When to Use
- Design or operate B2B EDI integrations—inbound/outbound pipelines, partner profiles, replay
- Map canonical business objects (order, shipment, invoice, inventory) to X12 or EDIFACT segments and loops
- Implement partner-specific rules from implementation guides, companion guides, and trading partner agreements
- Configure validation—syntax (X12 envelope/segment rules, EDIFACT UNB/UNH), implementation conventions, SNIP/business edits
- Build acknowledgment and exception flows—997/999, CONTRL, APERAK, negative acks, operator queues
- Onboard trading partners—certification, test environments, cutover, production monitoring
- Choose and operate transport—AS2 (sign/encrypt, MDN), SFTP/FTP, VAN mailbox patterns at integration level
- Handle healthcare EDI variants (834 enrollment, 835 remittance, 837 claims) as structured messaging—never embed PHI in docs or logs
- Implement idempotency, deduplication, and reconciliation between EDI documents and ERP/WMS/OMS state
When NOT to Use
- Generic REST/GraphQL or event-bus integration with no EDI standards or segment mapping →
senior-software-engineer - WMS waves, pick paths, RF scanning, slotting, or warehouse operational logic →
wms-developer - Supply chain strategy, sourcing, forecast policy, or supplier QBRs without EDI implementation →
supply-chain-manager - SOC/ISO/HIPAA compliance program, audit evidence, and control attestation without EDI engineering →
compliance-engineer - VRP, MIP, scheduling, or solver-based routing optimization →
operations-research-algorithm-developer - Penetration testing or offensive security of partner endpoints →
penetration-tester - Legal review of trading partner contracts →
commercial-counsel
Related skills
| Need | Skill |
|---|---|
| WMS/ERP message consumption after canonical translation | wms-developer |
| Supply chain process design and inventory policy | supply-chain-manager |
| Application services, APIs, and integration code quality | senior-software-engineer |
| Audit controls, HIPAA/SOC evidence pipelines | compliance-engineer |
| Optimization models for routing or allocation | operations-research-algorithm-developer |
| Enterprise integration architecture across systems | senior-system-architecture |
| CI/CD and production deploy for integration services | devops |
| Cloud messaging and object storage for payloads | cloud-engineer |
Core Workflows
1. Scope and boundaries
Define standards in scope (X12 version, EDIFACT release), transaction sets, direction, systems of record, and PHI handling.
See references/edi_engineer_scope.md.
2. Standards and message families
Select transaction sets, envelopes, and version/agency identifiers.
See references/standards_x12_edifact.md.
3. Mapping and translation
Build canonical models, segment/loop maps, code lists, and transformation rules.
See references/mapping_and_translation.md.
4. Validation and acknowledgments
Layer syntax, partner, and business validation; define ack and exception paths.
See references/validation_and_acknowledgments.md.
5. Transport and partner onboarding
Configure connectivity, certificates, mailboxes, certification, and cutover.
See references/transport_and_partner_onboarding.md.
6. Testing, monitoring, and reconciliation
Certification suites, observability, replay, and financial/operational tie-out.
See references/testing_monitoring_and_reconciliation.md.
Outputs
- Partner profile — IDs, qualifiers, versions, allowed transaction sets, test vs prod endpoints
- Canonical data model — entities, keys, UOM, dates, references, allowance/charge patterns
- Mapping specification — segment/loop map, conditions, code conversions, sample in/out pairs
- Validation matrix — syntax, IG, SNIP/business rules, severity, remediation owner
- Acknowledgment design — 997/999 or CONTRL/APERAK triggers, negative ack content, SLA
- Runbook — stuck interchange, MDN failures, duplicate control numbers, reconciliation breaks
- Test pack — positive/negative cases, volume samples, certification sign-off checklist
Principles
- Map EDI → canonical → domain systems; avoid EDI-shaped tables in core business schemas
- Treat every interchange as idempotent—control numbers, message refs, payload hash, dedupe store
- Fail closed on validation; route exceptions to quarantine with actionable codes—not silent drops
- Separate test and production profiles; never cross-wire ISA/GS or UNB interchange IDs
- Log metadata only for healthcare payloads—no member names, diagnoses, or claim detail in tickets
- Plan reconciliation jobs comparing document totals to ERP/WMS open items and payments
- Document partner drift—IG revisions, segment usage changes, and coordinated version upgrades