Basic principles 1: Receive, process, send
Receive, Process, Send
(Click image to enlarge) | SmartBridge makes seemingly incompatible software exchange information with each other, in three basic steps:
Or, in other words: data goes in, magic happens, processed data are sent out. SmartBridge sits in the middleSmartBridge needs input in the form of incoming data, it does not produce data without input. Incoming data comes from either:
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Example 1: From your business partner to your ERP system
(Click image to enlarge) | In the example to the left your business partner sends an Order document in EDI format. Your ERP systems needs to receive the order, but it only accepts text files (flat files). Partner X begins the transaction by sending out the document, an order in EDI format, through either VAN or the internet (FTP/SMTP). The above process flow entails the following steps:
Note that Partner X may also be sending a batch of multiple documents, a scenario in which the system’s Splitter component will be required to extract the documents individually. |
Example 2: From your ERP system to your business partner
(Click image to enlarge) | Suppose your ERP system wants to send out invoice documents to your business partner. The invoices are grouped together, in XML format. The process starts with the ERP system producing invoices for your business partner, and placing the XML documents into a specific folder. After that, the above process flow entails the following steps:
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