EDI Glossary : S
Secure FTP: see SFTP.
Segment: A part of an EDI message or transaction set, made up of a number of related data elements separated by a delimiter, conveying a part of the business transaction being made.
Segment Code: A code that uniquely identifies each segment as specified in a segment directory.
Segment Delimiter Character: Marks the end of a variable-length segment.
Segment Diagram: The schematic that depicts the format and composition of a segment.
Segment Directory: A listing of the segments unique to the specific system of EDI Standards being used, and usually part of the data dictionary.
Segment Hierarchy: The order of occurrence of segments within a transaction set.
Segment Identifier: A predefined code that identifies the segment.
Segment Name: A name that identifies the segment.
Segment Qualifier: A data element that gives the segment a specific meaning.
Segment Specifications: Distinct attributes of a segment, including structure and content.
Segment Tag: A composite data element, in which the first component data element contains a code that uniquely identifies a segment as specified in the relevant segment directory. Additional component data elements can be conditionally used to indicate the hierarchical level and nesting relationship in a message and the incidence of a segment’s repetition [EDIFACT].
Segment Terminator: A special character that indicates the end of a segment
Self-billing: Customers can generate the invoice themselves and remit payment electronically via EDI.
Seller: The party in a business transaction who sells goods or services to a buyer for good and valuable consideration.
Sender: The party who transmits the EDI messages.
Sequence Table: A portion of a standard that indicates the possible segments, their sequence, and their attributes for each area of a transaction set.
SFTP: Simple File Transfer Protocol. A network protocol that provides file transfer and manipulation functionality over any reliable data stream. It is typically used with the SSH-2 protocol to provide secure file transfer. (See also SSH).
Shipment Notification: An EDI transaction sent by the shipper of material to the receiver advising that the shipment has been sent, and providing details such as manifest, PO number, estimated time of arrival, carrier, etc.
Simple data elements: A data element containing a single value.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. The protocol that is most commonly used for transferring email between servers over the internet.
SOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol. A lightweight XML based protocol for exchanging structured information in a de-centralized, distributed environment, defined by the W3C.
Software: The programs residing on disk, tape, or other storage media used by the computer to accomplish its tasks.
Spoke: EDI term that refers to a business partner, usually a supplier to a buyer company (known as a Hub).
SSH: Secure Shell. A set of standards and an associated network protocol that allows a secure channel to be established between a local and remote computer.
Standards: Something established for use as a rule or basis of comparison. In the context of EDI, this usually refers to the system of message standards that are in use between business partners.
Standards Body: A committee, usually made up of representatives of the users of a given Standard, and either accepted by industry or charged by a government to maintain the Standards in question.
Standards, Proprietary: Those systems of EDI messages that are developed by the business partners themselves for a specific application, and do not fit in any of the systems of Standards developed by any of the accepted Standards Bodies around the world.
Standards, Public: Those systems of EDI messages that are prepared and published by or through the accepted Standards Bodies around the world.
Store and Forward: A type of messaging service that allows an EDI transmission to be forwarded when convenient to the sender and transmitted immediately to the recipient.
Store and Retrieve: Usually used in conjunction with a mail box system; provides for the storage of a message transmission until the intended receiver accesses the system and retrieves the message.
Supply Chain: A sequence of events, which may include conversion, movement or placement, which adds value to goods, products, or services.
Syntax: The system for arranging data elements and segments within an EDI message or transaction set, as dictated by the Message or Transaction Set Standards being used.
