Do the MDX transaction data files adhere to any industry data standards?
The MDX data files are based on the 4010 version of the ANSI standard for traditional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This was done to ensure that each transaction (i.e. PO, Invoice, Ship Notice, etc.) was comprehensive in the data fields available to satisfy virtually any companys data requirements. As such, there is no expectation that the transaction data file formats will have to change for a very long time, if ever. The 4010 ANSI EDI standard was simply used as a template or guideline, and there is no requirement that the MDX files match or keep up with the ANSI version changes. The advantage here is that if a company is already generating and sending/receiving EDI via traditional means through a value added network (VAN), the EDI data can simply be saved as a text data file and sent at no charge through the MDX to the appropriate trading partner(s).
