DiNet Partner Edition

Housekeeping

• Scion is the DI internal project name for DiNet Partner edition.

• This may be dotted through this documentation.

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What is DiNet?

DiNet

• DiNet has been in operation since 1996• Started as a service to allow automotive suppliers to exchange files with larger companies without the

need for expensive private circuits (X.25)• This type of service is referred to as a Clearing Centre or VAN (Value Added Network)

Service History

SupplierSending time critical and sensitive information (supply chain logistics)

Provided with free DOS software and using a dialup modem (X.28)

CustomersOriginally only supported directX.25 connections

DiNetOriginally running on Tandem Unix using ODEX Plus

OFTP (X.28) OFTP (X.25)

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DiNet

• Supports a much wider array of communication protocols for users• Allows translation/transcoding of data• Allows more complicated routing/duplicating decisions• Full Web interface

Current Solution

Partner 1Sending messages

Able to use a variety of software or the web interface

Partner 2Receiving messages

Able to use a variety of software or the web interface

DiNetMulti-site environment with replication of data

OFTP (X.25, ISDN, TCP/IP)FTP (client or server)SFTP (client or server)AS2

OFTP (X.25, ISDN, TCP/IP)FTP (client or server)SFTP (client or server)AS2

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How do customers use us?

• ABC LTD has 4 Trading Partners• Each trading partner requires a different file transfer protocol• ABC has therefore to test and maintain each connection individually• Even if two partners use the same protocol they will have different IDs, addresses, passwords and other

setup parameters

Without DiNetAS2

SFTP

OFTP

FTP

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How do customers use us?

• ABC LTD has just one connection, to DINET VAN, but still has 4 trading partners• ABC can receive files from all 4 Trading Partners and will send back automatic acknowledgements

confirming his receipt. Over just one protocol.• On receipt of ABCs files, Trading Partners will return acknowledgements• ABC receives these acknowledgements when he next connects to DINET

With DiNet

INTERCONNECT

AS2

SFTP

OFTP

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Core concepts

Core concepts

• All companies/entities which exchange data with Epic are defined as a trading partner• Files received into Epic are associated with the sending trading partner, known as the

originator• Typically files will be passed to another external trading partner, known as the recipient• Epic is defined as an “internal” company• Usually, the Epic internal company wouldn’t be the originator or recipient for any files

Companies

TP1 -Originator

TP2 –Recipient

Comms CommsDiNet

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Core concepts

• Each trading partner can have zero or more ways of connecting to Epic defined against them• Each of these definitions is referred to as a Network• Typically, a trading partner will have at least one network defined (otherwise they cannot get

data into/out of Epic)• Epic currently supports the following communications methods:

- OFTP/OFTP2 - Email (POP3/SMTP)- AS2 - FTP (as client or server)- SFTP (as client or server) - HTTPS

Communications

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Core concepts

• Files are processed with Workflows• A workflow is made up of zero or more Jobs• Each job performs a specific action, for example:

• Transmit the file to a recipient company • Convert the file to a different format• Send an email• Post the file from the originator company to the recipient company• Move to a different “Workflow”

• Every trading partner has 2 default workflows associated with it• Originator workflow – when the trading partner sends files• Recipient workflow – when the trading partner receives files

• A workflow can be Global or Company specific

File processing

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Core conceptsBringing it all together

Recipient’sFile

Recipient’sWorkflow

Originator’sFile

Originator Originator’sWorkflow

Post to Recipient

File Received

Recipient File Sent

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Core conceptsAdministering the system

SQL

File Directories

Comms linksWorkstation

Administrator

SFTP

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Core concepts

• Customers window into the service

Dashboard

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Deeper Dive

Communications

Communications

• Each communications protocol needs a subsystem to connect it to the outside world

• To accept incoming calls the subsystem must have an active Listener

• Subsystems can be used by multiple Networks

• Networks contain all the details needed to establish the connection to the remote partner

Subsystems and Listeners

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Communications

• Every connection must have two sides, Ours is the Internal side, and Theirs is the External side• The NETWORK link is the connection between the two parties. First we must LOGIN to the

remote and exchange security information such as User IDs and Passwords• The MAILBOX then lets us EXCHANGE FILES for different parties over this PHYSICAL link• If the file exchanged is EDI DATA, it will contain routing information in its INTERCHANGE

header data. This can then be used to define the further handling of that file• If the file exchange is Non-EDI data, then only the top two layers can exist

Basic Communications 3 Layer Model

NETWORK

MAILBOX

INTERCHANGE

NETWORK

MAILBOX

INTERCHANGE

LOGIN

EXCHANGE FILE

EDI DATA

ExternalInternal

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Workflows

Workflow Overview

• The core of the Epic system• Workflows control the whole file manipulation and forwarding process• A Workflow contains the Jobs that process the file• Each Job feeds its output file to the next Job

WorkflowJob

Copy Run Application

Map Email

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Workflow Overview

• Files always go to the Workflow selected against the Company first (originator/recipient)

• If necessary, from the default workflow against an Origin/Destination, a file can be moved to a different Workflow using a Workflow Selector

Originator and Recipient workflows

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File Routing Jobs

Workflows

• Post to Recipient • Used on an originator workflows (the

company from whom the file originated), this “posts” the file to the intended recipient (the file then gets processed on their “recipient” workflow)

• Once the file has been moved to the ‘Recipient’ workflow it is marked as a recipient file, prior to this it is marked as an ‘Originator’ file.

Moving Files Between Origin and Recipient Workflows

Originator Workflow

WorkflowSelector

Workflow

Recipient Workflow

WorkflowSelector

WorkflowPost to Recipient Job

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Workflows

• Move Company Workflow • Used on an originator or recipient

workflow. The Job moves the file from one company’s workflows to another company’s workflow.

• Depending on the file type i.e. originator or recipient, the file is placed on the originating or recipient workflow respectively.

Moving Files Between Companies

Originator Workflow

WorkflowSelector

Workflow

Recipient Workflow

WorkflowSelector

Workflow

Move Company Workflow

Job

Originator Workflow

WorkflowWorkflowSelector

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• Schedule File• Used on a recipient workflow to

“send” the file.

• This job tells Epic which network definition should be used and other salient information (e.g. the filename, priority etc)

WorkflowsMaking Files Available

Originator Workflow

WorkflowSelector

Workflow

Recipient Workflow

WorkflowSelector Workflow

Schedule FileJob

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Workflows

• Send Using Partner Integration• Used on an originator workflows• Moves the file to the specified

partner system to be further processed and sent to the final recipient

Sending a file to a Recipient on a Partner System

Originator Workflow

WorkflowSelector

Workflow

Originator Workflow

WorkflowSelector

WorkflowSend Using PartnerIntegration Job

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Data Sources

Data Source

• Data Sources identify the origin of the incoming file

• Several Data Source types:• Directory Data Source

• Which directory has the file been picked up from?

• Comms Data Source • Which trading partner has sent us the file?

• MQ Data Source • Which MQ queue has sent us the file

• Command Data Source• A method of manually sending a file to Epic (there are many other ways to do this now).

Workflows

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Data Sources

• Used to process files received via a Comms protocol (OFTP, AS2, FTP)

• Optionally filters based on protocol origin/destination

• Optionally filters based on VFN/Filename Mask (OFTP/FTP)

Comms Data Source

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Data Definitions

Data Definitions• EDI Data Definition

• EDIFACT, ANSI X12, UNGTDI, VDA (Including EBCDIC files)

• Combines EDI standard and Trading Partner

• Non-EDI Data Definition• User defined Flat file• User defined CSV/delimited file• User defined XML file• Able to pick out standard information

(origin/destination/message type) and also any user defined fields

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Workflow Selectors

Workflow Selection

• Data Sources – Where has the document come from?• Directory Data Source – Which directory was this file picked up from?• Communication Data Source – Which comms source was the file received over?

• Data Definition ties together, the Document Definition, the Trading Partner, the Document Encoding (ASCII, EBCDIC)• Document Definition specifies an EDI or Non-EDI File type, Invoice, ASN, etc. - What type of document

are we processing?• A Trading Partner contains one or more EDI Codes. - Who is this document from or to?

• File Type – Originator or Recipient File Type

EDI Codes

Originator/Recipient

Data Source

Data Definition

Document Definition

Trading Partner

Message /Record Type

WorkflowSelector Workflow

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The Workflow Selector• Selectors tie together Data Sources and

Data Definitions then select which Workflow the file will pass through.

• The sequence of Selectors is critical –starting at the top of the list, the first Selector that fits will be the only one used

• More specific Selectors must be at the top and the less specific, “catch all” selectors at the bottom of the list

• Once a selector has been created, selecting Workflow Selectors/ (Ungrouped) allows you to re-sequence the selected item with the up and down arrows

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The Workflow Selector• Workflow grouping is available at a

global level• (Ungrouped) selectors normally used

initially• A Match Workflow job can match to a

further workflow, and can specify which Selector Group to use

• Selector Groups are used to create different order Selector lists for the Match to Workflow job

• If no matching selector is found in the specified Selector Group, (Ungrouped) is tested

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Client Applications

Client Applications

• The Epic Administrator is used to:

• Setup system configuration

• Setup trading partners

• Configure workflows

• Setup communications

• Configure security

• Define retention periods

• Manage logging levels

Epic Administrator

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Client Applications

• Task• Simple wizards that allow a user to perform some basic tasks

• Connections • Used to configure trading partners, subsystems and communication profiles

• Workflow• Used to setup automated file processing in Epic

• System• General system configuration options

Navigating in the Administrator

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Workstation

• Trace files through the system

• All events performed against a file are logged

• Originators Files Tab• Shows actions performed by an Originator’s Workflow

• Recipients Files Tab• Shows actions performed by Recipient’s Workflow

• Consolidated Files Tab• Shows all actions performed on a file by both the Originator’s Workflow and Recipient’s Workflow

• Error Files Tab• Shows files that have been marked as in error

Views

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Workstation

• Trace files through the system

• All events performed against a file are logged

• Received Files Tab• Shows files that have been received by Epic via a communication protocol

• Scheduled Files Tab• Shows files that have scheduled by Epic using the Make Available job

• Sent Files Tab• Shows files that were on the Scheduled Files tab, but have now been sent

• Session Tab• Shows communication sessions that Epic has made or has received

Views

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Workstation

• File View• Every file processed by Epic is record

in the File View• File Audit View• The audit trail is populated whenever

you click on a single file in the upper section.

• The audit contains details of the comms session as well as details of the workflow processing

Workflow File View

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Workflow Jobs

Workflow Jobs

• Parameters• The parameters of the job determine how it is going to behave and what it is going to do.

• Return Code Actions• All jobs have multiple possible return codes, either a simple OK/Error or a more complicated range

(eg the Condition job has True/False, the Find/replace job has Found/not).• Return code actions can continue, stop, change workflow, skip to a different job etc

• Data Definition Conditions• Runs this job only if the file being processed matches a specific Data Definition (usually specifying

file type/origin/destination etc)

• Data Source Conditions• Runs this job only if a more general workflow is processing a specific Data Source

(origin/destination, comms type)

Configuring jobs

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Workflow jobs

• Analyse• Determines the file type, and possibly the origin/destination and other information if the file type is

recognised (preconfigured or user defined)

• Condition• Checks a condition eg, %VFN%==TEST The return code action (true/false) controls subsequent

processing

• Convert Encoding• Performs tasks including Codepage conversion, insert/remove delimiters etc.

• Map• Invokes an Xe map to transform files between formats• The map can be set explicitly, taken from a relationship or derived from the Xe Index (a list of

applicable maps)

Key jobs

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Workflow jobs

• Match Workflow • Epic attempts to find a matching Workflow Selector for the current file• A workflow selector specifies a workflow and entry criteria (eg origin/destination)

• Move Company Workflow• Attempts to move a file to a different originator/recipient in the same fashion as Posting, but not

changing the file type (from originator to recipient)

• Post To Recipient Company Workflow• Changes the file type from an originator file to a recipient file• Assigns the file to a recipient company, either with a preset company specified or derived

automatically from information which Epic has available

• Run Application• Used to run an external application• Can pass the current file as an argument and pick up the output of the application as a replacement

Key jobs

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Workflow jobs

• Send Using Partner Integration• Send a file to a partner system, such as DiNet, to be onward processed to the ultimate recipient

• Schedule File• Used to send files to a trading partner or clearing centre network• Sets the priority, destination, name etc• Can auto-detect the destination or have it set explicitly

• Set Placeholder• Allows an arbitrary string to be associated with a file, workflow or globally• This can then be referenced and checked in any subsequent jobs

• Split• Splits files containing multiple interchanges. Useful if the files contain interchanges destined for

multiple destinations

Key jobs

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Routing Table

Routing Table

• Changes the communications details of a file• Primary use cases:

• protocol switching• no recipient information in the protocol

What does it do?

Originator RecipientAS2 FTP

DiNet

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Routing Table

• Used by the Workflow jobs Post to Recipient Workflow and Schedule File• Two types of routing table

• Global• Local

• Parameter Routing Method controls use:• Do not use routing table• Use local routing table• Use global routing table• Use local then global routing table

• As with Workflow Selectors, the sequence of Routing table is critical – starting at the top of the list, the first route that fits will be the only one used

• More specific routes must be at the top and the less specific at the bottom of the table

How does it work?

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Routing Table

• Each route has two aspects, the Source File Matching and the Target File Details

• The Source File Matching details are used to find the route to use

How does it work?

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Routing Table

• The Target File Details are the details which the file will be forwarded with

• The Post to Recipient Workflow job will use the target files to work out the correct recipient company to pass the file to

• The Schedule File job will use the details to try and send the file

How does it work?

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Adding a customer

Adding a customer

• Blue fields - Mandatory fields • White fields - Optional

• Administrator• Trading Partner

• Overview• Workflow – select existing global workflow or create new

• Network• Before adding a Network, a Subsystem of the appropriate type needed• Select Network type• Details will vary between network types

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Communication between customers

Communication between customers• OFTP – to - OFTP

TP1 - Originator

TP2 – Recipient

OFTP

OFTP

SSID: O0932ORIGINSFID: O0932ORIGIN

SSID: SCIONSFID: O0932RECIPIENT

SSID: SCIONSFID: O0932ORIGIN

SSID: O0932RECIPIENTSFID: O0932RECIPIENT

Epic can determine the recipient for the Post job based on the communications details the file is being sent to

When Scheduling the file, Epic can use the details from the received file to send the file on

DiNet

DiNet

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Communication between customers• FTP – to - OFTP

TP1 - Originator

TP2 – Recipient

FTP

OFTP

Username/Password FTP Server

SSID: SCIONSFID: O0932ORIGIN

SSID: O0932RECIPIENTSFID: O0932RECIPIENT

Epic now has a file, but no idea who the recipient is based on the communications details.A Local Routing Table entry is then used to allow the file to Post to the correct company

The Local Routing Tableentry is also used when Scheduling the file. An alias is required for the sender

DiNet

DiNet

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Sharing connections

Sharing Connections

• View existing connections on DiNet• Ford• Renault

• Communicate with other VAN’s• OpenText (GXS)• Sterling• Covisint• Inovis

Benefits

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Sharing connections

• Enabled at a Network level• Associated Company automatically added to receiving system• Shared Companies collected under the entry for the parent company

• I.e. all entities shared to your system will show in the Connections section under a Trading Partnerentry of DiNet

Enabling sharing

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Sharing connections

• On the Recipient Workflow, rather than using the Schedule job to pass the file directly to the recipient, use the Send Using Partner Integration job.

• The file will be passed to DiNet and will go through the Originator and Recipient workflows on DiNet.

• When the file is Scheduled and Sent in DiNet, the entry will be updated in your Recipient filesview in the Workstation.

Using shared connections

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Sharing connections

Partner DiNetComms DiNet

Comms

1. Partner Integration

2. Schedule

3. Status Updates

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Using a shared connection

Sharing connections

• Both the Sender and Receiver of the file need to be shared between DiNet and Scion• Share your customers Network with DiNet• Ensure the DiNet customers Network is shared into your Epic

Enabling sharing

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Sharing connections• Sending OFTP – to – OFTP

TP1 - Originator

TP2 – Recipient

OFTP

OFTP

SSID: O0932ORIGINSFID: O0932ORIGIN

SSID: SCIONSFID: O0932RECIPIENT (Shared from DiNet)

SSID: DiNetSFID: O0932ORIGIN

SSID: O0932RECIPIENTSFID: O0932RECIPIENT

Originator workflow uses the Send Using Partner Integration job to pass the file to DiNet

When DiNet Schedules the file, it is then sent from the original senders SFID

DiNet

DiNet

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Communication between customers• Scion FTP – to – DiNet OFTP

TP1 - Originator

TP2 – Recipient

FTP

OFTP

Username/Password FTP Server

SSID: DINETSFID: O0932ORIGIN (defined on DiNet)

SSID: O0932RECIPIENTSFID: O0932RECIPIENT

Originator workflow uses the Send Using Partner Integration job to pass the file to DiNet

A Local Routing Table entry is then required on DiNet to route file to the desired recipient. An alias will be created on DiNet to sent the file

DiNet

DiNet

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Communication between customers• DiNet OFTP – to – Scion FTP

TP1 - Originator

TP2 – Recipient

OFTP

FTP

Username/PasswordFTP Server

SSID: DINETSFID: O0932RECIPIENT (defined on DiNet)

SSID: O0932ORIGINSFID: O0932ORIGIN

DiNet will use the Send Using Partner Integration job to pass the file to Scion

A Local Routing Table entry is then required on Scion to route file to the desired recipient.

DiNet

DiNet

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Sharing connections

• If both sender and receiver are not OFTP, the DiNet team need to be made aware of the connection so appropriate routing can be put in place

• Details required:• Partner customer

• The Network and Mailbox that the data will be coming from• Ideally either filename or the EDI code(s) of the Partner customer

• DiNet customer• The Network and Mailbox that the data will be coming from• Ideally the EDI code(s) for the DiNet customer

Establishing connections to shared networks

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Exercise

• Typical subsystem

• Customer• Network• Workflows

Setting up Example connections and workflows

Exercise

SFTPclient

ScionStaging Map Send to

partnerDiNet

Staging

SFTP client

Scion Prod Map Send to

partnerDiNetProd GXS

ScionTest

account

StagingCommunications: Dashboard:

Prod:Communications: Dashboard:

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Workflow setup

Originator – Partner Sample Recipient – GXS TGMS

Analyse Map Post to Recipient

“Autodetect” using EDI codes

Send to Partner

Analyse

OutboundFlow

Originator – GXS TGMS Recipient – Partner SampleInboundFlow

Post to Recipient Analyse Map Schedule

Analyse

“Autodetect” using EDI codes

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The End