EDIfact-Subset – EANCOM

Due to the complexity of automated data exchange, EDI for short, the United Nations created the EDIfact standard. As not all issues are included in this standard, individual industries have developed so-called EDIfact subsets. EANCOM is one of these and currently comprises 46 additional message types or information.

What is EANCOM used for?

EANCOM is an annotated and interpreted extract from the EDIfact standard‘s message pool. It is generally used by the consumer goods industry. Consumer goods are primarily everyday goods such as food, cosmetics, textiles and printed matter. EANCOM is therefore a subset of information that is not defined in the superordinate EDIfact, but is defined on an industry-specific basis.

This special marking enables the linking of closed electronic business process chains, in which not only the processes between industry and trade are mapped, but also the integration of service providers, banks and authorities is taken into account.

In addition, business partners can and should jointly develop so-called rationalization potentials and thus move from general identification to unmistakable identification of products and the partners involved. As a result, data volumes and transmission and processing costs are automatically reduced.

Additional information can be, for example

  • Inventory data
  • Sales reports
  • Invoices
  • Price lists
  • Catalog data
  • Order data
  • Order confirmations
  • Goods receipt notifications
  • Difference notifications

An example

Before EANCOM, book publishers and the Börsenverein had their printed matter in BWA format. In contrast to the 46 message types possible in the EANCOM standard, only four additional pieces of information are possible in the outdated BWA format. This meant that if orders had to be subsequently marked, for example as a postage-free delivery or with a different delivery address or a discount promotion code, time-consuming and formal hurdles were the rule. With the EANCOM standard, all additions can be recorded and sent electronically without delay, even retrospectively. Further EDI application recommendations from practice can be found at GS1-germany.

Further information can be found under EAN, GTIN and GS1 as well as under Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC).