EDI Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield EDI facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the maximum length of the ISA interchange control number (ISA13)? → 9 digits
2. In EDIFACT, what is the equivalent of the X12 ISA/IEA envelope? → UNB/UNZ
3. In an EDI error scenario where an 810 Invoice is rejected due to mismatched purchase order number, which party typically bears responsibility for the fix? → The sender (supplier), who must correct the invoice data before resubmitting
4. What is a key consideration when testing an EDI implementation? → Verifying that EDI documents are correctly formatted and processed
5. What is the role of the ST segment in X12 EDI? → Transaction Set Header
6. What is 'EDI compliance' testing? → Verifying that EDI transactions conform to a trading partner's specific requirements
7. Under Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), why must companies maintain EDI transaction records? → To demonstrate accurate financial reporting and audit integrity
8. Which of the following is a widely used EDI standard for international data exchange? → EDIFACT
9. When configuring AS2 for EDI, which two security features are typically required by retail trading partners? → Message encryption and digital signing
10. In EDI, what is the purpose of a functional acknowledgment (997/999)? → To confirm receipt and syntactical acceptance of an EDI transaction
11. How does EDI integration with ERP systems typically benefit a business? → It allows manual data entry to be minimized
12. Which EDI testing phase verifies that transaction sets are syntactically correct before live trading partner exchange? → Compliance testing
13. In EDI integration, what does a 'loopback test' accomplish? → Sends a transaction to a partner that echoes it back to verify round-trip integrity
14. Which EDI envelope level contains the functional group header (GS) and trailer (GE)? → Functional group envelope
15. Which segment in an X12 999 Implementation Acknowledgment replaces the AK1 segment found in the 997? → FA1
16. What is the purpose of EDI data validation before processing in a security context? → To detect malformed or malicious data that could exploit the EDI system
17. Which EDI standard is commonly used in North America for business transactions? → ANSI X12
18. What is the maximum number of characters allowed in an X12 ISA segment? → 106 characters
19. What is a common feature of all EDI standards? → They define a set of rules and formats for data exchange
20. Which identifier is commonly used in the US to uniquely identify a trading partner in EDI transmissions? → DUNS number
21. Which EDI component is responsible for converting internal data formats into EDI formats and vice versa? → EDI Translator
22. What is a Trading Partner Agreement (TPA) in EDI? → A legal document defining EDI exchange terms between two parties
23. Which of the following best describes a Value Added Network (VAN) in EDI? → A third-party intermediary that stores and forwards EDI messages between trading partners
24. Which communication protocol is commonly used to transmit EDI files securely over the internet? → AS2 (Applicability Statement 2)
25. What is the purpose of the ISA14 (Acknowledgment Requested) element in an EDI interchange? → It signals the receiver that a TA1 interchange acknowledgment is expected in return
26. Which integration pattern best supports high-volume, asynchronous EDI transaction processing in an enterprise environment? → Message queue-based integration with guaranteed delivery
27. What does the term 'flat file' mean in EDI processing? → A plain text file with data arranged in fixed positions or delimited rows
28. When a trading partner sends a 997 with AK501 = 'R', what is the appropriate corrective action for the sender? → Correct the identified errors and resend the functional group
29. What is the most important foundational concept in Transaction Processing? → Understanding core principles and their practical application in Transaction Processing
30. In EDIFACT, what does the qualifier 'ORDERS' in the UNH segment identify? → A purchase order message type