EDI Mailbox

A partner's electronic mailbox on a VAN.

Definition

The mailbox follows the store-and-forward model: the sender deposits, the VAN holds, the recipient retrieves on its own schedule. Each partner is identified by a mailbox address (often a qualifier + ID, e.g. ISA06/ISA08 in X12); retrieval happens by regular connection (polling) or notification.

Origin

An operational concept of EDI Value-Added Networks, described in VAN operator documentation; mailbox addressing relies on the ASC X12 (ISA/IEA) or UN/EDIFACT (UNB/UNZ) interchange envelope.

Example in context

At 06:00 the supplier's ERP connects to its VAN mailbox, picks up three interchanges deposited overnight by different buyers, then drops the matching ship notices into it.

Related terms

• Store-and-Forward — the underlying delivery model.
• VAN — the operator hosting the mailbox.