EDI an overview

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EDI an overview
Linda Sather Cheryl Kolbe Oregon State
University Consultant Office of the Registrar
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EDI an overview

• What is EDI?
• Why use it?
• How does it work?
• What does it take to implement?
• How much ongoing support is required?
• Who in Oregon is using it?

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Electronic Data Interchange

• EDI
• Is the electronic transfer of information between
  two trading partners systems using a set of
  transactions that have been adopted as a national
  or international standard for the particular
  business function.

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The Transcript Trail
Print Transcript
Re-key Data
Receive Transcript
U.S. Mail
Student Information System
Recipients Student Information System
Request Transcript
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The Transcript Trail with EDI
Print Transcript
Re-key Data
Receive Transcript
U.S. Mail
Student Information System
EDI
Recipients Student Information System
Request Transcript
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Why use it?Oregon K-16 data transfer system

• College Admission Placement Profile

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The College Admission and Placement Profile (CAPP)

• Electronically transfers traditional high school
  transcript elements, state assessment data, and
  other data indicating student proficiency from
  Oregon school districts to Oregon's community
  colleges and the Oregon University System
  campuses.

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The College Admission and Placement Profile (CAPP)

•  High school counselors/registrars can
  electronically send data on an individual student
  to many institutions for use in college admission
  and/or placement.

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K-16 Integrated Data Transfer System
 
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What it takes to use EDI

• EDI server
• Internet access
• Translation mapping software
• Staffing
• Registration
• Encryption software

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Your EDI Server

• Install translation mapping software on
  stand-alone machine or on an existing server.
• Old, spare pc works great for EDI.Smart
• Trusted Link software requires Windows 95 or
  better

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Internet Access
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Software

• Buy it off the shelf
• EDI.Smart
• Partner Sungard SCT
• Quick n Easy
• Freeware
• Receive Print
• Inovis Trusted Link
• Partner Datatel
• Mercator Integration Broker
• AXIOM
• Write your own
• Univ. of Maryland

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Registration

• Univ. of Texas Austin
• Internet EDI server
• Free
• 1 e-mail
• Receive reply with username password

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Security

• Encryption software
• Optional
• Whats available
• sftp to/from UT server
• PGP
• Freeware
• RSA security
• CryptoHeaven

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Communications with U.T.Austin
Your EDI Server
Your FTP Server
U.T. Austin Server
Other Universities, Colleges High Schools
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EDI Banner at OSU
OSUs FTP drop point
OSUs EDI.Smart Server
Banner SHREDIR SHREDIP Processes
U.T. Austin Server
OSUs Banner download Area
OSUs Banner System
Other Universities, Colleges High Schools
Banner SHREDIY Process
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EDI Trusted Link at CCC
CCCs FTP drop point
CCCs Trusted Link Server
Datatel EITP Process
U.T. Austin Server
CCCs Datatel download Area
CCCs Datatel System
Other Universities, Colleges High Schools
Datatel STRQ Process
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Staffing

• Installation Mapping
• Registrars office and Admissions office
• Functional/Technical manager
• IT
• Systems Analyst/Programmer Analyst
• Daily Operation
• Office Specialist/Transcript Staff
• Maintenance
• Same as Installation Mapping

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Implementation Timeline

• To be ready to test with a partner
• 2 3 months
• Speed process by sharing information between
  institutions
• Testing with trading partners
• Approx. 2 weeks each (in real world)
• Develop good sample pack of transcripts

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Testing Issues

• Review all modifications to your transcript print
  process
• Known issues with your software
• Process differences (paper vs. EDI)
• Confidentiality/FERPA

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Additional Test Cases

• Two or more transfer institutions
• Multiple degrees
• Repeated courses
• Student with Holds
• Old courses, all grade codes
• In-progress courses
• Ungraded and graded in same term

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EDI Transcripts in Oregon by Sender 2004
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EDI Transcripts in OregonTrades January April,
2005
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EDI Transcripts in Oregon

• Total transcripts traded in Oregon in 2004 is
  11,118
• Average 927 per month
• 3 institutions are sending
• 5 institutions are receiving
• At least 4 institutions are now in the process of
  implementing EDI
• Chemeketa CC, Clackamas CC, Lane CC, Southern
  Oregon U.

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EDI or XML

• What is XML?
• Characteristics of EDI
• Characteristics of XML
• Is EDI going away?

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Extensible Markup Language

• XML
• Is a dynamic trading language that enables
  applications to flexibly, intelligently cost
  efficiently exchange information. XML-based EDI
  is well suited to use over the Internet.

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Characteristics of EDI

• Provides standardized rigid format
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI) EDI
  standards (X12)
• Stability and uniformity
• High level of security
• Point-to-point integration
• Exchanges large amounts of data with no
  intervention

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Characteristics of EDI

• Requires dedicated EDI server
• Minimizes file size in the exchange
• Machine decipherable (difficult for a person to
  read)
• Focus on data and structure
• Not web based
• Many trading partners available

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Characteristics of XML

• Transacts over existing internet
• Focus on syntax and graphics
• Developed for graphic representations
• A way to format manipulate text
• Very large file size
• Less efficient transmission
• A cousin to HTML
• New, hot technology easy to learn

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Characteristics of XML

• Approved Version 1.0.0 by the Postsecondary
  Electronic Standards Committee in April 2004
• UT Austin Server supports PESC XML standard
• XML users cannot trade with EDI users (crosswalk
  is being developed)
• Man and machine decipherable (easy to read by
  humans not as secure)

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Is EDI going away?

• NO
• There are benefits of both EDI and XML. One
  significant factor in favor of EDI is that our
  current trading partners are using EDI.

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Benefits of EDI

• More Secure than paper
• Cost savings
• Acknowledgements from receiving institution
• Speed
• Easy partner exchange each term
• Automated transfer articulation
• Small file size

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Perspectives

• Server issues
• All technological systems need upgrades
• Staff training
• Interface with your student software system
• Move from SSN to generated ID
• Web transcript requests
• Who owns EDI processing?

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EDI on the Web
    AACRAO EDI in Education general
introduction to EDI technology
http//www.aacrao.org/speede/index.htm    Quick
n Easy SPEEDE includes the software,
implementation guide, and FAQs
http//www.utexas.edu/student/giac/speede/spaacra
o/    Univ. of Texas-Austin EDI Server includes
registration how to, list of participants, and
FAQs http//www.utexas.edu/student/giac/speede
/ediserv.html    MIT Distribution Center
download the freeware version of PGP 6.5.8
http//web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html    
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EDI on the Web (more)
       Beginners Guide to PGP
step-by-step instructions for installing using
PGP http//www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/pgp/
   EDI.Smart Discussion List listserv for
Banner schools listserv_at_sct.com    Conferences A
ACRAO Technology Conference (encompassing EDI and
XML) October 9 - 11 in Atlanta, GA
http//www.aacrao.org/tech05/index.htm
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Questions?
Linda Sather Cheryl
Kolbe linda.sather_at_oregonstate.edu
kolbec_at_earthlink.net