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EDI glossary: terms from A to Z

This EDI glossary explains 50 terms that come up again and again in EDI implementation guides, quotes and conversations with customers. Where a topic needs more space, a link leads to the relevant knowledge page. If you are just starting out, read What is EDI? first. What edi-service.eu covers is set out in the FAQ; for your specific case, you can send an enquiry.

Last updated 18 October 2026 · fokus it solutions, Jens Musleh

A to D

ANSI X12

ANSI X12 is the American family of EDI standards, developed by the organisation X12, which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Its purpose is the same as EDIFACT's, but the messages and syntax differ.

APERAK

APERAK is the EDIFACT message with which the recipient confirms that its application has received a message and reports processing errors. It therefore checks the content, such as an unknown item number, not the syntax.

AS2

AS2 (Applicability Statement 2) is a transmission method that sends business data over HTTP, signed and encrypted with S/MIME. It is defined in RFC 4130 from 2005. More on this under AS2 explained.

AS4

AS4 is an OASIS standard from 2013 that governs the exchange of business documents via web services. Technically, it is a profile of ebMS 3.0 and, by its own description, adopts the simple principles of AS2.

Clearing centre

A clearing centre (German: Clearing-Center) is an EDI service provider that translates and forwards messages between you and your partners. Charges are usually per partner and message type, often with a one-off set-up fee for each new connection. Prices are compared under How much does EDI cost?.

CONTRL

With CONTRL, the recipient confirms an EDIFACT interchange at syntax level or rejects it with details of the error. Whether it should do so is specified by the sender in the UNB segment.

DELFOR

DELFOR is the EDIFACT message for delivery schedules: the buyer informs the supplier of short-term delivery dates and medium- to long-term forecasts of requirements. In the automotive industry, it replaces the delivery schedule under VDA 4905.

Delivery schedule

A delivery schedule, also called a call-off (German: Lieferabruf), is the binding quantity with dates that a manufacturer calls off from a supplier under a framework agreement, often supplemented by a forecast. Electronically, it is sent via VDA 4905 or DELFOR.

DELJIT

DELJIT stands for just-in-time call-offs in EDIFACT, meaning short-term, precisely timed delivery requirements. How the automotive industry uses them is described by the VDA in recommendation 4985.

DESADV

DESADV is the despatch advice, also known as an advance shipping notice: a message with the details of a delivery that has been despatched or is ready for despatch, such as packages, items and quantities. More under EDI message types.

DUNS number

The DUNS number is a nine-digit company identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet. Some partners use it as a company identifier.

E to H

EANCOM

EANCOM is a subset of EDIFACT maintained by GS1 for retail and consumer goods. The current version, EANCOM 2002, is based on the EDIFACT directory D.01B, and the previous version from 1997 on D.96A.

EDI

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the electronic exchange of structured business data according to agreed message standards. Orders, despatch advices and invoices go directly from system to system instead of as PDFs or on paper. Introduction: What is EDI?.

EDIFACT

EDIFACT is the United Nations standard for EDI across industries and borders. It defines the syntax and publishes directories of messages such as ORDERS or INVOIC, for example D.96A or D.01B. Structure and examples: EDIFACT explained.

EERP

EERP (End to End Response) is the acknowledgement of receipt in OFTP2: it tells the sender that a file has reached its destination. The sender can then clean up its copies.

EN 16931

EN 16931 is the European standard for electronic invoices, drawn up by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) on behalf of the European Commission. According to the German Federal Ministry of Finance, an invoice that complies with this standard is an e-invoice within the meaning of the German VAT Act.

ERP

An ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning) is the business software for orders, inventory, purchasing and accounting. Every EDI connection starts and ends at the ERP system; see Connecting EDI to your ERP system.

GLN

The GLN (Global Location Number, formerly ILN in Germany) is a 13-digit GS1 number that uniquely identifies companies, locations or departments. In EANCOM messages, it identifies the buyer, supplier and delivery location. More under GLN and other identifiers.

Global DELFOR and Global DESADV

Global DELFOR (VDA 4984) and Global DESADV (VDA 4987) are the VDA's EDIFACT-based recommendations for delivery schedules and despatch advices. They replace the older flat-file formats VDA 4905 and VDA 4913. Details: VDA and Global standards.

GTIN

The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number, formerly EAN) is the GS1 item number for goods and services that are ordered, priced or invoiced.

I to O

Identifier and qualifier

An identifier designates the sender or recipient; a qualifier states which scheme the identifier comes from. The UNB segment, for example, contains 9520000000011:14: the GLN (fictitious) followed by qualifier 14 for GS1.

IDoc

An IDoc (Intermediate Document) is SAP's exchange format: a container made up of a control record, data segments and status records. SAP describes IDocs as the standard interface for exchanging data with external systems, which is why EDI messages for SAP are often translated into IDocs.

Interchange

An interchange is a transmission in EDIFACT format that begins with UNB, ends with UNZ and contains one or more messages in between, just as an envelope can hold several letters to the same recipient.

INVOIC

INVOIC is the EDIFACT invoice. With the right qualification, the same message also serves as a credit note or debit note.

Mapping

A mapping is the translation rule between two formats, for example from EDIFACT ORDERS into your ERP system's order interface. There is one for each combination of partner, message type and direction. If a partner changes its format, the mapping has to follow. Otherwise processing fails.

MDN

The MDN (Message Disposition Notification) is the acknowledgement of receipt in AS2. If it is signed, it proves that exactly this message reached the partner unchanged.

Message Implementation Guide

A Message Implementation Guide (MIG), often simply called an EDI implementation guide, describes how a partner applies a standard in practice: which segments are mandatory, which codes apply, which identifiers it expects. What to look out for is set out in the EDI implementation guide checklist.

Odette

Odette International is an automotive industry organisation that provides standards, tools and services for the supply chain. Among other things, it maintains OFTP2 and the Odette ID.

Odette ID

The Odette ID is a globally unique identifier from Odette, recognised under ISO/IEC 6523 and ISO/IEC 15459. The OFTP Code derived from it identifies an OFTP2 server and always serves as the Start Session ID (SSID), often also as the Start File ID (SFID).

OFTP2

OFTP2 is the automotive industry's transmission protocol, described in RFC 5024 from 2007. It transfers files over the internet with TLS, file encryption, signatures and end-to-end acknowledgement; encrypted connections use port 6619. More on this under OFTP2 explained.

ORDERS

ORDERS is the EDIFACT purchase order: it describes goods or services ordered on agreed terms.

ORDRSP

The supplier responds to an ORDERS message with ORDRSP, the purchase order response. It can use it to accept or reject the order or to propose changes, for example to quantity or date.

P to S

Peppol

Peppol is a network with uniform rules and document formats for electronic invoices and orders. Participants send and receive through an approved Peppol service provider; Peppol itself is not a portal. How it differs from EDI: EDI, web EDI and e-invoicing.

PRICAT

With PRICAT, the price/sales catalogue in EDIFACT, the seller sends item master data and prices to the buyer. This often happens before the first order arrives.

RECADV

With RECADV, the receiving advice, the recipient confirms receipt of a delivery. If the goods differ from the despatch advice or the order, it reports this in the same message.

Segment

A segment is a line of data in an EDIFACT message, introduced by a three-letter tag, such as NAD for names and addresses or DTM for dates. The character ' terminates a segment.

SFTP

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) transfers files encrypted over an SSH connection. For EDI, it is a simple method without its own acknowledgement of receipt; the identifier here is the user, not an EDI address. Methods compared: Transmission methods.

SSCC

The SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code, known in Germany as NVE) is the GS1 number of a logistic unit, such as a pallet or a parcel.

Subset

A subset is an extract from a standard defined by an industry or organisation so that its members only use the segments and codes they really need, as with EANCOM as a subset of EDIFACT for retail.

T to Z

TEST and PROD

TEST and PROD denote the test mode and the live operation of a connection. In the UNB segment, test indicator 1 marks an interchange as a test so that the partner does not post it. The switch only happens after acceptance.

UN/CEFACT

UN/CEFACT is the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business. It publishes the EDIFACT directories, for example D.01B in 2001.

UNB and UNZ

UNB and UNZ are the segments at the start and end of an interchange. UNB contains the sender, recipient, date and a reference number; UNZ contains the number of messages included. UNA can precede them to state the separators used.

UNH and UNT

Within the interchange, UNH and UNT frame each individual message. UNH gives the message type and version, such as ORDERS:D:01B:UN:EAN010; UNT counts the segments in the message.

VAN

A VAN (value-added network) is a provider's private network through which partners deliver their EDI messages to mailboxes. Transmission usually incurs fees, which is why many companies have moved to internet protocols such as AS2.

VDA 4905

VDA 4905 is the 1996 recommendation of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) for delivery schedules in a fixed record format (flat file). The VDA has replaced it with VDA 4984 (Global DELFOR).

VDA 4913

VDA recommendation 4913 covers delivery note and transport data in flat-file format. It has been replaced by VDA 4987 (Global DESADV), but according to the VDA is still widely used.

Web EDI

Web EDI is a browser portal in which you type order confirmations, despatch advices or invoices by hand. The portal turns them into EDI messages for the customer, but your ERP system is left out. With few documents, that is enough.

X.400

X.400 is an ITU-T series of standards for exchanging messages via message handling services. Some EDI service providers still offer X.400 mailboxes (Telebox); edi-service.eu does not support X.400.

XRechnung

XRechnung is the German standard for electronic invoices to public-sector contracting authorities. It implements EU Directive 2014/55/EU, is maintained by KoSIT and consists of XML only, without a PDF view.

ZUGFeRD

ZUGFeRD is a hybrid invoice format: a PDF for people with an embedded XML file for machines. It is developed by the Forum elektronische Rechnung Deutschland (FeRD).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between EDIFACT and EANCOM?

EANCOM is an extract from EDIFACT defined by GS1 for retail and consumer goods. It uses the same syntax and the same messages, but only the parts these industries need, and it requires GS1 numbers such as the GLN and GTIN.

Not automatically. Under German law, an e-invoice must be structured and generally comply with EN 16931. According to the German Federal Ministry of Finance, EDI processes that do not meet these requirements may still be used until the end of 2027.

Which identifiers do I need for EDI?

Your partner specifies this in its EDI implementation guide. In retail it is usually a GLN, in the automotive industry with OFTP2 an Odette ID, and with AS2 an AS2 ID that you agree with the partner.

Sources

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