Overview

This chapter specifically addresses processing inbound TRADACOMS documents using Trading Networks. For information about processing inbound documents using any other EDI standard, see Preparing to Process Inbound Non-TRADACOMS Documents Using Trading Networks .

When webMethods Trading Networks (Trading Networks) receives an EDI document, it passes it to an EDI recognizer that performs the initial processing. The EDI recognizer is installed in Trading Networks when you install webMethods Module for EDI (Module for EDI). You can use EDITPA variables to tailor how the EDI recognizer processes an inbound EDI document. For more information, see Specifying EDITPA Variables that Affect Inbound Processing When Using TRADACOMS.

To prepare the EDI document for the processing that you want to perform against it, the EDI recognizer splits the original inbound EDI document based on the setting of the TRADACOMS/splitOption variable in the EDITPA. The EDI recognizer can split the original EDI document into Transmission, Batch, and/or File documents. After forming the transmission, batch, and file documents, the EDI recognizer sends the documents to Trading Networks for normal processing.

You define the processing that Trading Networks performs against transmission and batch documents, and files by defining processing rules. Processing rules consist of:

Criteria that Trading Networks uses to select the appropriate processing rule for a document. To set the criteria, you can use Trading Networks attributes along with other information that Trading Networks records about a document, for example, the TN document type used for the document. This allows you to set up criteria for processing rules so that Trading Networks selects the correct processing rule for your document. For example, you can set up criteria so that Trading Networks selects a processing rule only if it is from specific senders. For more information about the document attributes that are available, see Trading Networks Attributes and EDI Documents When Using TRADACOMS.

Actions that Trading Networks is to take against the document. You will typically want to use the Execute a Service action in a processing rule to invoke a service that you create to process the Transmission, Batch, or File document. For more information about defining processing rules and creating a service to process a Transmission, Batch, or File document, see Defining Processing Rules to Process Inbound EDI Documents When Using TRADACOMS.

Note: This chapter describes how to set up basic inbound processing when using Trading Networks. For information about setting up to validate transmission and/or batch control numbers, see Optional Inbound Processing When Using Trading Networks .

For more information about processing EDI documents and business processes, including an illustration of how EDI documents are passed to a business process, see webMethods Module for EDI Concepts Guide .

For more information about Trading Networks document attributes and processing rules, see the Trading Networks Concepts Guide and the webMethods Trading Networks Administrator’s Guide for your release.