EDI Monitoring | Softzoll GmbH & Co. KG

Professional monitoring with additional features

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Softzoll offer professional monitoring in all main product versions (in-house, outsourcing, full service hosting) without a surcharge. You can easily access the Softzoll transaction monitor using your browser without having to install special components at operating system level. In all solution versions, 24/7 proactive monitoring provides the data pool from which the monitoring view is fed. The monitoring process begins with entering a transmission file in the processing chain for the workflow routines provided.

So-called dispatchers continuously scan all available transmission paths (X400, FTP/sFTP. AS2 OFTP2, directory structures, etc.) and folders to be monitored for a new incident. If a transmission file from an EDI partner or from the customer’s ERP system gets into the monitoring range, complete tracking of the processing operation begins. The superordinate monitoring level records when a data set that is to be processed comes in and goes out (in a communication log), and saves the original EDI or ERP document as a file. The monitoring process tracks the subsequent processing of the document and generates an appropriate monitor entry if there is an error. An e-mail alert is issued that corresponds to this entry.

The user not only has access to the log of the appropriate communication details (receipt and dispatch time, transaction ID, sender and recipient ID, the affected business process, document ID, etc.), but can also specifically search and sort information such as document ID (order number, invoice list number, etc.).

Complete documentation of your transactions

However, the most important aspect of the Softzoll transaction monitor is that not only the virtual information is displayed by the monitor, but that it is also possible to access the physical EDI and ERP files with the option of downloading them directly. Reimporting an ERP document or rapidly sending EDI files, e.g., in test mode by e-mail, is reliably ensured in this way.

This depth of transparency is due to the fact that in some sectors documents containing errors with a severe monetary penalty are verified at the customer end. Modern monitoring must therefore not only reflect the case-related processing times and make it possible to prove that a transmission file has been properly received or sent. Even access to the original EDI files is not enough for this purpose. Rather, complete proof of the entire transaction chain including both access to the original inbound file (on the EDI or the ERP side) and to the corresponding outbound file must be possible. This is the only way to ensure complete documentation of a successfully carried out transaction, even for a third party.

Users can opt to display or retrieve original EDI transactions in a readable form, as PDF files. This enables other departments in the company to gain access to the original EDI file even if they don’t have special IT or EDI skills. It means that these departments can, if necessary, check details such as the original partner messages without having to first enlist the support of the IT department; they can also resolve any differences directly with the EDI partner. The PDF files can be displayed directly on the screen or downloaded onto a local desktop. Depending on the partner and the business process, it is also possible to set up an inexpensive, automated, client-controlled dispatch of PDF files to one or multiple recipients via e-mail.

After a specified period of time, the processing details stored in the transaction monitor (communication log, EDI and ERP file, PDF where applicable) are automatically sent to the internal Softzoll archive. With in-house systems, this information is stored in a dedicated archive index structure (e.g., external drives, network sharing); systems which are managed by Softzoll store the information over a period of years in the data processing center, where it can be retrieved on demand.

Using special archive workflows also means that the data can be prepared for indexed, tamper-proof archiving purposes—regardless of whether our EDI systems are part of your IT infrastructure, or whether they are managed by us in our data processing center. All the above options will also allow you to connect to your global company archive.

For autonomous EDI systems (EDI in-house converter edibus, full service hosting), Softzoll’s transaction monitor offers a wide range of additional features beyond purely mapping transaction chains. Besides the features described, this expanded version of the monitor enables you to orchestrate processing routines and engage with the most important technical parameters (partner administration, workflow management, communication parameters) directly, rather than having to take the circuitous route via GUIs. The tool thus offers an additional administration level, allowing you not only to control the converter but also to personalize the monitor view for standard users.

“SOFTZOLL’S FULL SERVICE HOSTING HAS MET ALL OUR REQUIREMENTS”
Frank Meisel, TROLLI

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