IBM Sterling Gentran:Director version 5.4 provides companies with electronic data interchange (EDI) and data translation. It supports numerous EDI standards to meet the communication needs of various trading partners. IBM Sterling Gentran:Director offers transaction controls, automation, and security-rich features for safer, more efficient transaction processing. Adding a trading partner to the Gentran:Director software is a system administrative tasks. This presentation provides detailed steps on downloading templates from the template library, adding the partner and then adding both inbound and outbound relationships to that partner. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 1 of 60
The objective of this presentation is to add a trading partner to Gentran:Director. Partner templates (also know as translation objects) must first be downloaded from the IBM Sterling Library. Once downloaded the templates are extracted or expanded to a folder in Microsoft Windows. Then, in Gentran, the templates are registered, a partner is created, and two inbound and two outbound relationships are added to the partner. The inbound relationships include an 850 purchase order and a 997 functional acknowledgment. The outbound relationships include an 810 invoice and a 997 functional acknowledgment. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 2 of 60
Before a partner is added in Gentran, a few items are required. They include: Both partner s interchange (or ISA) sender and receiver qualifier and ID Both partner s group (or GS) ID The documents which the partners trade. An 810 invoice, an 850 purchase order, and a 997 functional acknowledgment are examples of documents that the partners trade. The version of the documents which the partners trade, for instance version 4010 or version 4060 Whether the partner requires a T in the ISA during the testing phase or if a P for production is used. Finally, the templates, found on the IBM Sterling Library, must be downloaded to the Gentran computer, saved to a folder and expanded. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 3 of 60
This slide shows a sample EDI document with ANSI X12 data. This is an example of the inbound raw data before it is translated by Gentran:Director. Gentran matches the sender ID in the ISA or GS to the ID on the inbound partner relationship, then formats the data with the template assigned to the partner for this type of data. Gentran:Director also creates and sends outbound raw data, like this sample, to your trading partners. Gentran creates the outbound EDI document with data stored on the outbound partner record and uses the template that is associated with the partner to correctly format the data. Just like paper documents, EDI uses a system of envelopes to hold data. There are three envelopes of data. The first envelope is the interchange, which starts with the ISA (at the top) and ends with the IEA (near the bottom). There is only one ISA in an EDI document. The ISA identifies the sender and the receiver of the data, the date and time it was created, the version and several other bits of information. The ISA is positional and is 106 characters long. The ISA has 16 elements each separated, in this example, by an asterisk but it can be any printable character. For instance, ISA06, shown in bold, contains the sender s ID. Notice too that there is a P near the end of the ISA. The P stands for Production, if it was a T that would mean that it was a Test document. At the end of each line in the document there is a segment terminator, in this case the terminator is a tilde. The second envelope is the Group. The group starts with the GS at the top and ends with the GE near the bottom. The Group segment contains information about the sender, receiver, document type, version, and again a few other bits of data. The transaction envelope starts with the ST segment and ends with the SE segment. This segment contains information about the document, which in this case is a purchase order. There can be multiple GS or ST segments inside the ISA document. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 4 of 60
Before a partner is created in Gentran, templates, which are also known as translation objects, must be downloaded from the IBM Sterling Customer Center website. To use this website, you must be a registered user. If you are not registered, click join Now to complete the registration, then wait for a confirmation email to proceed. If you have forgotten your password, request it on this screen. If you are already a registered user, enter your email address and password and then click Sign In. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 5 of 60
Once logged-in, click IBM Sterling Library from the left side of the screen. If the library is not an option request access by creating a Problem Management Record, or PMR, on IBM s Service Request system. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 6 of 60
Now that you are signed in click Browse by Partner to find partner-specific templates. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 7 of 60
On the browse by partner screen, click the first letter of the partner s name from the alphabet at the top of the box. In this case I is selected for IBM. A list of companies whose names begin with I will now be available. Select IBM from the list to find templates that are created to meet IBM s EDI standards. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 8 of 60
Once IBM is selected, many different templates are available. Print templates are usually for inbound documents and allow Gentran:Director users to print a document in a human readable format. Screen entry templates are for outbound documents and allow the user to create a document to send to the partner. Turnaround, import, and export templates are available for some partners. The Gentran:Director user s guide has a complete description of the template types. Templates are specific to a document type, like an 810 invoice template or an 850 purchase order template. Templates are also version-specific like 4010 or 4060. Trading partners must confirm the document type and version they trade. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 9 of 60
Four document types in version 4010 are created on this partner: First an inbound 850 purchase order is created. Then, an inbound 997 functional acknowledgment is created. Once the inbound relationships are created, the outbound 810 invoice and a 997 functional acknowledgment are created. The 997 is a system template. System templates are pre-loaded into Gentran, so a 997 template does not need to be downloaded from the library. So, select only the 850 purchase order and the 810 invoice templates from the list of available IBM templates. To select a particular template, click Add to Cart. Add both the 850 and 810 templates to the cart. Sometimes there is more than one template available for a specific document type and version. For instance, there might be two 810 templates in version 4010, one for wholesale and one for retail. If more than one template for the same document type and version are available, click the catalog number to the left for additional information regarding that template. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 10 of 60
Once all of the templates are added to the cart, select View Cart. The Shopping Cart shows the templates that are selected on the previous screen. Click Checkout to begin the download process and then confirm the order. There is no charge for library templates so no billing information will be required. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 11 of 60
Now that the templates are checked out, download each of the templates to the Gentran computer by selecting the word download in the download column. It is important to save templates to a folder that can be saved for backup purposes. As such it is recommended to download them to the TransObj folder. TransObj is a short name for Translation Objects. The TransObj folder is found under the Gentran:Director installation folder. In version 5.4 the path to the TransObj folder is usually C:/Program Files/CommerceConnection32/TransObj. In version 5.5 the path is usually C:/DirectorConnection/TransObj. However, the path might be changed when the software is installed so confirm the path to the TransObj folder before you download the templates. Once all of the templates are downloaded, log-off and exit the Sterling Library. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 12 of 60
Now, all of the templates are downloaded and saved, in the TransObj folder. On the Gentran computer, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the TransObj folder. Using your mouse, right-click the template file name and select run. The file is expanded and a.tpl file is created in the same folder. The.tpl file is given a new file name. The file name starts with the first three letters of the partner name followed by the five digit catalog number. It is important to note that the downloaded templates have an extension of.exe, so they are executable files. If security on this computer is unable to open files of this type, or if there is a problem running the executable file, create a PMR with Gentran support, provide them with the catalog numbers and ask to have the templates expanded and emailed as.tpl files. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 13 of 60
Now that the templates are downloaded and expanded in the TransObj folder, they need to be registered for use in setting up the partner. Open Gentran:Director and select View from the top menu bar; then select Translation Objects and click New. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 14 of 60
Select the two translation objects from the TransObj folder and click Open. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 15 of 60
Two new translation objects appear in the list and are available when the partner is created. Click close to close the translation objects screen. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 16 of 60
Now that the translation objects are registered a partner can be added. Click the Partners button to the right of the desk. Click New to add a partner. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 17 of 60
In the profile ID field, enter a unique 10-digit profile ID as an identifier for the partner. In the name field enter a unique name for the partner. Make this name as descriptive as possible because this name is displayed in the partner selection list. Then, enter the EDI Code for this partner. The system uses the EDI code during inbound processing to select the correct trading partner definition. An Application code is optional and is used for outbound import processing. In this case, an import is not used so no application code is required. Finally, select a communication profile by clicking the small arrow next to that field. The communications profile is usually the same for all partners, but if multiple communications types are used there may be several communications profiles listed. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 18 of 60
Now is a good time to mention the help button, which is on almost every screen in Gentran. The help screens provide more information on each field in Gentran. Click the blue items at the bottom of the help screen to learn more about each field. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 19 of 60
Now that the partner definition is created the inbound and outbound relationships are added to the partner. Select the new partner Click Inbound Click New and then enter a description for this relationship. Since this is a purchase order in version 4010 the description reflects that document and document type. Click Save to save the relationship name. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 20 of 60
The next four fields have a drop-down arrow next to each box. Click the arrow to make your selection. In this case, the standard is ANSI X12. Click the arrow next to the standard box and select X-X12. Select 004010 for the version and 850 for the transaction set. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 21 of 60
Click Advanced on the right and select either Test or Production at the bottom of this screen. The partners determine if the data is in test or if they will skip the testing phase and go right to production. All inbound and outbound relationships on a partner will have the same test or production status. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 22 of 60
Click Translation to add the translation object for this inbound relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 23 of 60
In the print field, select the registered 850 translation object then click Save. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 24 of 60
The next step is to create a group for this relationship. Click groups, then click new. Enter a description for the group and click Save to save the group entry. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 25 of 60
If this is the first inbound group relationship that is created on this partner, a warning message appears saying that a 997 outbound relationship must be added. The 997 relationship is added later in this presentation. Click OK to continue. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 26 of 60
The newly created group is now available. Click it and then click select. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 27 of 60
Now create the interchange for this relationship. On the lower left click Interchanges, then click New. Enter a description for this relationship and then save the interchange entry. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 28 of 60
Highlight the newly created interchange and click Select. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 29 of 60
The Inbound 850 Purchase Order relationship is now complete. Click Save to save the entire relationship. The system responds that the Save was successful. Click OK to continue and then create the second inbound relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 30 of 60
The second inbound relationship is a 997 functional acknowledgment, which is also known as an FA. An inbound FA tells the system that an outbound document was received by the partner. Click New to add the new relationship and then enter a description for the FA relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 31 of 60
Select the standard, the version, and the transaction set for the outbound 997 relationship. Then, click Advanced and set the test indicator. The test indicator will be the same for the inbound and the outbound relationships. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 32 of 60
Next, click Translation to select a translation object for this relationship then click Advanced. The acknowledgment translation object is a system template. The template automatically populates in the bottom field. Click save. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 33 of 60
Add a group to the FA relationship by clicking Groups, then click New. Enter a description and enter FA in the functional group ID. Click save to save the group entry. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 34 of 60
Highlight the FA 4010 group entry and click Select to save it to the relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 35 of 60
The next step is to create an Interchange entry. Click Interchange, Click New, and enter a description for the interchange Select ISA for the Interchange ID and then, Click Save. Finally, click Select to save the inbound relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 36 of 60
The Inbound FA relationship setup is now complete so click save to save the entire relationship. The system responds that the Save was successful. Click OK to continue and then Exit inbound relationships. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 37 of 60
Now that the inbound 850 and 997 relationships are complete, the next step is to create the outbound 810 invoice and 997 functional acknowledgment relationships. In the partner editor, click the partner and then click Outbound. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 38 of 60
Click new to add a relationship. Enter a new description and then click save. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 39 of 60
Select the standard, the version, and the transaction set for the outbound 810 invoice relationship, then click Advanced and set the test indicator. The test indicator must be the same for the inbound and the outbound relationships. Click the translation button to add the template for this relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 40 of 60
Click Translation and select the data entry template, which was registered earlier, and then click save. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 41 of 60
Next, create an outbound group segment for this relationship to build the GS Segment on the outbound EDI data. Click Groups and click New. Enter a description and, if it does not complete automatically, enter a functional group ID. In this case, the functional group ID is IN for Invoice. It was the default entry and was automatically populated. Click Envelope to enter the partners group IDs. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 42 of 60
In the first box, type the Application Sender s code. This code is the group ID for the sender of the EDI data so input your company s group ID. In the second box, type in the Application Receiver s code, which is your partner s group ID. The responsible agency code and the version automatically populate. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 43 of 60
Click Save to save the Group Entry and then click Select to select it on the partner relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 44 of 60
Now create the outbound Interchange. This data builds the ISA segment on the outbound EDI data. Click Interchange, click new, enter a description for the interchange entry, and then click Envelope. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 45 of 60
Many of the fields on this screen are automatically populated and should not be changed. However, partner-specific data is required. Enter the Sender qualifier in the ISA05 field. Enter the Sender ID in the ISA06 field. Enter the Receiver qualifier in the ISA07 field Then, enter the Receiver ID in the ISA08 field. Move down to the test indicator in ISA15 and select either test or production. Keep in mind this value must match the setting on the inbound relationship. Also, note the three fields near the bottom of this screen. The Element Separator is used between each element in the entire EDI document. The sub-element separator is defined in the ISA segment and can be used anywhere in the document. The Segment terminator is at the end of every segment in the data, you will find this character at the end of the ISA segment. In this case, an asterisk will be used after each element in the outbound data and the segment terminator is the tilde. These values rarely need to be changed. Click Save to save the Interchange Envelope. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 46 of 60
Now that the Interchange entry is complete click save. Highlight the new interchange and click select to select it on the outbound relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 47 of 60
Click save to save the entire outbound invoice relationship. A pop-up box confirms that the save was successful; click OK. The outbound invoice relationship is now complete. If only one outbound relationship is necessary, click exit to exit the partner relationship. However, an outbound functional acknowledgment relationship will be created next. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 48 of 60
Now that the inbound 850 and 997 relationships and the outbound 810 relationships are complete one more outbound relationship is required. The functional acknowledgment or FA is a document that is sent to a partner to let them know that their document was received. Not all partners require an FA but most do. The outbound FA acknowledges that an inbound document was received. This outbound FA relationship will acknowledge the inbound 850 purchase order was received. Only one FA relationship in this version is required on the outbound relationship. This one outbound relationship will acknowledge all inbound documents which are of the same version. From the outbound relationship click new, enter a new description and click Exit. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 49 of 60
Select the standard, the version, and the transaction set for the outbound FA relationship. Click Advanced and set the test indicator. The test indicator must be the same for the inbound and the outbound relationships. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 50 of 60
Click Translation. The FA is a system template so the Import field automatically defaults to the appropriate template, Ackbuild_997. Click Save to save the Translation Object. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 51 of 60
Click Groups and click New. Enter a new description; the Functional group ID is FA, which should automatically populate. Click Envelope to enter the partners group information. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 52 of 60
In the GS02 field enter the Application Sender s Code. This code is the group ID for the sender of the EDI data so enter your company s group ID. In the GS03 field type in the Application Receiver s code, which is your partner s group ID. The responsible agency code (GS07) and the version (GS08) automatically populates. Click Save to save the Functional Group Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 53 of 60
Click Save again to save the Group Entry and then click Select to select it on the partner relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 54 of 60
Now add the outbound Interchange. This screen builds the ISA Segment on outbound 997. Click Interchange, click new, enter a description for this interchange entry, and then click Envelope. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 55 of 60
Many of the fields on this screen are automatically populated and should not be changed. However, partner-specific data is required. Enter the Sender qualifier in the ISA05 field. Enter the Sender ID in the ISA06 field. Enter the Receiver qualifier in the ISA07 field Enter the Receiver ID in the ISA08 field. Then, move down to the test indicator in ISA15 and select either test or production. The indicator must match the setting on the inbound relationship. Click Save to save the Interchange Envelope. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 56 of 60
Now that the Interchange entry is complete click Save, highlight the new interchange entry, and then click Select to select it on the outbound relationship. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 57 of 60
Click Save to save the entire outbound relationship. A pop-up box reports that the save was successful; click OK, and then click Exit. The outbound 997 relationship is now complete. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 58 of 60
In this presentation, you saw how to successfully complete the setup of a partner in Gentran:Director for Windows. Gentran:Director is now ready to receive and send data with this trading partner. Gentran_Director_Create_a_partner.ppt Page 59 of 60
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