B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

178 B2B Integration — A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce
6.6. Coexistence of XML and EDI
Continued from page 177
EDI has helped companies for the last several years to simplify and
speed up their transactions with customers, suppliers and other partners.
With the advent of XML, which has the potential of reaching new
trading customers and markets and serves as a universal language for
all types of transactions, companies are facing tough questions. Should
we stay with EDI? Should we move to the evolving technology of
XML? Should we try to get EDI and XML to intemperate? Have the
XML standards been defined for our industry?
In the following section, we will try to find the answers to these
daunting questions that form the backbone of a B2Bi strategy.
6.6.1. EDI is here to stay
It is a misleading notion to claim that XML will completely replace
EDI. It would be prudent for companies to build the XML world based
on the last 30 years of EDI, rather than tear it all down. During these
years, EDI has been implemented widely by large companies forming
hub-and-spoke relationships. It has also been highly integrated into the
core business processes of companies. This level of integration required
considerable effort. It is absolutely not possible to undo all EDI from