What do you need to know about EDI?

What is EDI?

EDI = Electronic Data Interchange – exchange of trade and financial documents (such as orders, order acknowledgements, dispatch advices, invoices, revised invoices etc.) in the form of a standard electronic message, directly between the computer systems of business partners.

What is GLN?

The Global Location Number is used to identify every location which needs unambiguous and unique identification in the supply chain. Types of locations which can be identified with GLN numbers, are the following:

• legal entity – a legal organization which is a member of the GS1 System, e.g. companies as a whole or their branches, including suppliers, clients, financial service providers etc. (GLN of a legal entity is usually used for EDI box identification).

• actual (physical) location – a single access point with a physical address, e.g. a specific room in a building, a warehouse, warehouse gate, warehouse ramp, delivery desk, a rack, rack shelf, or room.

What are the benefits of EDI implementation in a company?

Switching from the paper version of business and logistic documents to their electronic version guarantees numerous benefits for companies, including process optimization, improvement of data quality, reduction of costs related to paper document processing, and improvement of relations with business partners.

A detailed description of the benefits can be found here>>

What are the most popular formats of e-documents and where can I find sample specifications of such documents?

The basic formats include UN/EDIFACT (United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange For Administration, Commerce, and Transport), and XML. Specifications of e-documents used on the Polish market can be found here (XML) , and here (EDIFACT)

Is there an organization handling EDI matters and messages in Poland?

Yes, there is an EDI standardization group initiated by the members of ECR Polska. One of its functions is to negotiate the EDI messages used by suppliers and trade chains in Poland.

Is it possible to send an e-invoice via EDI and abandon the paper version?

Yes, it is guaranteed by the decision of the Minister of Finance of 14 July 2005 regarding the matter of the transmission and receipt of e-invoices, their storage and their availability to tax and tax inspection authorities.