# EDI

> EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the paperless, partly automated electronic exchange of business data between companies or between parts of one company.

Original page: https://t10.de/en/glossary/edi
Publisher: total10 GmbH, https://t10.de/en/glossary

According to the business dictionary [Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon](https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/electronic-data-interchange-edi-33656) (in German), EDI rests on uniform international standards. The data is structured to fit them, and EDI software converts a company's internal data into the standard message format and back again.

One of these standards is EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport). According to the same dictionary, it was developed under the auspices of the United Nations so that commercial data for common business transactions, such as orders, invoices and delivery notes, could be exchanged in standard formats. EANCOM is another. GS1 Germany, the organisation that issues official product numbers (GTINs) in Germany, describes it as a global message standard for exchanging business data electronically across countries and industries. It was originally designed for the consumer goods industry and is now used in healthcare, logistics and e-commerce as well.

EDI is not our default route, but it is technically just as feasible: where another system works with EDI or with a manufacturer's own export format, we connect through that too.

## See also

- [API](https://t10.de/en/glossary/api): An API (application programming interface) is a defined set of functions and rules that lets one piece of software use the features or data of another system or service.
- [Interface](https://t10.de/en/glossary/interface): An interface is the point at which two systems, programs or components meet and exchange data; the word also covers the user interface between a person and software.
- [SFTP](https://t10.de/en/glossary/sftp): SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) transfers files securely over a Secure Shell (SSH) connection; despite the name, it is a separate protocol from the older FTP.
- [Pharma logistics](https://t10.de/en/glossary/pharma-logistics): Pharma logistics is the term we use for storing, transporting and delivering medicinal products and other pharma-sector goods, such as promotional material and supplies for patients.

## Where the term appears

- [Pharma IT services: Non-GxP software](https://t10.de/en/pharma)

## Sources

1. [Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)](https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/electronic-data-interchange-edi-33656), Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon (Springer Gabler), accessed 2026-11-07
2. [EDIFACT](https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/edifact-33184), Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon (Springer Gabler), accessed 2026-11-07
3. [EANCOM: EDI-Standard](https://www.gs1-germany.de/standards/datenaustausch/eancom/), GS1 Germany, accessed 2026-11-07