Substitution table

When EDI information is sent between trading partners, that information is sent in a flat file as a string that conforms to ASC X12 or UN/EDIFACT standards or, if you are building your own maps with IBM® WebSphere® Transformation Extender (WTX)), to a format that you and your trading partner have agreed upon.

When Lawson EDI receives such data, the translator can interpret most of the values in such a string because those values are part of a standard string of data, such as purchase order data, that the translator knows how to map between systems. Certain elements might be unique to your system: your unit of measure is two characters while your trading partner's is four characters, or you might use a four-digit number to identify vendors and your trading partner might use an abbreviated name. These differences are mapped between systems with the help of a substitution table. For example; for inbound transactions, if a trading partner sends a purchase order to a company using Lawson, the receiver of that invoice needs to be able to determine that the vendor identified as DIGI in the trading partner's system is vendor 3748 in Lawson. This kind of equivalency information is stored in a substitution table. An organization that uses Lawson EDI sets up its substitution table with Data Substitution Table Setup (ED40.1).

For Healthcare customers, a listing of substitutions by trading partner and transaction type is provided in the Lawson EDI for Supply Chain Management Trading Partner List. Healthcare customers whose trading partner(s) are listed there can use this table to guide them when they specify values on Data Substitution Table Setup (ED40.1).