Chapter 2 provides a historical overview of EDI message standardization, culminating with the development of the international EDI standard, UN/EDIFACT. The primary objective of the UN/EDIFACT process is the development of EDIFACT standard messages (United Nations Standard Messages or UNSM's) along with the supporting directories containing the building blocks of messages (segments, composite data elements, data elements and codes) needed to implement the standards. However, as a result of the generic and dynamic nature of the standards, their wide scope of application and the numerous interested parties (each with their own specific business requirements) involved in the development, the EDIFACT standard messages are often complex, overburdened with functionalities and difficult to understand and implement. Practically, UN/EDIFACT messages must be supplemented by user implementation guides such as EANCOM.

One of the initial tasks in the development of an EANCOM message implementation guideline is defining the simplest possible subset of the EDIFACT message which will be able to support the EDI business transaction. The subletting of EDIFACT messages involves dropping all those optional (conditional) elements which have been designed into the EDIFACT messages to cover very specific or particular business requirements. Only the required (mandatory) elements within the standard plus the optional one's which are considered to be needed for the particular business application are retained in the subset. Once the subset has been defined, detailed notes and explanations are developed on the usage of the message as a whole and at the level of individual segments, data elements and associated code values.

The end result is a detailed implementation guideline of a simpler EDIFACT message which two users can easily understand and use when meeting together to decide what data is to be exchanged and how this data is to be presented. In addition, EANCOM acts as a guide for the business and systems analysts whose responsibility it will be to map the business application data to the EANCOM/EDIFACT messages. Users within a trading community referring to the EANCOM implementation guideline will also minimize the number of different EDIFACT message interpretations (and implementations) possible, reducing the number of single message versions an end-user has to maintain as separate trading partner profiles in the EDI enabling software.

The process of standardization is dynamic and standards must continually evolve in order to E I -meet changing or new business requirements. The EDIFACT standard is no different, with the number of supporting directories and message versions produced within a few years as , well as the volume of change requests processed every year as evidence of the interest (and changes this leads to) in EDIFACT. EDIFACT can be correctly perceived as a moving at target.

On the other hand, if users are to benefit from the results of standardization, they will require periods of stability during which profits from the investments in standards can be reaped. Once the investments have been paid-off and have generated appropriate income streams, users are then able to consider migration to the next version of a standard offering | enhanced functionalities. Users can be understood as following a stepped migration process. In this respect, EANCOM is also designed to act as an interface or buffer between the EDIFACT standardization process and end-user implementations. EANCOM is controlled by a set of EDIFACT independent version release procedures designed to provide end-user E stability.

The main strength and identity of EANCOM is that it is only one of the components from 3 a comprehensive EAN toolbox which includes EAN product numbering, location coding and bar coding standards. These standards or technologies, when combined together with EDI, provide the means for designing powerful systems for the unambiguous and efficient exchange, capture and communication of data. The EANCOM messages have been designed to take full advantage of these associated standards to provide maximum efficiency and benefits to the user.

EDI and Product Numbers Codes are the most efficient means of identifying a product. Products can be assigned a unique tag which unambiguously identifies a specified product in a specified packaging configuration. EDI does not only rely on the use of agreed message standards but also on the use of international codes rather than codes based upon bilateral agreements between two trading partners. Use of internationally recognized codes will naturally simplify implementations with future trading partners. EAN provides the infrastructure for a total coding solution. , The use of international, unique product codes is particularly important in open distribution environments, where other entities further up the supply chain may not have a predefined agreement with the parties involved in the transaction, but will still require a unique and unambiguous product identification. The EAN international article numbering system, is the only one which, on an international scale, allows for every item and its variants, regardless of its place of origin or destination to be identified by a unique code or EAN number. EAN numbers can also be if necessary, physically marked on the item to which it relates, both in human and machine readable form through the use of bar codes, allowing rapid and automatic data recognition.