram from top to bottom. Prophet 21 does not exchange X12 itself in this design: the integration layer handles the partner connection and translation, and Prophet 21 creates and posts the business records. Outbound documents are built from what Prophet 21 actually recorded.
How EDI connects to Prophet 21
Epicor Prophet 21 (P21) is built for wholesale distributors, who sit between many suppliers and many customers. That makes EDI two-sided: distributors receive orders from customers and send orders to suppliers, often for the same goods. An integration layer handles partner connectivity and translation and exchanges data with P21 through its APIs and import interfaces.
Customer-side documents
| EDI document | Direction | P21 object |
|---|---|---|
| 850 purchase order | Inbound | Customer order |
| 855 acknowledgment | Outbound | Order status and lines |
| 856 ship notice | Outbound | Shipment |
| 810 invoice | Outbound | Customer invoice |
Supplier-side documents
| EDI document | Direction | P21 object |
|---|---|---|
| 850 purchase order | Outbound | Supplier purchase order |
| 855 acknowledgment | Inbound | Purchase order confirmation |
| 856 ship notice | Inbound | Expected receipt |
| 810 invoice | Inbound | Supplier invoice (accounts payable) |
| 832 price/sales catalog | Inbound | Item and cost updates |
Drop-ship flows
In a drop-ship, the supplier ships directly to the distributor’s customer:
- The customer’s order creates a supplier purchase order.
- The supplier acknowledges and ships, sending a ship notice.
- P21 records the shipment and sends the customer a ship notice and invoice.
- The supplier’s invoice is matched to the purchase order.
Because each step depends on the previous one, monitor both sides of the order together. See drop-ship automation.
Integration options
- P21 APIs for creating and reading transactions such as orders and invoices.
- Import interfaces for file-based order and data imports.
- Custom extensions for distribution-specific partner requirements.
Partner data
- Customer part numbers mapped to P21 items.
- Supplier item numbers and units of measure for outbound purchase orders.
- Ship-to records for customer locations, including drop-ship addresses.
Best practices
- Map units of measure carefully, since suppliers and customers often differ.
- Review supplier catalog updates before they change costs or prices.
- Match supplier ship notices and invoices to purchase orders automatically.
- Monitor drop-ship orders end to end, from customer order to supplier invoice.
- Prioritize the customers and suppliers with the most volume.