Electronic Data Interchange or "EDI" is the computer-to-computer electronic exchange of business documents using standard formats which are widely recognized both nationally and internationally.  The use of standardized data formats allows organizations to exchange common business documents without having to customize their hardware or software system for each organization they do business with.  In the United States the most widely used standard is one coordinated by the American National Standards Institute or ANSI.  Since ANSI coordinates many standard-setting groups, they give each group a unique identification code for easy reference.  For EDI, the ANSI subcommittee is called the Accreditted Standards Committee X12, or ASC X12 for short.  EDI practitioners often refer to the standards set by the ASC X12 committee as the ANSI X.12 standard.  A recent list of all the business documents for which ANSI X12 standards are available is on this website.  Click the "ANSI X12  Documents List" button to view the list.

Transforming transaction data, for example purchase order or invoice data, into the ANSI X12 standard format, is accomplished using a software program known as a "translator." 

In addition to the use of electronic document standards, transmissions of EDI messages must adhere to a set of rules and regulations governing the flow of electronic data, known as "protocols."  There are several protocols in widespread use in the USA with the two most popular protocols being "Asynchronous" and "Bisynchronous."  Since most computer systems generally support only a single protocol, the need for "protocol conversion" arose.  This need was filled by companies known as Value Added Networks or VAN.  VANs thus allow organizations with computer systems that support different protocols to exchange data by converting messages in one protocol to another protocol.

ANSI X.12 EDI standards for a few company types (Retail, Grocery and Military) are presented here.

SBA maintains this website with a list of EDI information sources for various government agencies.

One of the best places to find good EC-EDI publications is at the Electronic Commerce World Bookstore.

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