Confirmations/AcknowledgementsΒΆ

In edi often a confirmation (or acknowledgement) is needed. Bots has a built-in confirmation framework that supports:

  • 997 (x12)
  • CONTRL (edifact)
  • MDN (email)
  • APERAK (edifact)

Confirmations have 3 aspects:

  • Bots sends a confirmation for an incoming edi-file.
  • Bots asks a confirmation for an outgoing edi-file.
  • Bots processes an incoming confirmation.

You can view the results of asked or send confirmations in bots-monitor->All runs->Confirmations. All send or asked confirmations are registered in bots if configured correct.

Examples in plugins

  • plugin x12-850-856-810-997
    • generates a 997 for incoming orders, and dispatches this via a composite route.
    • inbound route is configured to process 997’s.

  • plugin demo_mdn_confirmations sends and receives email-confirmations (MDN)

  • plugin edifact_ordersdesadvinvoic sends APERAK for incoming orders - if indicated in incoming order.

Send Confirmation

  1. First configure correct processing of incoming edi-files.

  2. Configure confirmrules in bots-monitor->Configuration->Confirmrules. You can use several confirmation rules, bots looks at all rules. Per rule:
    • Indicate the kind of confirmation to send (997, CONTRL, etc).
    • Indicate how the rules works - per route, channel, messagetype, etc. (prior to bots 3.0, frompartner and topartner where swapped :-(
    • An option is to include first and than exclude using ‘negativerule’. Bots first checks the positive rules, than the negative rules. Eg: send 997 for all incoming x12-files in a route, and exclude partner XXX.

  3. Use a composite route to send the confirmations to the right destination.

Ask Confirmation

  1. First configure correct processing of outgoing edi-files.

  2. Then configure bots-monitor->Configuration->Confirmrules You can configure several confirmation rules, bots looks at all rules. Per rule:
    • Indicate the kind of confirmation to ask (997, CONTRL, etc).
    • Indicate how the rules works - per route, channel, messagetype, etc. (prior to bots 3.0, frompartner and topartner where swapped :-(
    • An option is to include first and than exclude using ‘negativerule’. Bots first checks the positive rules, than the negative rules. Eg: ask 997 for all outgoing x12-files in a route, and exclude partner XXX.

  3. You will need to process the incoming confirmation.

Process incoming confirmation

  • 997 (x12): an additional translation and mapping script is needed.
  • CONTRL (edifact): an additional translation and mapping script is needed.
  • MDN-confirmations: no additional comfiguration is needed.

Send 997/Acknowledgement for Incoming X12 Orders

  • Before attempting to configure confirmations create and test a route for a typical X12 message e.g. 850.
  • Once that is working correctly, confirmations can be configured for the route.
  • Bots will now generate a 997 message for each 850 recipient. Notice that the 997 is in the same Route as the 850.
  • Probably you will want the 997 to go back out to the partner that sent the 850. Use a composite route for this.
  • Tell bots to send confirmations (997 message) in bots-monitor->Configuration->Confirmrules. Note that in the route established for the 850, there is a sequence number next to the routeID.
  • The seq for the 850 is probably 1. A new route-part must now be created to handle the 997 that bots has generated.
  • The new route-part has the same routeID but a higher seq number (e.g. 2). Now configure to route the 997 message that bots will generate.
  • The 997 is an internally generated file. The user will have very little to do with its creation but everything to do with where the file goes (i.e. its route).
  • Route with seq 2 will have none as its incoming channel, and does not translate. Its outgoing channel will most likely be to FTP or a VAN.
  • The key to success is in using the “Filtering for outchannel” at the bottom of the “Change Route” page.
  • In “Filtering for outchannel” for ‘seq’ 1, set toeditype and tomessagetype so that only the translated 850 file will take this part of the Composite Route.
  • Now for seq 2 set toeditype to X12. This will cause only the X12 997 message to follow this part of the composite route.