A TRADACOMS transmission consists of:
A TRADACOMS File consists of a series of Messages. Each Message has a similar overall structure, beginning with a Message Header Segment (MHD) and ending with a Message Trailer Segment (MTR). The contents, however, are different for each transaction type or File Format (for example, Orders, Invoices), and these are specified in the individual format specifications.
Normal practice should be to send one file per STX envelope. However, in library implementations, when several libraries trade through a shared EDI gateway, it is more efficient to send multiple files of the same type in a single STX envelope. This practice should be agreed between trading partners.
Each segment consists of:
For example:
STX=ANAA:1+5012345678987:LIB+5098765432123:SUPP+01906+246359++BTOERS2’
The five characters that are listed and described in the following table have special significance in a TRADACOMS transmission.
|
Character |
Description |
|---|---|
|
= |
The equals sign is used to separate a segment label from the first data element in the segment. |
|
+ |
The plus sign is used to separate successive data elements within a segment. |
|
: |
The colon is used in composite data elements to separate successive component sub-elements. |
|
‘ |
The apostrophe is used to terminate a segment. |
|
? |
The question mark is used as a “release character”. When any of these five characters with special meaning is required as part of the text content of a data element, it must be preceded by the release character in order to ensure that it is not misinterpreted. For example, O’REILLY must be sent as O?’REILLY. Note that the release character is not counted as part of the length of the data element. |