Please select from the tabs below: Total E-Commerce Integration Desktop EDI Network Solutions. Trading Partner Community Solutions. Who is Softshare?

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2 Softshare History Over time, events tend to become separated from the years in which they occurred. When asked who you were dating in 1994, it may take 20 minutes of mental backtracking to come up with the answer. But when asked who you were dating when Forrest Gump was released, it s likely that a name immediately springs to mind. So, to help you better absorb Softshare s 25 years of history, we ve paired some of the company s more memorable milestones with pop culture phenomena of the time. Softshare opened its doors in 1982 in Santa Barbara, California. At the same time that the kids from Fame were making leg warmers a must-have fashion accessory, Softshare was making its debut as a provider of high-speed time-sharing services for government contractors. Softshare, Inc. Softshare, Inc. is based in the heart of beautiful Santa Barbara, California. Over the next 10 years, as acid-washed jeans and spandex came and went, Softshare continued to expand its contractor services. Proprietary network and -based solutions were introduced to give contractors timely notification of bid opportunities and new sources were added to Softshare s contract database. In 1992, the federal government embraced EDI as its preferred method of communication with contractors. And so, just as Achy Breaky Heart entered the top of the music charts, Softshare entered the EDI industry, developing software for the electronic exchange of government documents. Recognizing EDI s value to all businesses, Softshare enhanced its EDI software with standard business document templates such as purchase orders and invoices to support EDI relationships between any two trading partners. Since then, an entire suite of e-commerce applications has followed. Softshare B.V. In 2005, Softshare went international, opening European headquarters in historic Amsterdam. And Softshare hasn t looked back. Except maybe to watch Seinfeld reruns. In 2005, Softshare opened offices in the Netherlands. Based in Amsterdam, Softshare B.V. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Softshare Inc., selling and supporting Softshare s suite of e-commerce software across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. Today, thousands of businesses rely on Softshare for its e-commerce solutions. And wouldn t you know it? Leg warmers are making a comeback. Who Is Softshare? Softshare History Softshare Culture

3 Softshare Culture What do you get when you throw a pack of dogs, a baby or two, a fish named El Guapo, and a group of talented people into the same office space? The most innovative e-commerce software company around. If you re a Softshare client or if you ve spent some time researching our products, you know that Softshare has its act together. Our solutions are cutting-edge yet affordable, our entire sales team knows your name, our customer service representatives follow through with every issue, and our programming department looks forward to incorporating your suggestions into the software. Secret to Success How has Softshare maintained such quality output and client interaction for the past 25 years? Vision, dedication, and genius are partly to blame, but the real secret to Softshare s success is a great company culture. Carmel, California Employees and friends enjoying a hike on one of Softshare s annual company retreats. Annual company retreats, karaoke parties, a generous bring-yourdog-and-fish-and-newborn-to-work policy, beach outings, practical jokes, flexible work schedules, Softshare-sponsored sports teams, good friends, and an endless supply of coffee and bagels keep everyone happy. Success can only be achieved through happy, energized, and inspired team members. When employees enjoy what they do and those they do it with, it s reflected in every aspect of the final product from reasonable pricing to outstanding customer service to innovative solutions. Softshare understands this. And that s why it s one of the leading e-commerce software providers today. K-9 to 5 It s another hard day s work for Lucky, Softshare s top dog. Who Is Softshare? Softshare History Softshare Culture

4 Softshare Delta Diversity is beautiful. It s a sentiment that lends itself to almost any context. Nature, of course. The cereal aisle. Shoes. But if you re trying to integrate e-commerce data with other areas of your business operations, it doesn t take long to decide that diversity in data formats isn t so pretty. It s a lot of work converting EDI into flat files. Or XML into EDI. Source Data Format EDI to... Data File to... Database to... XML to... Target Data Format Supported Data Formats EDI Data File Database XML Text P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P To help you overcome these rare instances of unwanted diversity, there s Softshare Delta. Delta is a translator that maps between any of the following data formats: EDI, XML, data (flat) files, database tables, and text formats such as HTML. Data Modeling Before you can map between two data formats, you must first model those formats. This would be a time-consuming task if it weren t for Softshare Delta s convenient modeling features. Simply import an EDI document, XML document, or data file, or point to a database table, and Delta creates the model for you, replicating the provided data format down to the smallest detail. Rule Writing Once your models are defined, the next step is to create a map that links the source model s data elements to their proper positions in the target model. In Softshare Delta, many of a map s rules can be quickly written by dragging and dropping. However, because target data formats usually require data that is not present in the source data or require source data to be manipulated in some way, not all rules can be written this way. For these scenarios, Delta offers a host of rule refinement features. You can incorporate functions, conditions, variables, arrays, sequences, and constants into your map rules. You can even establish dynamic lookups that retrieve data from external data sources such as databases during map execution. Compatible with Softshare ECS While Softshare Delta can be used as a stand-alone application, it is most typically run in conjunction with Softshare ECS, Softshare s e- commerce server. In this capacity, Delta translates the data that ECS passes to it, then delivers it back to ECS for further routing. The Delta Desktop Delta s mapping interface displays all three map components at once: source model, target model, and map rules. Rules can be written manually from the rule pane or they can be written automatically by dragging and dropping a source element onto a target element. Manager (TPM) Using TPM, a utility that ships with Delta, you can store large amounts of data for your trading partners. TPM is the link between your maps and their corresponding trading partners, allowing you to automatically translate incoming data, address and format outgoing data, and generate functional acknowledgments, among other things. Integration Softshare Delta Softshare ECS Web Services Integration Desktop EDI Network Solutions

5 Softshare ECS What s fun to be around, has excellent communications skills, is highly intelligent, works all hours, and maintains a backup plan for every possible scenario? Softshare s IT department is a good guess. But try again. Here s a clue: Softshare ECS! An incredibly powerful e-commerce server that moves data into, out of, and across your enterprise in real time. The Great Communicator You ll have no trouble exchanging data with your trading partners or other areas of your operations. Softshare ECS is fluent in all Internet communications protocols, including: POP3 SMTP (supports AS1 security) HTTP & HTTPS (supports AS2 security) FTP, FTPS, & S/FTP (supports AS3 security) Data Administrator All data that passes through ECS is stored in the data repository. You can view, filter, copy, restage, archive, or purge this data using ECS Data Administrator utility. Quick-Thinking Using input channels, output queues, and event rules, ECS is able to route and process data in real time. Input channels and output queues determine where, when, and how ECS retrieves and delivers data. Event rules are typically tied to input channels, promptly telling ECS what to do with data upon its arrival. But event rules can also be associated with output queues or even other event rules to initiate chains of events upon the completion or failure of deliveries or other data processes. Some common actions that event rules perform include forwarding data to output queues, sending messages, and running custom commands and scripts. Tireless Softshare ECS never sleeps. Requiring no daily attention or intervention, the ECS server runs quietly in the background, always on the alert for new data to process or deliver. Sociable While Softshare ECS can be used on its own, it is most typically run in conjunction with Softshare Delta, Softshare s data translator. In this environment, ECS uses its event rule system to deliver data to Delta for translation and, ultimately, integration with your back-end systems. WebECS Softshare ECS ships with WebECS, a Web component that lets you optionally manage various aspects of ECS from your browser or even your cell phone. Softshare s Network Administrator Speaks Out Our department is fun, well-versed in e-commerce communications, hardworking, and prepared for any network issues that may arise. So is ECS. That s why we rely on it every day to run Softshare s critical network operations. Integration Softshare Delta Softshare ECS Web Services Integration Desktop EDI Network Solutions

6 Web Services Perform an Internet search on santa barbara and what do you get? 121,000,000 Web page results most of them devoted to the city s abundance of tourist attractions. But more interesting than photos of dolphin fountains and sundrenched beaches is the technology that allows search engines to return millions of Web page links in.11 seconds. This technology is called Web services. Broadly defined, Web services are remote requests, usually made via HTTP. In the case of a typical search engine, a request is made from your browser and results are returned in HTML. This type of Web service relies on human interaction. There s another breed of Web services that eliminates the need for human intervention. These Web services embody universal standards to provide application-to-application integration over the Web. In this context, Web service requests and responses are initiated by applications typically via HTTP, with XML as the message format. Delta & ECS Support Web Services When Softshare Delta and Softshare ECS are run in tandem, you get a platform that keeps pace with the rapidly evolving world of application-to-application Web services. ECS handles the communications component of Web services with its built-in HTTP server, a specialized Web server that continuously listens for incoming requests and synchronously responds to posted data based on its content. Delta translates the XML messages that are exchanged via Web services, using Web-service-specific features and functions to package and unpackage the encapsulation layers used by most business frameworks such as SOAP or RosettaNet. Using Delta and ECS, you can implement Web services within your existing e-commerce environment. Softshare s building-block approach does not require any Java or.net code. Softshare Web Services Toolkit The dynamic duo of Delta and ECS becomes a terrific trio when you throw the Softshare Web Services Toolkit into the mix. This add-on component is a collection of advanced product features, documentation, and tutorials that highlight how to best use Delta and ECS to bring your Web services solutions to life. Excellent Results Query the Internet for the phrase softshare web services and 11,500 results are returned. Not bad! Learn more about Delta & ECS support of Web services at softshare.com/solutions/webservices. Integration Softshare Delta Softshare ECS Web Services Integration Desktop EDI Network Solutions

7 Softshare Athena There s no easier way to enjoy EDI than with Softshare Athena, Softshare s Web EDI solution. With no software to install and no learning curve, you can be EDI capable in a matter of hours. Athena is also affordable. Developed for companies that exchange very low volumes of EDI documents, Athena is an economical alternative to traditional EDI software and network services. Taking the E-D-I Out of EDI EDI is an acronym for one of the following terms. Is it: electronic document initiative electronic data interchange everybody s doing it electronic delivery implementation Easy-to-Read Business Documents Athena translates the unfriendly EDI data format into attractive HTML. Who cares! As a Softshare Athena user, you don t need to know a thing about EDI. Athena does all the work for you, translating the unfriendly EDI data format into easy-to-read HTML business documents. You ll never need to look at an EDI document in its native format and you certainly won t need to know what EDI stands for. Creating Documents Easily For each trading partner that you exchange EDI documents with, Softshare Athena features a custom template called a trading partner kit (TPK). TPKs are programmed with your trading partners EDI implementation conventions. When you create or reply to an EDI document in Athena, the appropriate TPK is invoked and an attractive form displays, prompting you for the exact information required by that trading partner for the document being created. Automated Acknowledgments In Softshare Athena, acknowledgments are automatically generated and sent to your trading partners, letting them know that their documents have been received. Since the majority of trading partners require acknowledgments, it s helpful to have Athena handle them for you. Bar Coding Too Softshare Athena may be easy, but that doesn t mean it lacks sophistication. If your trading partners require bar codes, you can create and print bar code labels directly from Athena. Pretty impressive for a Web EDI solution. There s Nothing To It To create an EDI document in Softshare Athena, simply fill in the form s fields and click the Send button. Athena will auto-fill as many fields as possible to reduce data entry. If data that you re responsible for providing is missing or invalid, Athena highlights the error so that you can fix it before the document is sent to your trading partner. Explore the Softshare Athena guest account to see for yourself how easy EDI can be: Desktop EDI Softshare Athena Softshare EDI Notepad Integration Desktop EDI Network Solutions

8 Softshare EDI Notepad Offer something for free and people become skeptical. That s what happened when Softshare posted Softshare EDI Notepad, its EDI editing application, to our Web site as a free download. Apparently, EDI Notepad sounds too good to be true: Supporting ANSI X12, EDIFACT, and TRADACOMS standards, EDI Notepad is the ultimate EDI editor, featuring several viewing modes, syntax validation for all EDI standards and versions, edit tools to edit or build EDI documents, document delivery capabilities, and automated functional acknowledgment generation. What s the Catch? Potential downloaders who were excited by the prospect of this editing utility, but somewhat dubious of Softshare EDI Notepad s free status, ed a variety of questions to us: Question: Does EDI Notepad really provide syntax validation for all standards and versions? Question: Are there add-ons that must be purchased? Question: Will I be able to uninstall the product? Question: Come on! There must be SOME strings attached? Softshare s answers: Yes. No. Yes. No. Intuitive View Modes EDI Notepad s HTML rendering significantly improves readability by translating native EDI into attractive business documents. In addition to its HTML view, EDI Notepad also has edit, text, and hexadecimal views. Tried and Tested Softshare EDI Notepad was originally developed as an in-house tool for Softshare s programmers and customer service representatives. But we quickly realized its value to clients and began bundling it with our various software applications in Since then, thousands of Softshare clients have taken advantage of this EDI editing utility. So it s safe to say that EDI Notepad is tried and tested. The Best Things in Life are Free! Sorry, couldn t resist such a fitting cliché. Download the EDI Notepad utility for FREE at softshare.com/software/edinotepad. Syntax Validation A missing element or out-of-place character can cause an entire transaction to be rejected. In EDI Notepad, the offending error s location is highlighted in red and described in detail in the EDI Parsing Errors report. Once errors are identified, they re easily corrected using EDI Notepad s editing tools. Desktop EDI Softshare Athena Softshare EDI Notepad Integration Desktop EDI Network Solutions

9 The Softshare Network For many years, there s been speculation about the life expectancy of VANs (value-added networks). According to past predictions, VANs should be extinct by now, felled by the ease of Internet communications protocols. And while it s true that Softshare long ago replaced its rack of modems in favor of SMTP, POP3, HTTP, and FTP servers, the evolution of electronic communications has by no means banished Softshare s network services to the fossil record. Adaptable VANs, like Softshare s, still play vital roles in the e-commerce industry. Simplifying Your Communications Imagine three trading partners: one that wants to communicate directly via FTP; one that wants all documents routed through their VAN; and one that requires HTTP data transfers secured via the AS2 standard no less. How would you proceed? Online Management From Softshare eservice, Softshare s online customer service Web site, you can review, track, and restage your Softshare network traffic. You could research and configure all three of these very different communications methods; design a database to store the data you exchange; and commit to hours of future troubleshooting when mailbags go missing or interconnects go down (and they will). Or, you could give Softshare the names of your three trading partners and call it a day. The Softshare Mailbox As a network client, you re provided with a secure network mailbox that requires a login ID and password. Softshare will consolidate all your arriving data into this mailbox so that you only need to manage one easy connection to Softshare s network; not a connection to every trading partner. You can access your Softshare mailbox via the following Internet communications protocols: POP3 SMTP (supports AS1 security) HTTP & HTTPS (supports AS2 security) FTP & FTPS Redundancy Softshare has two network operation centers: our North American network based in Santa Barbara and our European network based in Amsterdam. Each is a fully redundant backup site for the other, ensuring that a disruption in one center s operations won t affect your operations. Survival of the Fittest Dinosaurs are extinct. Softshare s value-added network is not. Not everything needs to evolve. Softshare hasn t raised its standard network pricing since Network Solutions The Softshare Network Hosted Services

10 Hosted Services Parties are hosted. So are talk shows. Foreign exchange students too. But did you know that your e-commerce operations can also be hosted? When it comes to outsourcing e-commerce, Softshare s network makes a very charming host, managing the translation and delivery of e-commerce documents on your behalf. Planning the Menu No two hosted services solution menus are alike. Every aspect of your solution is catered to your company s operations. The trading partners that Softshare s network connects to, the data conversions that take place, and the status reports that are generated will be different from those of any other hosted services client. The only constant is the quality customer service you will get before, during, and after your hosted services solution implementation. Softshare Data Center Your hosted services solution will feel right at home on one of the many server racks in Softshare s data center. Choosing the Venue Softshare has three hosted services plans for you to choose from. All plans offer the same degree of customization and service, but provide varying server configuration options to best match the scope of your solution. Shared Hosting. Under this plan, Softshare hosts your services on a shared server that is running processes in addition to yours. Softshare provides this shared server as well as all software licenses. Dedicated Hosting. Under this plan, Softshare hosts your services on a dedicated server. Softshare provides this dedicated server as well as all software licenses, hardware, and maintenance. Co-Location Hosting. Under this plan, Softshare hosts yourservices on a dedicated server that you provide. You ll provide all other hardware, software licenses, and maintenance as well. Enjoying Your Success A hosted services solution is always a big hit. And why wouldn t it be? Softshare looks after every detail of your e-commerce operations so that you don t have to. Network Solutions The Softshare Network Hosted Services

11 Softshare Synergy E-commerce is no fun when you don t have anyone to play with. You might as well take your toys and go home if there isn t at least one other participant. Preferably hundreds. That s why there s Softshare Synergy, a collection of services designed to help you roll out your EDI or XML program to your trading partner community. And maybe make some friends in the process. Outreach Softshare will do whatever it takes to get the word out to your trading partners: informational mailings, telephone calls, s, even user conferences. As your rollout progresses, Softshare will keep the lines of communication open, fielding your trading partners questions and thoroughly educating them on the specifics of your e-commerce program. Status Reports To keep you informed, Softshare will deliver status reports to your company that highlight the progress of all rollout efforts. As trading partners adopt your program, you can request document activity reports from Softshare such as the unacknowledged documents report or the rejected documents report. Scalable Solutions Your trading partners will like Softshare Synergy too. As Softshare clients, they ll benefit from affordable and easy-to-use solutions, personalized software orientation sessions, and the best customer service on the planet. Making Friends Synergy will make you popular with the e-commerce cool kids. Certification If your company would like its trading partners to undergo formal certification, a custom Web site will walk them through every step of the process.