Accredited Standards Committee X12: The group authorized by the American National Standards Institute to develop and maintain the EDI Standards used in the United States. (See ANSI; ANSI ASC-X12; American National Standards Institute.)

American National Standards Institute: The national standards body for the United States. ANSI, through its accredited standards committees, keeps the standards for all applications of technology and mechanics for U.S. industry.

ANSI: Acronym for the American National Standards Institute.

ANSI ASC-X12: Acronym for the American National Standards Institute, Accredited Standards Committee X12.

Application Software: Software used to perform job functions that are specific to the business environment (e.g. inventory, health claims adjudication, etc.).

ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange

Authentication: A query method that ensures that both the sender and receiver of an electronic message are valid and are authorized to transmit and receive the message.

C

Communications: The means of electronically linking two computers to exchange information in EDI.

Communication Protocol: Establishes the communication parameters between two computers. Includes baud rate, type of transmission and parity setting.

Communication Software: Software necessary to add appropriate protocols to the EDI document in preparation for transmission over a telecommunications network.

Compliance Checking: A validation check to ensure that a transmission contains the minimum mandatory information required by the EDI standard being used.

CSD: Computer Services Division

D

Data Dictionary: A listing of all the data elements, and sometimes the segments and messages, unique to the EDI Standards that are being used.

Data Element: One or more data items forming a unit or piece of information as defined in the data dictionary of a system of EDI Standards and contained in an EDI message or transaction set. The term "data element" is often abbreviated as "DE" followed immediately by the data element number (i.e., data element 128 would be abbreviated as DE128).

Data Element, Composite: Two or more related data items separated by a delimiter character, grouped together to form a unit or piece of information as defined in the data dictionary of an EDI Standard and contained in an EDI message or transaction set.

Delimiter: A special character used to separate fields of data. The three different delimiters used in an EDI file are the segment delimiter, the element delimiter and the sub-element delimiter.

DISA: Data Interchange Standards Association. This is the trade organization that acts as secretariat for ANSI ASC-X12 and the Pan-American EDIFACT Board in the United States.

Document: Structured file sent to a trading partner. In ASC X12 usage a document is synonomous with a transaction set.

Download: The process of receiving data from another computer at a remote site onto the computer under the control of the operator.

E

EDI: The standard abbreviation for Electronic Data Interchange. Electronic Data Interchange is the computer-to-computer exchange of business-related documents in a structured, machine processable format

Electronic Data Interchange: The computer-to-computer transfer of business transaction information using standard, industry accepted, message formats.

Electronic Mail: The process of sending, receiving, storing and/or forwarding messages in digital form via telecommunication.

E-Mail: The standard abbreviation for Electronic Mail.

End-User: Anyone who uses a computer system or its output.

Envelope: The combination of header, trailer and sometimes other control segments that define the start and end of an individual EDI message.

F

File: A collection of related records treated as a basic unit of storage in a computer system. Files are stored on magnetic storage media such as disks or tapes. There are many types of files in a computer's memory. Each program that the computer runs is written in a file that is then stored for later execution. Each database that the computer uses to store data that will be used by the programs to do their work is a file, or in some cases, a series of files that are read by the programs as they run.

File Structure: The format into which a file is arranged by the computer, so that the information it contains can be retrieved on demand.

Flat File: A computer file where all the information is run together in a single character string. Sometimes referred to as an interface file, designed to hold EDI data prior to and following translation or transmission to and from a trading partner.

FTP: File Transfer Protocol. A common way to move files between computers over the Internet. Anonymous FTP gives users access (without any ID or password) to areas on a remote system that contains public files.

Functional Acknowledgment: An EDI message that is sent in response to the receipt of an EDI message or packet of messages to notify the sender of the original message that it was received. It acknowledges only the receipt of the message or message packet, and does not imply agreement with, or understanding of, its content.

Functional Group: A group of like transaction sets. Represents the transmission of a group of similar documents.

H

Hardware: The physical components of a computer system (CPU, tape drives, disk drives, modem, etc.).

Header: The specific segment that tells the receiving computer where an individual EDI message starts.

I

Implementation: The activities involved in converting an idea into a working computer system. This includes all activities from analysis to hardware installation, integration and operation.

Implementation Guide: A publication that identifies and defines the EDI messages that are in use in a particular industry or application. The document indicates how the information in those messages should be presented on a segment by segment and data element by data element basis, as well as identifying which segments and data elements are needed, which ones need not be used and what code values will be expected in the application of that particular message.

Industry Specific: Useful to only one particular group of companies grouped together by a common area of endeavor. In EDI, it refers to the ability of an EDI Standard to be used by only one industry.

Interchange: An electronic exchange between two business partners. The interchange is enclosed between an interchange control header and an interchange control trailer. It is comparable to an outer envelope in paper transmissions.

ISO: Acronym for the International Standards Organization. An international organization, working with the United Nations, that maintains the standards for all applications of technology and mechanics for global industry.

L

Loop: A group of segments that are collectively repeated in a serial fashion up to a specified maximum number of times.

M

Mailbox: A file storage area within a computer, usually one used by a Network Service Provider, where information is placed until it can be retrieved by the intended receiver.

Mapping: The act of determining what pieces of information in the company's database should be placed into each data element of an EDI message or transaction set, or in reverse, what data elements of an EDI message or transaction set should be placed into the company's database.

Message: A block of information in EDI, making up a business transaction, or part of a business transaction. In North America, this is normally called a transaction set.

Message Standards: The system of syntax, data elements, segments, and messages (transaction sets) with which EDI will be conducted.

Modem: Short form of "Modulator/Demodulator." The electronic device that connects the computer to a telephone line to allow communications.

N

National Standards Body: The organization in a country that is tasked with keeping the standards for all applications of technology and mechanics for the industry of that country.

Network: An electronic communications system that links computers together to allow EDI to take place.

Network Service Provider: A company that maintains a network and offers its services and capabilities to others for a fee.

P

Platform: The type of computer system being used.

Protocol: The set of rules that define the way in which information can flow within a computer or communication system. A protocol comprises: syntax - commands and responses; semantics - the structured set of requests and actions permissible by each user; and timing - types of events and sequences.

R

Receiver: The party to whom the EDI message or transaction set is transmitted.

S

Security: A generic term used to describe the methods adopted to protect the data from loss, corruption and unauthorized access and retrieval. Methods used include passwords, ID numbers, authorization, verification of message/document type/mailbox address and verification of line ID.

Segment: A part of an EDI message or transaction set, made up of strings of related data elements in a specific order separated by delimiters. (As an example, an address segment may consist of city, state and zip code data elements).

Segment Directory: A listing of the segments unique to the EDI Standard that are being used.

Sender: The party who transmits EDI messages.

Software: The programs residing on disk, tape or other storage media used by the computer to accomplish its tasks.

Standards: An entity established for use as a rule or basis of comparison. In the context of EDI, this refers to the system of message standards that are in use between trading partners.

Standards Body: A committee, usually made up of representatives of the users of a given Standard, and either accepted by industry or charged by a government to maintain the Standards in question.

Standards, Proprietary: Those systems of EDI messages that are developed by the trading partners themselves for a specific application and do not fit in any of the systems of Standards developed by any of the accepted Standards Bodies around the world.

Standards, Public: Those systems of EDI messages that are prepared and published by or through the accepted Standards Bodies around the world.

Syntax: The system for arranging data elements and segments within an EDI message or transaction set, as dictated by the Message or Transaction Set Standards being used.

T

Third-party: A party other than the sender or receiver, such as a Network Service Provider, or a software developer that provides goods and services in support of the transmission of information in EDI.

Trading Partner: The entity with whom an organization exchanges electronic messaging. This may be either the sender or the receiver of information in EDI. (A supplier, customer, subsidiary or any other organization with which the State of Ohio does business.)

Trailer: The specific segment that identifies the end of an individual EDI message.

Transaction Set: A block of information in EDI, making up a business transaction or part of a business transaction.

Transaction Set Standards: The system of syntax, data elements, segments and transaction sets (messages) with which EDI will be conducted.

Translator: A program used to convert information from flat file to EDI format, or from EDI format to flat file.

U

User: An entity, either an individual or a company, who utilizes a computer or system of standards for a specific purpose like EDI.

User Group: An organization of individuals and/or companies who come together to deal with the needs of those who wish to employ a technique or technology in a unified manner. User groups are discussion organizations.

V

Value-Added Network: A system where a network leases communication lines from a communications common carrier, enhances them by adding improvements such as error detection and/or faster response time, and then allows others to use this service on those lines for a fee. This is often abbreviated as VAN

VAN: Standard abbreviation for Value-Added Network.