General information
With the electronic order interface with ITscope, orders from the ITscope platform can be received electronically, in addition to order confirmations, delivery status messages and even fully-fledged electronic delivery notes and invoices which can be sent back to the system houses placing the orders.
The ability to accommodate electronic ordering processes is often a decisive prerequisite for establishing business relationships with new distributors, especially if orders are placed via an ERP connection or if order automation via ITscope B2B Suite is desired.
Processed document types, OpenTrans exchange format
The standard format used for the ITscope order interface is OpenTrans 2.1. This format was developed by leading German and international companies under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute. The ITscope ordering process supports the following document types:
- Orders (ORDER)
- Order responses/confirmations (ODERRESPONSE)
- Dispatch notifications (DISPATCHNOTIFICATION)
- Invoices (INVOICE)
For more information on the OpenTrans format, as well as sample files for all the document types mentioned, see:
https://guide.itscope.com/en/kb/order-and-quote-data-in-opentrans-2-1-format/
Full download of the official OpenTrans documentation:
https://guide.itscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/openTRANS-2.1-english-all-in-one-package.zip
Retrieval paths and sample process for an EDI interface
There are two variants of data exchange that we support.
The standard way of connecting is via FTP:
- File exchange: central FTP account provide by you for order document storage for all customers
- TLS preferred, SFTP on request
- Defined folder structure
- Storage of order documents and the order responses in separate folders
- Move processed documents to separate folders
- Synchronisation through regular retrieval (polling).
Alternatively, the data exchange can also be carried out via REST APIs.
You can find an example for a complete order transaction process including all documents, graphically represented, under:
https://guide.itscope.com/en/kb/orders/
Implementation steps, typical project sequence
The following steps are required when implementing an EDI interface:
- Clarification of file formats and scope of functions
Depending on the target system, different topics need to be clarified, such as order confirmations in the case of partial deliveries, etc.
The documents concerned must be checked both syntactically and in terms of content.
The ITscope API method /business/documents/validate as well as an online test tool are available for syntax checking – more information can be found here:
https://guide.itscope.com/en/kb/business-documents-method/ - Determining the retrieval paths/data exchange
The retrieval channels (FTP or Rest) as well as the associated agreements are to be defined and documented in advance by the project managers on both sides. The use of our online project management tool (Asana) is recommended - Run through test scenarios
Before going live, test orders (ITscope test company ordered from the distributor) are to be carried out and the responses checked accordingly - Going Live
Following this, your EDI interface via ITscope is ready to go. For further questions, please contact our support team at support@itscope.com.