EDI Session form

The EDI Session form enables you to add and edit an EDI session and add additional mailboxes, EDI settings (on page 1), and EDI filters for the selected EDI session.

For outbound EDI sessions, you can use session criteria to restrict the data included in the extracted EDI message. This differs from an EDI filter, which you can use to map data from one value to another value. For example, you can use session criteria to restrict the data to only include units for a specific line operator, such as ABC. For the same EDI session, you can use an EDI filter to map the line operator ID of ABC to ABB in the extracted EDI file. For more information on EDI filters, see EDI Filter form (on page 1).

Before adding an EDI session, you must first define at least one EDI mailbox, a message type, and an EDI message map for the selected trading partner.

To add or edit an EDI Session:

1. In the Session Details area, in the Name field, enter a name that uniquely identifies the EDI session.

N4 includes the session name as part of the file name, which consists of the system time + session name + session file extension, for the file that the EDI session creates. Therefore, do not use any special characters in the Name field that your operating system may not support as part of a file name.

2. Optionally, in the Description field, enter a short description for the EDI session.

3. From the Complex drop-down list, select the complex for which the EDI session will be set up.

If you are logged in at the complex or a lower scope level, you can set up EDI sessions only for the current complex.

4. From the Direction drop-down list, select Receive or Send depending on whether the session is for an inbound or outbound EDI message.

• Receive: The trading partner will send the data as an EDI message file to N4 for posting. Use for an inbound EDI session.

• Send: The data will be extracted from N4, mapped into an EDI message file and sent to the selected trading partner. Use for an outbound EDI session.

5. From the Message Class drop-down list, select the message class for the EDI session.

6. Optionally, from the Message Map drop-down list, select an EDI message map (on page 1) for the EDI session.

The drop-down list displays all the EDI message maps for the selected EDI message type for the selected EDI direction (receive/send).

N4 does not require a message map if you select INVENTORY for the message class in step 5, or if you process inbound EDI messages that contain a one to one mapping of the elements in the schema. Otherwise, you must select a message map.

7. From the Trading Partner drop-down list, select the trading partner with whom an EDI message will be exchanged for this session.

If you open this form from the EDI Configuration view, then the Trading Partner drop-down list is not available since you have already selected the trading partner in the EDI Configuration view.

8. From the Primary Mailbox drop-down list, select the EDI mailbox for the specified trading partner.

The drop-down list displays the mailboxes defined for the EDI trading partner for the selected EDI direction (receive/send).

9. Optionally, in the File Extension field, enter a file extension for the EDI session.

• For an inbound EDI session, N4 uses this extension to identify the file to use for the EDI session.

• For an outbound EDI session, N4 appends the file extension to the name of the file created by the EDI session.

If you do not specify an extension, for an inbound or outbound EDI session, N4 uses .edi as the file extension.

10. Optionally, in the Delimiters field, enter a character that will be used as a delimiter for all outbound EDI messages.

If the EDI output file type is FLATFILE, you must specify a delimiter for the EDI session.

Some EDI files use apostrophe (‘) as a segment terminator. If the EDI file also contains the apostrophe as part of the data, you must add an EDI_LOAD_INTERCEPTOR code extension to remove the apostrophe from the data.

11. Optionally, in the Last Control Number field, enter a number that you want N4 to use as the starting point for the EDI transaction control number for the EDI session. The EDI transaction control number is used at the UNH - UNT (EDIFACT) or the SE - ST (ANSI) level and gets incremented for every EDI transaction.

By default, the EDI transaction control number starts at one, but you can use this field to specify a different starting point for a specific EDI session for a trading partner.

12. Optionally, you can edit the Message Sequence Number automatically generated by N4.

This number is part of the interchange number and increments with each session extraction.

You can map the Message Sequence Number to the UNB segment of your mapping file.

13. Optionally, from the Load Code Extension, Post Code Extension, and Extract Code Extension drop-down lists, you can select the groovy code extensions of type EDI_LOAD_INTERCEPTOR, EDI_POST_INTERCEPTOR, or EDI_EXTRACT_INTERCEPTOR respectively for the EDI session.

For more information on code extension types, see Extension Type Registry view and Code Extensions view.

14. Optionally, from the Errors Alert drop-down list, select the error to be displayed in the Batches view (on page 1) if an error occurs when processing the transaction.

For information on the configuring the error messages, see EDI Errors Alert view (on page 1).

15. For inbound EDI messages, select the Auto Post check box if you want the received EDI messages to be posted directly to N4.

If you do not select the Auto Post option, a received EDI message will be mapped and loaded but not posted in N4. You will have to open the EDI batch and manually post the EDI session.

16. Optionally, select the Check Interchange Number check box to send a notification e-mail if the received message envelope interchange number is not one larger than that of the previous message.

When you select Check Interchange Number, N4 validates the Message Sequence Number. If the current envelope sequence number is not one larger than that of the previous message sent by the trading partner, N4 sends a notification e-mail.

17. In the Filter Criteria area, for outbound EDI sessions, you can define session criteria to restrict the data included in the extract EDI message. By default, an outbound STOWPLAN EDI message includes the data for the selected vessel and an outbound INVENTORY EDI session includes all of the unit facility visit data for the current complex.

The session criteria differs from an EDI filter (on page 1), which you can use to map data from one value to another value.

For an ACTIVITY EDI session, N4 includes all of the existing data, therefore you must create session criteria to restrict the data in the extract to the line operators and events you want. In addition, you must also create session criteria for outbound ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (on page 1) EDI sessions.

The Filter Criteria pane is not available until there are values for all required Session Details.

18. Click Save.

You must save the EDI session before you can add additional mailboxes, EDI settings, and EDI filters for the EDI session.

For inbound EDI messages the EDI session must be unique by trading partner, direction, and EDI message type.

To manually extract an ACTIVITY EDI session:

• Click Extract.

The Last Run Status field is updated automatically each time an EDI session is run.

When you run an ACTIVITY EDI session extract, the activity data in N4 is extracted from the date and time stored in the Last Run Time field to the current date and time. If an Activity EDI session extract is successful, the date and time of the last successful run is stored in the Last Run Time field. If the extraction is unsuccessful, the date and time values are not updated for the erroneous extract.

  The maximum number of days that can be extracted is last seven days (from the current date) to avoid performance issues.     

To extract EDI by email, make sure that the EDIEMAIL001 (EMAIL_FROM) (on page 1) and EDIEMAIL002 (EMAIL_REPLY_TO) (on page 1) settings are set correctly for your scope level. N4 validates the email address when you create or edit the EDI configuration (on page 1). For more information, see EDI settings (on page 1).

To re-extract an ACTIVITY EDI session:

1. Optionally, in the Last Control Number field, enter the number to be used for the message control number sent to a trading partner.

2. In the Last Run Time field, enter the date and time from when the extract must start.

You can modify the date and time value specified in the Last Run Time field to force the ACTIVITY EDI message extract to start at a specified time.

To re-extract an ACTIVITY EDI message that was successful in N4, it is recommended that you update the values in the Last Run Time field to start the extract at the same date and time as the previous extract. For example, if an extract was successful for the last 2 hours of activity in N4 but the trading partner didn't receive the EDI message, to re-extract the EDI message for the last 2 hours of activity you must update the date and time values in the Last Run Time field to 2 hours ago.

3. Click Save.

The changes are saved and the EDI Session form is closed.

4. To manually extract the EDI session, double-click the EDI session in the Sessions view and click Extract.

  To extract EDI for a vessel, such as a stowplan or load list EDI message type, see Outbound EDI tab.