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Data Format Libraries
Speed Conversion of EDIFACT Data to XML
Using EDIFACT standard libraries enables companies to pull EDIFACT data and automatically convert it to XML for inclusion in other applications or Web-based services. As a standard format for exchanging business data, EDIFACT has a long history. To fully leverage EDIFACT, companies that use it need to make sure they have libraries containing the full set of EDIFACT message types and versions, as defined in the specifications, from EDIFACT 1988 up to and including the latest version.
Challenges
All of the libraries are open for each end user, and many companies make undocumented changes to specifications, which results in:
- Difficulty leveraging valuable legacy data
- Inconsistencies that hinder automated conversion efforts
- Increased need for expensive and time-consuming hand coding
The Solution
Informatica uses its specification-driven technology to build and maintain its EDIFACT libraries and makes it available as packaged add-ons to Informatica PowerExchange, a next-generation transformation software. Each library contains hundreds of messages. These libraries enable customers to simply map between legacy formats and the provided XML.
By leveraging Informatica’s EDIFACT standard libraries, organizations benefit from:
- Decreased time-to-delivery of legacy data to multiple applications and Web services
- Minimized risk of cost overruns or project delays
- Improved data consistency across systems, processes and organizations
Key capabilities include:
- Example-based parsing helps handle variations to the standard, based on real data
- Automated library creation significantly reduces time to create any new version based on the same documentation template
- Informatica parsers and serializers run with no modification or need for compilation in any of the major EAI/B2B solutions
- Automatic construction of a parser, serializer, and XSD schema for the data supports processing of complex COBOL copybooks
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