Different EDI formats (standards) for exchanging data

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) has evolved over decades, and different industries, regions, and trading partners use different EDI formats (standards) for structuring and exchanging data. Some of the formats are 

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1. ANSI ASC X12 (North America)

• Developed by the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12.

• Widely used in the United States and North America.

• Covers multiple industries: retail, healthcare, logistics, government, finance.

• Example: 850 (Purchase Order), 810 (Invoice), 856 (Advance Ship Notice).

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2. UN/EDIFACT (International)

• Stands for United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport.

• Widely used in Europe and globally.

• More internationally accepted than X12.

• Example: ORDERS (Purchase Order), INVOIC (Invoice), DESADV (Advance Shipping Notice).

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3. TRADACOMS (UK Retail Industry)

• Predecessor to EDIFACT, mainly used in the UK retail sector.

• Developed by the GS1 UK standards body.

• Now mostly replaced by EDIFACT.

• Example: ORDHDR (Order Header), INVOIC (Invoice).

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4. ODETTE (European Automotive)

• Organization for Data Exchange by Tele-Transmission in Europe.

• Mainly used in the European automotive industry.

• Helps standardize supply chain transactions between OEMs and suppliers.

• Example: Delivery Schedules, Shipping Instructions.

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5. VDA (German Automotive Industry)

• Verband der Automobilindustrie (German Association of the Automotive Industry).

• Specific to German automotive manufacturers like VW, BMW, Daimler.

• Still widely used in Germany, but transitioning to EDIFACT/ODETTE.

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6. HL7 (Healthcare)

• Health Level Seven standard for healthcare data exchange.

• Used to transmit clinical and administrative data between healthcare providers.

• Example: Patient admission, lab results, claims processing.

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7. HIPAA EDI (US Healthcare – subset of X12)

• HIPAA mandates specific EDI transactions for healthcare providers, insurers, and payers in the US.

• Example:

  • 837 (Healthcare Claim)

  • 835 (Payment/Remittance Advice)

  • 270/271 (Eligibility Inquiry/Response)

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8. RosettaNet

• XML-based EDI standard for high-tech and electronics industries.

• Used for supply chain automation in semiconductors, IT, and telecommunications.

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9. XML / JSON-based EDI (Modern formats)

• Newer companies are adopting API-driven data exchange with XML or JSON payloads.

• Example: Amazon Vendor Central uses XML EDI over AS2/AS4.

• JSON is often used in API-EDI hybrid integrations.