Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Frequently Asked Questions
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Frequently Asked Questions
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Frequently Asked Questions
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Contents
What is EDI? .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Is EDI required at Amazon? .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Do EDI vendors have to do everything via EDI? ........................................................................................................... 4
Can I see my EDI messages in Vendor Central? ............................................................................................................ 4
Should my company integrate EDI with Amazon or use Vendor Central? ................................................................... 4
Costs of Implementing EDI ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Strategic Benefits ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Operational Benefits ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Personnel Reduction ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Cycle Time Reduction ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Inventory Reduction ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Cash Flow Improvements ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Improved Order Fulfillment ...................................................................................................................................... 6
How do I start the EDI integration process? ................................................................................................................. 7
How long does it take to set up EDI with Amazon? ...................................................................................................... 7
Which connectivity options are supported by Amazon? .............................................................................................. 7
Where can I obtain Amazon's AS2 information? .......................................................................................................... 7
Where can I obtain Amazon's SFTP Guide? .................................................................................................................. 8
What EDI documents/standards are supported by Amazon? ...................................................................................... 8
Where can I find the EDI specifications? ...................................................................................................................... 8
Where can I find the Amazon GLNs? ............................................................................................................................ 8
Do I need to have a GLN? ............................................................................................................................................. 9
How do I contact the EDI Team? .................................................................................................................................. 9
How do I escalate an EDI issue?.................................................................................................................................... 9
We currently trade EDI documents in one country and are asked to do business in another country. What is
required to set up EDI for the new country? ................................................................................................................ 9
My Amazon Retail representative has created a new vendor code for me. What is required to set this up with my
production EDI configuration?.................................................................................................................................... 10
I want to use an EDI Service Provider. Can you make a recommendation?............................................................... 10
My Service Provider will be completing the entire EDI integration on my behalf. How do I set this up? ................. 10
I use a Service Provider for EDI. Where do I or my EDI representative enter this information? ............................... 10
Can I use separate connections for different messages? ........................................................................................... 11
How do I change my connection protocol (AS2, SFTP)? ............................................................................................. 11
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
How do I update my AS2 settings (URL, AS2-ID, Certificate, MDN receipt type)? ..................................................... 11
How do I change my EDI Sender/Receiver ID (GLN)? ................................................................................................. 11
How will I be notified about EDI changes or outages? ............................................................................................... 12
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
What is EDI?
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of structured business documents (such
as purchase orders, invoices and others) between business partners, in a standard electronic format. EDI
documents are machine readable, meaning that business processes can be easily automated. Information stored
in Amazon's or the Vendor's system is translated by software programs into standard EDI format for transmission
to the EDI trading partner and the trading partner then translates the EDI format into their individual in-house
format for further processing in the backend components (for example, an ERP system). Amazon can seamlessly
integrate with leading ERP and accounting software solutions.
The following sections provide more information to help you do a cost/benefit analysis.
Personnel costs to create and test EDI maps, complete Self Service Setup on Vendor Central and establish
and maintain connectivity with the Amazon servers to exchange EDI documents
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
If you are new to EDI, the costs can vary depending on the type of solution that you choose. There are three main
areas to consider:
Establishing and maintaining server connectivity so that you can send and receive EDI data
Know-how to create mappings according to our EDI specifications, to be able to process the standardized
EDI data (EDIFACT or X12) you are exchanging with Amazon
Last but not least, the key point is that your in-house physical processes can integrate the EDI data for
reaching a higher automation or full automation degree or other kind of savings.
To establish these three areas you might have costs for hardware, software, services, internal or external
personnel costs or both for installation, maintenance and/or consultancy:
In-house EDI using direct SFTP (hosted by Amazon) or AS2 connection (hardware or software needs)
In-house EDI using third party services to establish connectivity with Amazons servers
Third Party Managed Services
Third Party web forms solutions (not recommended)
The cost of each of these options should be considered. You may wish to hire an outside consultant to help
determine which EDI solution is right for you. You will find a wide range of EDI Service Providers with a variety of
services, as well as low-cost solutions on the internet.
Strategic Benefits
Whether EDI can provide your business with strategic benefits is best answered by asking yourself the following
questions:
Do you have the need or vision to generate savings and efficiency by implementing or increasing
automation?
Is the ability to meet customer and vendor demands and requirements a driving factor in your business,
perhaps even more a factor than pricing?
Is the timing and accuracy of the delivery of goods and services critical to your customers and vendors?
Could a significantly faster delivery time to your customers and distributors be turned into a competitive
advantage?
Will being "eCommerce enabled" allow your firm to penetrate new markets or find new suppliers?
Are customer loyalty and long term alliances a high priority for your firm?
Would eCommerce enabled systems favorably affect your payment terms and agreements with
customers and suppliers?
Operational Benefits
With an EDI system in place, you should save time and money processing and executing customer orders. Studies
of EDI systems show that it takes up to five times as long to process a purchase order manually as it does
electronically. With EDI, documents are processed electronically and error-free, minimizing processing time and
the number of staff required.
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
Personnel Reduction
A properly enabled EDI system will reduce labor time and cost in the following areas:
Document preparation
Error detection and correction
Reconciliation
Mail preparation
Telephone calling
Data entry
Overtime
Supervision expenses
Inventory Reduction
EDI systems can reduce inventory costs thanks to:
Although this area is difficult to quantify, most accounting departments can attest to the benefits of improved
corporate cash flow.
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
If you do not see this tool on the Vendor Central website, contact your company's Vendor Central administrator
and request permissions for "EDI Self Service Setup".
Direct AS2
AS2 is Amazon's preferred connectivity method. Applicability Statement 2 (AS2) provides several benefits
such as encryption, non-repudiation of origin, and delivery confirmation. Implementation of a direct AS2
connection also avoids costly Value Added Network (VAN) or 3rd party EDI Service Provider fees.
Amazon-hosted SFTP
For vendors that do not support AS2, Amazon can provide Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) accounts to
securely upload and download EDI transmissions.
Amazon Self Service Setup supports many popular EDI Service Providers out of the box using a custom
AS2 connection.
When you select AS2 or EDI Service Provider in the connection setup, Amazon generates one custom AS2 package
for each production and test environments, each containing a unique certificate, URL, and AS2-ID. For testing, you
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
will initially set up a test connection endpoint using the "Test" AS2 package, then set up a production connection
endpoint using the "Production" AS2 package when you are ready to send and receive production EDI
transmissions.
Note that if you are using an EDI Service Provider, your EDI Service Provider will need to configure both custom
AS2 connections which are unique for your Amazon account. You will be prompted in Self Service Setup to
generate an email to your EDI Service Provider which will contain all of the connection information. After sending
the email, your EDI Service Provider will configure the AS2 settings and get back to you in order to proceed with
the connectivity testing in your Vendor Central account.
ORDERS (850) - Purchase Order (PO) request from Amazon to Vendor (what Amazon wants the vendor to
fulfill)
ORDRSP (855) - Purchase Order Confirmation (POA) from Vendor to Amazon (what the vendor can fulfill)
DESADV (856) - Advance Shipment Notice (ASN) from Vendor to Amazon (what the vendor is shipping)
INVOIC (810) - Invoice (INV) from Vendor to Amazon (what the vendor wants to be paid for)
SLSRPT (852) - Point of Sale (POS) report from Amazon to Vendor (what Amazon has sold)
INVRPT (846) - Cost & Inventory Feed from Vendor to Amazon (what the vendor has in stock and the cost
of those items)
RETANN/RETINS and PRICAT messages are currently under consideration (as of October 2015)
Note that the X12 810 is not a VAT compliant invoice in Europe. To be VAT compliant you need to set up the
EDIFACT INVOIC or raise your invoices in Vendor Central.
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
We currently trade EDI documents in one country and are asked to do business
in another country. What is required to set up EDI for the new country?
In Europe, if you use the same GLN across countries, Amazon needs to set up your new accounts in the existing
EDI configuration. Please contact the Amazon EDI team by using the "Contact Us" form on top of each Vendor
Central page. State your GLN and the vendor codes of your new account and we will configure this for you.
If you are using a different GLN, the new country must be set up as a new EDI integration. First, sign into the
relevant Vendor Central site for the new country you are setting up:
Amazon.de - https://vendorcentral.amazon.de
Amazon.fr - https://vendorcentral.amazon.fr
Amazon.co.uk - https://vendorcentral.amazon.co.uk
Amazon.it - https://vendorcentral.amazon.it
Amazon.es - https://vendorcentral.amazon.es
Then, go to the EDI tab and click Self Service Setup. Complete the Basic Setup, connectivity setup and the relevant
surveys.
Note that EDI message testing is optional if you are sharing EDI maps across countries. If you would like to skip
testing on the new EDI integration, please contact the Amazon EDI Team by using the "Contact Us" form on the
top of each Vendor Central page. Select the support topic "EDI Integration" or "EDI Live" and the appropriate
issue.
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
My Amazon Retail representative has created a new vendor code for me. What
is required to set this up with my production EDI configuration?
Please contact the Amazon EDI Team by using the "Contact Us" form on top of each Vendor Central page,
selecting "EDI Live" as the support topic. Provide the new vendor code and the EDI Sender/Receiver GLN of your
production configuration. We will configure the new code as a child code of your production EDI configuration.
I use a Service Provider for EDI. Where do I or my EDI representative enter this
information?
When you create a new connection endpoint, you will be prompted to choose your connection method under
"Connection". Select "Connect indirectly through a VAN or EDI Service Provider" and choose the EDI Service
Provider you will be connecting to from the dropdown menu, then click "Save & Continue" to proceed.
In the next step, you will be prompted to send the specific AS2 connection details for your account to your EDI
Service Provider. Please follow up with your EDI Service Provider once you have sent the email so they can
configure the connection details for your account. You should not proceed to the next step "Testing" before your
EDI Service Provider has confirmed that the new connection setup has been completed on their end.
If your EDI Service Provider is not listed in the dropdown menu, please contact the Amazon EDI Team by using the
"Contact Us" form on top of each Vendor Central page. Select the support topic "EDI Integration" or "EDI Live"
and "Connectivity" as the issue.
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
How do I update my AS2 settings (URL, AS2-ID, Certificate, MDN receipt type)?
You can update the AS2 security certificate for an existing direct AS2 connection endpoint directly through Vendor
Central. Changes are live immediately after you click the "Save" button. You can navigate back to the connection
details page to check. For any other change, you need to create a new connection endpoint with the new AS2
values, test this connection and assign it to the respective EDI message types. Changing the AS2 URL while keeping
the same AS2 ID need to be coordinated with the Amazon Retail EDI Team. Please use the "Contact Us" form on
top of each Vendor Central page to request this change. If you have set up an indirect connection with an EDI
service provider, any changes need to be made by the Service Provider in coordination with the Amazon EDI Team
as this potentially affects multiple partners.
To generate new test POs, you will need to reset the PO test. Please note, that this does not affect your
production status for the message type. You will remain in production for the EDI PO. To reset:
1. Click "Edit Survey" for the PO under the EDI Message Configuration Status section.
2. Uncheck "I have read and understand the information presented above" at the bottom of the page and click
"Yes, Keep Change & Reset Integration process".
3. Check "I have read and understand the information presented above" again.
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EDI Frequently Asked Questions Amazon - Europe
6. You can then proceed to the PO test and generate new test POs by selecting the action Integration testing.
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