This title is what you read when you click on the page of the SAPADC product EDIMON on the Libelle homepage, but what does the name EDIMON actually mean? Does it have something to do with EDI? And what is an IDOC? Although these two acronyms are familiar to most people, the exact purpose of both terms is sometimes unknown.
EDI stands for ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE, a term which describes the general exchange of data. Since an exchange always includes people who own and want to exchange this data, EDI cannot be operated by a single person.
Unfortunately, EDI is not quite that easy to define. Since the term EDI is predominantly used in an economic context, the exchanging entities are not persons, but companies. Also "exchanging" is too simplistic a term at this point, since EDI is not meant to simply describe the sending of e-mails. Rather, EDI emphasizes an automated process that transfers more complex data in a standardized way. And with the keyword standard, we are already at the most complex topic of EDI. EDI itself does not describe an exact standard, but is a collective term for many agreements that define the exchange of data in certain procedures. Such standards are defined by different organizations, so there is not one EDI standard, but many.
Well, almost. IDOCs are an EDI standard created by SAP. Although this standard is not officially registered, IDOCs represent a certain industry standard for companies that come into contact with SAP systems. But what does IDOC actually mean? IDOC is an acronym that stands fo Intermediate Document . (Source) Intermediate document means that the data is temporarily in IDOC format for exchange and later receives a different format. IDOCs organize themselves by a certain message type. These message types define a structure. Anyone who knows this message type with its structure can read and convert the data.(Source)
Sure, that happens. Especially if the exchange partners do not agree correctly and change something in the IDOC message type. To detect and correct this requires separate departments in many companies. And to make it easier for companies to monitor their electronic data exchange via IDOCs, there is Libelle EDIMON.
Libelle EDIMON automates this workflow in a simple way, so you know at all times if the data transmissions of the business processes run error-free. The SAP basis team is relieved, and activities can be carried out directly by the specialist department. Thus, they have clarity at all times through the responsibility for their own processes.