EDI Glossary

Essential terms for implementing EDIconnect v2.0

This glossary covers the core vocabulary you will encounter in the documentation, in EDI files and in discussions with partners. Terms are grouped by category and listed alphabetically within each category.

Identifiers

CUI (Cod Unic de Identificare) The tax identification code of a company in Romania, assigned by ANAF. In EDI messages it is transmitted in the RFF+VA segment and is required for the fiscal identification of the supplier and buyer in INVOIC.

EAN / GTIN-13 (Global Trade Item Number) The barcode of a product, consisting of 13 digits, globally unique. It is managed by GS1 and identifies a specific trade item (including the packaging variant). In EDI messages it appears in the LIN segment together with the qualifier EN. See also: Field Mapping — LIN.

GLN (Global Location Number) A 13-digit identifier assigned by GS1 to a company or physical location (warehouse, store, head office). In EDI it replaces the company name — all messages use GLN instead of a name. It appears in the NAD and UNB segments. A supplier may have different GLNs for the head office and for each warehouse.

SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) An 18-digit code that uniquely identifies a physical pallet or parcel during transport. It is generated by the supplier at packing time and transmitted in DESADV in the GIN+BJ segment. It enables the partner to scan the pallet at reception and automatically match it with the DESADV. See: DESADV — Structure.

EDI Messages

DESADV (Despatch Advice) The delivery notice — the message sent by the supplier (CRMconnect) to the partner to announce that the goods have been dispatched. It contains the product list, quantities, pallet SSCCs and the estimated delivery date. It must be sent before the truck leaves the warehouse. See: Message Flow — DESADV.

INVOIC The electronic fiscal invoice sent by the supplier (CRMconnect) to the partner after the goods have been delivered. It contains all product lines, prices, VAT and references to the order and the delivery note. It can be of type original (O), correction (C) or return (R), indicated in the DocumentType field. See: INVOIC — Structure.

NIR (Goods Receiving Note) The internal document generated by the partner upon reception of the goods, the physical equivalent of the RECADV message. It confirms the quantities actually received and may differ from the DESADV if discrepancies arise at reception. In integrated systems, the NIR is generated automatically when the RECADV is processed.

ORDERS The purchase order message sent by a retailer or distributor to the supplier. It is the first message in the Order-to-Cash flow and contains the list of ordered products, quantities, negotiated prices and the delivery location. The order number (OrderNumber) from ORDERS must be transmitted in all subsequent messages via RFF+ON. See: Message Flow.

RECADV (Receiving Advice) The receiving advice sent by the partner after the physical receipt of goods. It confirms the quantities received and flags any discrepancies compared to the DESADV (shortages, surplus, damaged products). It can be of type normal reception, return (DocumentType=R) or seizure (BGM+70E). See: Message Flow — Special Scenarios.

Standards

D.01B The 2001 version of the UN/EDIFACT standard used in EDIconnect v2.0. It is the current version and must not be confused with D.96A (the 1996 version, older), which is used by some legacy partners. The version appears in the UNH segment of each message.

EANCOM The GS1 profile of the UN/EDIFACT standard, adapted for European retail and distribution. It defines a subset of EDIFACT segments with stricter rules regarding which fields are mandatory and which values are accepted. Most European retailers use EANCOM, not generic EDIFACT.

GS1 The international non-profit organisation that manages standards for identification and communication in the supply chain. It assigns prefixes for EAN/GTIN, GLN and SSCC and publishes the EANCOM specifications. Website: gs1.org. In Romania, the local organisation is GS1 Romania (gs1.ro).

UN/EDIFACT (United Nations Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport) The international standard for electronic data interchange in trade, published by the UN. It defines the message syntax (segments, data elements, separators) and message types (ORDERS, INVOIC, etc.). EANCOM is a profile of this standard. Official documentation: unece.org/trade/uncefact.

XSD (XML Schema Definition) A file that defines the valid structure of an XML message: which fields are mandatory, what data types are accepted, what maximum lengths are permitted. EDIconnect uses XSD files for the automatic validation of messages before processing. If a message does not pass XSD validation, it is rejected with an error. See: Error Codes.

Transport

AS2 (Applicability Statement 2) A secure EDI file transfer protocol over HTTPS with digital certificates and MDN signature (delivery acknowledgement). It is recommended for large partners who require high security and automatic confirmation of message delivery. It requires technical configuration (certificates, ports) at both ends.

Interchange A physical EDIfact file that can contain one or more individual messages. It is delimited by the UNB segment (start) and UNZ segment (end). For example, an interchange file can contain 10 INVOIC messages sent to a partner at the same time.

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) A secure file transfer protocol over SSH. Used in EDIconnect for batch message exchange: files are placed in an SFTP directory from where they are automatically picked up by the system. It is simpler to configure than AS2 and suitable for medium volumes.

VAN (Value Added Network) A third-party EDI network that routes messages between partners, similar to an email service for EDI. Partners connect to the VAN instead of connecting directly to each other. It provides additional services: message archiving, format conversion, monitoring. Examples: EDITEL, Edicom, Crossroads.

EDIfact Structure

BGM (Beginning of Message) The first segment of the actual message (after UNH), which specifies the document type and its unique number. For example, in INVOIC, BGM contains the invoice type code and the invoice number. In RECADV, the code in BGM indicates whether it is a normal reception, a return or a seizure.

DTM (Date/Time/Period) The segment for calendar dates and time periods. It appears multiple times in the same message for different dates: invoice date, delivery date, due date, order date. It contains a qualifier that specifies which date it represents (e.g. 137 = document date, 35 = delivery date).

LIN (Line Item) The segment that marks the beginning of a product line in the message. It contains the line number and the product code (EAN/GTIN). Each product in an order, delivery note or invoice has its own set of LIN segments plus the associated segments (quantity, price, VAT, etc.).

NAD (Name and Address) The segment for the identification data of a partner: supplier, buyer, delivery location, billing location. It uses GLN for identification and a qualifier for the partner's role (e.g. BY = buyer, SU = supplier, DP = delivery location).

UNA An optional segment that opens an EDIfact file and defines the special characters used as separators (data element separator, component separator, release character, etc.). If absent, the default values from the standard are used. Its length is always exactly 9 characters.

UNB The interchange envelope — the first mandatory segment of an EDIfact file (after the optional UNA). It contains the sender's GLN, the recipient's GLN, the date and time of sending and a unique interchange control number. It identifies who is sending and who is receiving the entire file.

UNH The header of an individual message within an interchange. It contains a unique message reference number and the message type (e.g. INVOIC:D:01B:UN:EAN010). Each message in the interchange has its own UNH and its own UNT.

UNT The terminator for an individual message. It contains the total number of segments in the message (including UNH and UNT) and the same reference number as in UNH. Used to verify the integrity of the message.

UNZ The terminator for the entire interchange. It contains the total number of messages included in the file and the same control number as in UNB. If the number of messages does not match, the interchange is considered corrupt.

Business Terms

ALC (Allowance/Charge) An EDIfact segment for discounts or additional charges applied at invoice level or at product line level. A = allowance (discount), C = charge (surcharge/addition). Examples: trade discount, freight, urgency fee. Appears in INVOIC before the tax summary.

DocumentType An XML field in EDIconnect messages that indicates the document type: O = original, C = correction (corrects an existing invoice), R = return (goods returned), S = reversal (complete cancellation). Values C and R imply the presence of a reference to the original document. See: Message Flow — Special Scenarios.

Mixed assortment (MX) An invoice line that contains multiple different products sold together as a single item (e.g. a pallet with multiple SKUs). It requires special handling in INVOIC because the EAN on the line is a generic code and the individual products are listed in sub-lines. Not all partners accept mixed assortments.

TaxSummary The section of the INVOIC message that summarises VAT values grouped by tax rate (e.g. total taxable base at 9%, total VAT at 9%; total taxable base at 19%, total VAT at 19%). The partner uses it for automatic fiscal reconciliation. The corresponding segments in EDIfact are TAX and MOA.

TestIndicator A field or qualifier that marks a message as a test, not production. In EDIfact, test interchanges have the value 1 in the corresponding field in UNB. Messages marked as test are processed technically but have no effect in production systems (no real orders, invoices, etc. are generated). Always verify that TestIndicator is absent or 0 before sending to production.

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