1. EDI – an overview Linda Sather Cheryl Kolbe
Oregon State University Consultant
Office of the Registrar

3. EDI – an overview What is EDI? Why use it? How does it work?
What does it take to implement?
How much ongoing support is required?
Who in Oregon is using it?

4. Electronic Data Interchange
EDI
Is the electronic transfer of information between two trading partner’s systems using a set of transactions that have been adopted as a national or international standard for the particular business function.
To give you an idea of what EDI can do,
I will show you how EDI can be used to improve your procedures for sending and receiving transcripts.

5. The Transcript Trail Print Transcript Re-key Data Receive Transcript
U.S. Mail
Student Information System
Someone in office request transcript from SIS
SIS processes transcript & prints
Someone manually stuffs the transcript into an envelope & puts it in the mail
Few days later, mail arrives at receiving institution
Routes to office personnel who manually keys the data into their SIS
Recipient’s Student Information System
Request Transcript

6. The Transcript Trail with EDI
Print Transcript
Re-key Data
Receive Transcript
U.S. Mail
Student Information System
This picture simplifies the EDI process, but most manual steps are taken out of the picture.
Transcript is sent electronically to the receiving institution
An added bonus, the receiving institution then sends an electronic acknowledgement back to the sender.
Next, I’ll show you what is happening behind the scenes of these two red EDI lines.
EDI
Recipient’s Student Information System
Request Transcript

7. Why use it? Oregon K-16 data transfer system
College Admission & Placement Profile

8. The College Admission and Placement Profile (CAPP)
Electronically transfers traditional high school transcript elements, state assessment data, and other data indicating student proficiency from Oregon school districts to Oregon's community colleges and the Oregon University System campuses.

9. The College Admission and Placement Profile (CAPP)
 High school counselors/registrars can electronically send data on an individual student to many institutions for use in college admission and/or placement.

10. K-16 Integrated Data Transfer System

11. What it takes to use EDI EDI server Internet access
Translation & mapping software
Staffing
Registration
Encryption software

12. Your EDI Server
Install translation & mapping software on stand-alone machine or on an existing server.
Old, spare pc works great for EDI.Smart
Trusted Link software requires Windows 95 or better

13. Internet Access

14. Software Buy it off the shelf Write your own EDI.Smart Quick ‘n’ Easy
Partner Sungard SCT
Quick ‘n’ Easy
Freeware
Receive & Print
Inovis Trusted Link
Partner Datatel
Mercator Integration Broker
AXIOM
Write your own
Univ. of Maryland

15. Registration Univ. of Texas – Austin Internet EDI server Free 1 e-mail
Receive reply with username & password

16. Security Encryption software What’s available Optional
sftp to/from UT server
PGP
Freeware
RSA security
CryptoHeaven

17. Communications with U.T.Austin
Your
EDI
Server
Your
FTP Server
U.T. Austin
Server
When a transcript is requested for an EDI trading partner,
put into a flat file by SHREDIE
placed in a download area where our EDI server can pick it up.
Our EDI server
translates the flat data file to the EDI standard format,
puts in an electronic kind of envelope
sends the transcript to the Texas Server – which acts like an electronic post office and routes the transcript out to the receiving institution.
receiving institution sends back an acknowledgement
Sever sends to the “address” OSU gave them for deliveries.
Now that you know what EDI is and what it can do for you, I’ll let Trevor explain what it takes to implement.
Other Universities, Colleges & High Schools

18. EDI & Banner at OSU OSU’s FTP drop point OSU’s EDI.Smart Server
Banner SHREDIR & SHREDIP Processes
U.T. Austin
Server
OSU’s Banner
download Area
OSU’s
Banner System
When a transcript is requested for an EDI trading partner,
put into a flat file by SHREDIE
placed in a download area where our EDI server can pick it up.
Our EDI server
translates the flat data file to the EDI standard format,
puts in an electronic kind of envelope
sends the transcript to the Texas Server – which acts like an electronic post office and routes the transcript out to the receiving institution.
receiving institution sends back an acknowledgement
Sever sends to the “address” OSU gave them for deliveries.
Now that you know what EDI is and what it can do for you, I’ll let Trevor explain what it takes to implement.
Other Universities, Colleges & High Schools
Banner SHREDIY Process

19. EDI & Trusted Link at CCC
CCC’s FTP
drop point
CCC’s
Trusted Link
Server
Datatel EITP Process
U.T. Austin
Server
CCC’s Datatel
download Area
CCC’s
Datatel System
When a transcript is requested for an EDI trading partner,
put into a flat file by SHREDIE
placed in a download area where our EDI server can pick it up.
Our EDI server
translates the flat data file to the EDI standard format,
puts in an electronic kind of envelope
sends the transcript to the Texas Server – which acts like an electronic post office and routes the transcript out to the receiving institution.
receiving institution sends back an acknowledgement
Sever sends to the “address” OSU gave them for deliveries.
Now that you know what EDI is and what it can do for you, I’ll let Trevor explain what it takes to implement.
Other Universities, Colleges & High Schools
Datatel STRQ Process

20. Staffing Installation & Mapping Daily Operation Maintenance
Registrar’s office and Admissions office
Functional/Technical manager IT
Systems Analyst/Programmer Analyst
Daily Operation
Office Specialist/Transcript Staff
Maintenance
Same as Installation & Mapping

21. Implementation Timeline
To be ready to test with a partner
2 – 3 months
Speed process by sharing information between institutions
Testing with trading partners
Approx. 2 weeks each (in real world)
Develop good sample pack of transcripts

22. Testing Issues
Review all modifications to your transcript print process
Known issues with your software
Process differences (paper vs. EDI)
Confidentiality/FERPA

23. Additional Test Cases Two or more transfer institutions
Multiple degrees
Repeated courses
Student with Holds
Old courses, all grade codes
In-progress courses
Ungraded and graded in same term

24. EDI Transcripts in Oregon by Sender 2004
*UO began receiving in July

25. EDI Transcripts in Oregon Trades January – April, 2005

26. EDI Transcripts in Oregon
Total transcripts traded in Oregon in 2004 is 11,118
Average = 927 per month
3 institutions are sending
5 institutions are receiving
At least 4 institutions are now in the process of implementing EDI
Chemeketa CC, Clackamas CC, Lane CC, Southern Oregon U.

27. EDI or XML What is XML? Characteristics of EDI Characteristics of XML
Is EDI going away?

28. Extensible Markup Language
XML
Is a dynamic trading language that enables applications to flexibly, intelligently & cost efficiently exchange information. XML-based EDI is well suited to use over the Internet.
To give you an idea of what EDI can do,
I will show you how EDI can be used to improve your procedures for sending and receiving transcripts.

29. Characteristics of EDI
Provides standardized rigid format
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) EDI standards (X12)
Stability and uniformity
High level of security
Point-to-point integration
Exchanges large amounts of data with no intervention

30. Characteristics of EDI
Requires dedicated EDI server
Minimizes file size in the exchange
Machine decipherable (difficult for a person to read)
Focus on data and structure
Not web based
Many trading partners available

31. Characteristics of XML
Transacts over existing internet
Focus on syntax and graphics
Developed for graphic representations
A way to format & manipulate text
Very large file size
Less efficient transmission
A cousin to HTML
New, hot technology; easy to learn

32. Characteristics of XML
Approved Version by the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Committee in April 2004
UT Austin Server supports PESC XML standard
XML users cannot trade with EDI users (crosswalk is being developed)
Man and machine decipherable (easy to read by humans; not as secure)

33. Is EDI going away? NO
There are benefits of both EDI and XML. One significant factor in favor of EDI is that our current trading partners are using EDI.

34. Benefits of EDI More Secure than paper Cost savings
Acknowledgements from receiving institution
Speed
Easy partner exchange each term
Automated transfer articulation
Small file size

35. Perspectives Server issues All technological systems need upgrades
Staff training
Interface with your student software system
Move from SSN to generated ID
Web transcript requests
Who owns EDI processing?

36. AACRAO EDI in Education: general introduction to EDI technology   
Quick ‘n’ Easy SPEEDE: includes the software, implementation guide, and FAQ’s
 Univ. of Texas-Austin EDI Server: includes registration how to, list of participants, and FAQ’s
 MIT Distribution Center: download the freeware version of PGP
EDI on the Web

37.  Beginner’s Guide to PGP: step-by-step instructions for installing & using PGP
 EDI.Smart Discussion List: listserv for Banner schools
 Conferences:
AACRAO Technology Conference (encompassing EDI and XML) October in Atlanta, GA
EDI on the Web (more)

38. Questions? Linda Sather Cheryl Kolbe