My EDI project is plodding along as planned. We flirted with the possibility of having our VAN do the translation after a couple of issues came up:
- Customer provided a shorter than expected deadline
- Customer increased the number of forms required
However, at the end of the day the VAN didn't look like they could deliver the forms in the alloted time and the customer decided they weren't ready for the deadline -- they're phasing their vendors in different waves. Based on all of these criteria I am approaching this from a quick and dirty standpoint using an EAI tool that uses VBA-compatible scripting. I know this approach is dangerous, because I could get pulled away later from finishing it the right way.
One thing I've found is that the information out there for EDI is highly fragmented. Occasionally I have difficulty finding the information I need. The ANSI ASC X12 standards document is out there, but costs several hundred dollars. What a scam.