If you receive errors when attempting to view this white paper, please install the latest version of
Adobe Reader.
"Emanio, headquartered in Berkeley, California, was founded in 1994 and has operations across the United States and in Europe. In 1995, Emanio was one of the first companies to send EDI messages over the Internet and integrate these into backend ERP and Supply Chain Management systems through a single tool. "
Source : Emanio
Top 5 Mistakes in Buying EDI Integration
EDI Integration is also known as :
EDI Integration,
Complete EDI Solutions,
EDI Services,
Electronic Data Interchange EDI,
EDI Translation Software,
EDI Data Mapping,
EDI Consulting,
Configuring EDI Integration,
Secure EDI Solutions,
EDI Mapping Tools,
Electronic Data Interchange EDI,
Business Processes,
Business Process Integration,
B2B EDI,
Emanio EDI Integration,
Business Process Solution,
EDI Solution,
Enterprise EDI Integration,
EDI Data ERP System Reliable,
EDI Data Integration,
Web Based EDI,
Hosted EDI Translation Web.
Integrating your EDI into your ERP or accounting system is one of the best business deci-
sions you can make. Poor planning, lack of clarity and ownership however can quickly turn
your EDI integration project into a costly mistake that can have disastrous results. Learn
how to avoid the key mistakes and guarantee success.
Avoiding Data Integration mistakes
Minimizing downtime, reducing overhead costs, optimizing throughput: these are goals
that resonate with small and mid-sized businesses every day of the year ' and become
imperative business drivers when the economy begins to sufer. It"s the business that can
respond quickest, provide the most accurate data and fulill demand in the most timely
fashion that will gain the upper hand in diicult economic times. One method of achieving
this increased level of competitiveness is through EDI Integration. The promise of EDI has
always been to empower the electronic exchange of commercial data between businesses
for the sake of speed, clarity and optimum performance. With many large retailers now
mandating EDI with their trading partners, implementing EDI is no longer in question '
but inding the most cost efective means of taking that EDI data and transferring it into
the in-house ERP system can be a confusing, daunting challenge for any business. A 2007
Standish Group report, in fact, found that over 80% of data integration projects fail or are
concluded at over 170% of original budget. With such high failure rates, it"s no surprise that
many small and mid-sized businesses are wary of embarking on EDI integration.
There is hope on the horizon, however. EDI integration is now available to small and mid-
sized businesses that are willing to invest a minimal amount of preparation and some
careful planning to gain a thorough understanding of how the data integration process will
afect the business during and after the integration phase. is completed. As we will examine
further in this whitepaper, there are ive mistakes that can lead to disastrous consequences
for even the most inancially secure business contemplating an EDI integration project;
avoiding these mistakes is the key to successful deployment, resulting in the economic
advantage that every business strives to achieve.
POOR PLANNING
Poor planning is the single largest mistake companies make when embarking on an
integration project. Often, business owners or the executives who are spearheading the
integration project are concerned with achieving integration and doing it quickly. The
goal is to make sure that data lows into the ERP system no matter what ' and to get it
done FAST. This sense of urgency, while laudable as a means of driving the company to
the important decision of adopting EDI Integration, can lead to catastrophic results. In
order to properly execute any integration project, the business must follow certain basic
principles to ensure that the likelihood for success is as high as possible. Among these
key principles are (1) Assigning a central project leader who will have 100% ownership and
100% authority to enact the changes in the organization that will be needed to successfully
deploy the project. (2) Looking carefully at all areas that are going to be afected by the
EDI Integration ' this includes not just the people afected, but also the processes and
procedures that will need to change as a result of the integration project. (3) A staged plan
of action. This last point is perhaps the most critical ' it"s important for the business to have
a clear understanding of what is being integrated, how it"s going to be integrated and when
each phase of the integration is going to take place.
The planning phase of the implementation should also include accounting for resources
that could be needed during the project. This would include additional consultants,
additional software required, training time, and contingency plans if the integration plan is
delayed. As small and mid-sized businesses embark on EDI integration, it"s critical that they
establish a clear road-map that provides some latitude when mistakes are made.
POOR UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNDERTAKING
This second mistake is perhaps the most understandable ' but it"s also a critical one to
avoid. As a business embarks on the road to EDI Integration, it"s critical to understand how
data integration will afect the systems and the data being integrated. For example ' what
file format do the two systems being integrated have for exchanging data? Flat file? XML?
Proprietary API? Amazingly, this is often one of the last items businesses investigate, which
can lead to delayed implementations, increased price quotes and additional work that had
not been originally planned or budgeted for. Additionally, it"s important to understand the
data being integrated. What date format will be used when bringing in data? Do all data
sources use the same format? For instance ' a company that does business with both US
and European companies might receive EDI data with dates formatted in US standard (MM/
DD/YY) and European standard (DD/MM/YY). Not understanding this small diference
' and planning for it ' can lead to catastrophic results when the integration project is
completed.
Also under the topic of poor understanding is the notion of expectations. Businesses will
often have unrealistic expectations of data being instantaneously transferred from their
trading partner"s system to their own with no lag time of any sort. While such a theoretical
throughput can ' and has been ' achieved in the real world, there are a number of obstacles
that afect how data is transferred and how quickly it is transferred. In the end, it is critical to
understand that the beneit of data integration is not only one of speed, but also of quality.
Planned properly and implemented with care, data integration can create a nearly mistake-
proof environment that will respond at signiicantly faster speeds than your old processes
and procedures were capable of.
TAKING ON TOO MUCH TOO QUICKLY
The third potential pitfall of mid-market integration projects is one that is embedded in the
very nature of the small and medium business ' speed. Mid-market companies live by their
ability to respond quickly; to make decisions and implement projects with lightning speed.
While it may seem counter- intuitive, this is one project where that ability to act quickly
runs counter to what is needed. In fact, it"s advisable for an EDI Integration project to be
planned in phases. By implementing the EDI integration in a series of increasingly more
complex stages, the business can achieve a number of beneits: (1) First and foremost is the
beneit of troubleshooting. Start by integrating one trading partner into your ERP system
and then take that trading partner into production. Through this type of staged approach,
the business can identify where problems are likely to arise, correct unexpected deiciencies
in the integration and solve any other problems that will be easier to deal with on a small
scale than on a large scale. (2) Acquisition of knowledge is the second beneit of a carefully
staged rollout. By deploying the integration through multiple projects of increasing
complexity, the business can have more time to see the integration process at work and
to learn it ' acquiring the sort of in-house expertise that will become invaluable over time.
(3) Finally, a phased integration plan provides the ability to make course corrections in mid-
stream. By doing the integration through such a planned approach, the business will have
the highest degree of certainty that the project will succeed. It will also gain the beneit of
the proper use and deployment of the software by its staf.
NOT STICKING TO YOUR PLAN
This problem is also afectionately known as "scope creep": the concept that as the project
begins to be deployed the "scope" of the project begins to creep along and increase in size.
In no time, what started out as a reasonably priced, reasonably orchestrated integration
project balloons into an out of control project that puts the company in inancial jeopardy.
How can the business avoid this? The honest truth is that it requires a certain amount of
perseverance and strength. While it may be tempting to ask your vendor to "add one little
item," it"s important to understand that that one item may have increased repercussions on
the rest of your integration project. Transferring data from two incompatible systems that
were never designed to talk to one another is a diicult process ' no matter how easy it
may seem at irst; for that reason it"s important to stick to the plan that was agreed upon
and leave changes ' no matter how minor they may seem ' for future improvements once
the original plan has been deployed. Other forms of this problem deal with the propensity
of small and mid-sized businesses to make sudden personnel changes. Regardless of an
individual"s role within the organization ' and how that role changes ' it"s critical that the
project leader remain the project leader and that all the staf members who have been
assigned to the project stay intact through the duration of the project.
This sense of continuity is a critical aspect of data integration projects for small and mid-
sized organizations. Maintaining this continuity from the start of the project through its
conclusion will lead to the least number of mistakes and the highest possible success.
SELECTING VENDORS BASED ONLY ON PRICE
Selecting a vendor based on price may seem like a sound choice 'in fact it can be ' however,
any small or mid-sized business needs to carefully evaluate all aspects of how the software
and service vendor will help the organization. In order to make a sound decision, a business
should evaluate a number of points with regard to each vendor they are considering: (1)
Business soundness ' how long has the business been operational? Will they be there over
the next ive or ten years to help you modify your system as your business grows? (2)
Who does the business focus on? While it may seem attractive to select a vendor that has
extensive experience working with Fortune 500 organizations, it"s also critical to understand
that such a vendor will spend most of its energies keeping those Fortune 500 customers
happy. Because of this, mid-sized companies that select such a partner often feel "left out"
and may fail due to poor support structures. (3) Can the software do what you need it to
do? While it may be attractive to purchase software because of features that you might
need in the future, it"s important to focus on what"s needed now. Don"t get too lost in the
feature comparison; rather, focus on who provides the best execution of the features you
need now. (4) Who has the best growth path? It is also critical to understand whether
the vendor you will work with ofers an upgrade path as your business grows. Can they
support your data integration needs as the business scales?
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it"s important for any small or mid-sized business to create a careful strategy
for data integration. EDI Integration for the mid-market must be given the same strategic
importance as a well thought out marketing plan or development plan. It"s only by using
this same type of strategic vision that the mid-sized companies planning an EDI Integration
project will avoid the pitfalls common to EDI Integration.
THE EMANIO ADVANTAGE
As you evaluate vendors for your EDI Integration project and think about how to avoid the
pitfalls laid out in this whitepaper, how can EMANIO help? How can EMANIO provide the
type of assistance you need to ensure success?
EMANIO CAN HELP YOU PLAN
Our professional services team can help you plan the entire EDI Integration project '
from the selection of the irst set of trading partners for a small test case to the full blown
integration project. Our team of consultants has decades of combined experience in EDI
and Data Integration; they have helped organizations very similar to yours successfully
deploy integration projects of all kinds.
EMANIO CAN HELP YOU GROW
Our data integration platforms are designed to provide the maximum level of performance
and the maximum level of lexibility. From our Link!&8482; data integration platform that starts
as low as $5,000 to our enterprise-class Unite!&8482; data integration software, we have the tools
to help you as your business grows.
EMANIO HAS THE LONGEVITY YOU NEED
In business since 1994, EMANIO is a highly successful, highly proitable vendor of EDI and data
integration software for small business. We have implemented projects for organizations
ranging in size from very small to Fortune 100 companies and have incorporated the
lessons we have learned over those years into our products and services.
EMANIO HAS THE FOCUS YOU NEED
Because we specialize in EDI and integration projects for small and mid-sized companies,
we can focus 100% attention on each of our customer"s needs. That means that EMANIO
will be there to support you no matter when or how you need help.
LEARN MORE
Learn more about EMANIO by visiting our web site at http://www.emanio.com
and by
downloading our other whitepapers on data integration and EDI. EMANIO was founded
in 1994 and has operations across the United States and in Europe. The company helps
organizations solve business requirements through analysis, technology and services, and
eMessaging through EDI / XML, ASN / bar-coding solutions, and data integration.
In 1995, EMANIO was the irst company to send EDI messages over the Internet and
integrate these into backend ERP and Supply Chain Management systems through a single
visual tool. With over 2,000 customers, EMANIO provides a broad line of global trading
community B2B software and data integration solutions services for supplier and customer
e-commerce connection and interaction. In 2002, EMANIO acquired Trading Partner® and
OnCall*EDI® from Mercator Software.