EDI & Custom Integration: Bespoke Connectivity for Complex Environments
Most procurement integration requirements are addressed by standard protocols: cXML or OCI Punchout for enterprise ERP connections, native connectors for accounting platforms, and REST API for custom application development. Some organisations, particularly those operating legacy systems, specialised industry platforms, or highly bespoke technical architectures, require a different approach. Borong's EDI and custom integration service supports these requirements through direct engagement with the Borong integration team to design and implement the right connectivity architecture for each environment.
What Is EDI in a Procurement Context?
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is a structured messaging standard for exchanging business documents, including purchase orders, order confirmations, advance ship notices, and invoices, between organisations in machine-readable formats. EDI predates modern API-based integration and remains relevant in industries and organisations where legacy systems and long-established trading partner relationships have been built around EDI standards such as ANSI X12, EDIFACT, or industry-specific variants.
In procurement, EDI exchanges documents between buyer and supplier systems without manual handling. Where your supplier relationships or internal systems are already built on EDI infrastructure, connecting through EDI rather than standard procurement protocols may be the right path.
When EDI or Custom Integration Is the Right Approach
- The organisation operates legacy ERP or financial systems that do not support standard cXML, OCI, or REST API integration
- Existing supplier relationships are built on established EDI trading partner agreements that the organisation does not want to disrupt
- The integration requirement involves non-standard document types or data flows that fall outside standard Punchout or API scope
- The organisation operates in an industry (such as manufacturing, logistics, or retail) with established EDI infrastructure deeply embedded in operational processes
- The organisation requires a highly customised integration architecture that standard connectors cannot accommodate without significant modification
What Borong's Custom Integration Service Covers
Borong's integration team designs and implements these directly. That can include EDI transaction set mapping for document exchange, custom middleware or a transformation layer bridging Borong's standard data formats to your internal systems, and bespoke workflow automation extending standard capabilities for specific processes.
Scope and timeline depend on the complexity of the requirement. The team assesses it, proposes an architecture and provides a delivery plan before implementation begins.
The Integration Design Process
Engagements start with a technical discovery session covering your existing systems, data flows and connectivity requirements. From that, the team proposes an architecture, identifies middleware or transformation requirements, and defines testing and acceptance. Implementation runs in stages with agreed milestones and acceptance criteria per phase, and post-implementation support runs through the standard Borong support channel.
Design a Custom
Integration Architecture
Speak with an integration specialist about EDI transaction sets, custom middleware, and bespoke connectivity for your environment.