edi faxinating solutions

 

No EDI? No Problem. 

 By Steve Hatajlo

So, let’s say a company decides they’re done with EDI. Not because it failed—it didn’t. It works. But maybe they’re changing ERPs to a cloud-based system that requires APIs or a need to integrate with another system via an API. Sometimes the change comes from a trading partner who is using a JSON message format. The point is they’re heading in a different direction.

And you know what? That’s fine. We’ve seen it before. For some, it’s about speed—getting someone up and running in days, not months. For others, it’s flexibility—not every supplier is built the same, and not everyone uses X12 or EDIFACT. APIs, spreadsheets, even PDFs—they all get the job done, as long as the data is clean.

The one thing that doesn’t change is the need for accurate, usable data. Whether it’s EDI, XML, JSON, or some wild Excel template with merged cells and pastel colors—you still need to validate, transform, and deliver that data into your ERP without blowing anything up.

EDI Is Just One Format.

EDI is great and still works. We support it, every single day. But the goal isn’t EDI for the sake of EDI. The goal is integration and smooth processes. Clean, reliable, structured data going where it needs to go.

In real life, that means you’ve got one partner sending EDI, another firing over Excel sheets, and another pushing JSON through an API. And our job? Make all that look the same to your core business software—to get it into NetSuite, SAP, QuickBooks—whatever you’re using—without you needing to know or care how it got there.

How We Help When You Go Beyond EDI

Look, we’ve been doing this for a while. Before AI was cool. Before APIs were mainstream. Before cloud meant more than the weather.

So, when a company says, “Hey, we’re adding non-EDI formats,” we don’t panic. We say, “Great. Let’s get to work.”

  • You send us any format—PDF, CSV, XML, JSON, you name it. Fax? Yep, even that.
  • We normalize the data. Think of it like translating every dialect into one clean language your ERP speaks fluently.
  • We apply your business rules. Want us to reject invoices without a PO? Done. Need us to generate one from a customer number and date? Done that too.
  • We make the user experience simple. Supplier doesn’t know EDI? No problem. We give them a simple web portal and a login. That’s it.

From Faxes to APIs: How Faxinating Solutions (FSI) Does It

At FSI, we specialize in handling all the formats your partners send—even the ones that make your IT team cringe. PDFs, XMLs, spreadsheets, CSVs, binary files, flat files—we process them all.

Our non-EDI processing falls into two categories:

  • Paper (including digital paper, like a PDF): When the incoming file has key details in predictable places, we treat it just like EDI. It gets transformed, validated, routed—from start to finish.
  • Electronic Data file: Our team studies the structure of your trading partner’s data file and their specifications to understand if the data needs to be shuffled around to match what your system can understand. We not only do that shuffle, but when you send a message back, we shuffle your data into the format and sequence that flows back into their system.

When an incoming file is missing key details or buries them somewhere random, we switch gears. We can add lookup tables to supplement and complete those missing elements or put automated business rules in place to get the data moving quickly point-to-point, securely, and reliably.

In both cases, we’re not just pushing files around. We’re making sure your data makes it to the right place, in the right format, and at the right time. Whether that means a direct handoff into your ERP or preparing it for downstream automation, we’ve got it covered.

Support for the Full Order-to-Cash Lifecycle

And while we’re talking about integration, let’s not forget the big picture: the entire order-to-cash (O2C) cycle. Because most companies don’t just want to receive an order—they need to acknowledge, fulfill, ship, provide status, invoice, and get paid.

That’s where we really shine. We help you manage the O2C process, from POs that come in via fax or email, to outbound invoice spreadsheets, advanced shipping notice PDFs—you name it.

Whether the documents start life as EDI, PDFs, or scanned images from a smartphone, we bring structure and automation to every step. Fewer errors. Faster processing. Better visibility into your order to cash process.

And the best part? We do all of it without locking you or your partners into a single format.

More Options = More Complexity. Unless You’re Ready.

Today, you’re not just picking EDI or API. You’re probably juggling both—plus PDFs, Excel files, who-knows-what. That’s normal now.

But it does mean you need internal processes that flex with you and onboard new formats fast. You need to catch errors before they cause headaches. And you need a partner who knows the difference between a good-looking file and a functional one.

That’s us. Every day.

Integration Is the Endgame

Whether it’s an API call into NetSuite or a flat file to SAP, the mission is always the same: take raw data, clean it up, and get it where it needs to go.

And when the rules change? When someone sends a broken PO, or leaves off a ship-to code, or faxes a coffee-stained invoice from a truck stop? We don’t flinch. We fix it. We’ve built thousands of rules for hundreds of clients. We’ll build yours too.

We’re here to give you more options. And who doesn’t like options?