Joining a Community
Below is a brief outline of the basic implementation steps. Of course, your implementation plan can vary significantly depending on your project, and your Account Manager will work with you to define a plan and statement of work specific to your needs.

• Set up your WebDI mailbox. You'll have a unique, password-protected inbox/outbox and FTP directory. You can register for your WebDI mailbox online or contact us.
• Determine the documents you want to send or receive. We need to know the kind of document (e.g., purchase order, invoice, etc.) or information that you want to exchange, as well as the trading partners involved. If you're joining an existing community, then it's likely that your trading partner has already determined which documents you'll be exchanging.
• Ensure that you have the proper Internet connectivity and security. We can assist and advise you on this issue.
• If you're going to be logging in to the WebDI site and completing forms to send to your trading partner, then your implementation process is basically completed. We need to determine how you want to be notified when documents are sent to your WebDI mailbox. For example, when your trading partner sends new information to your mailbox, you can receive a fax or e-mail so that you know to log in.
• If you're going to use forms-based WebDI but upload information (via FTP, for example) from your local computer rather than type it in while you're online, then we need to determine what type of protocol and connectivity you require in order to upload the information.

Joining a Community with Integrated WebDI

If you've decided to integrate WebDI with your back-office system, then your implementation will include some additional components.

• Determine the type of documents that your back-office system can produce (for example, ANSI X12, flat file, etc.) and the exact format of each document. Your Account Manager will work with you to ensure that the document format is properly defined.
• Define the format of the document that your trading partner is sending to you so that it can be properly integrated with your back-office system.
• Ensure that WebDI is integrated with your back-office system. We'll work with your back-office system provider to determine how these documents are processed in that system.

Of course, in all implementations, testing and quality assurance are our final steps. We'll make sure that information is flowing properly between you and your trading partners. When you are satisfied, we'll consider the implementation complete.