MAPPING

The transformation of a source format into a target format — the operational element that decides the success or failure of an EDI deployment.

Definition

Mapping is the deterministic transformation of one structured document to another: an EDIFACT INVOIC to an SAP IDoc INVOIC02, a UBL Invoice to a cloud ERP JSON, a cXML PunchoutOrderMessage to a Shopify Cart. A well-crafted mapping covers four dimensions:

• Structure: element-to-element correspondence (BGM/1004 → IDoc/E1EDK01-BELNR, NAD+SU → E1EDKA1+LIFNR, LIN+1082 → E1EDP01-POSEX).
• Typing: format conversions (EDIFACT date 102 CCYYMMDD → ABAP SY-DATUM, n14 amount → DEC(13,2), UNCL enum → constant).
• Code lists: code translation (UNCL 1001 380 "Commercial invoice" → IDoc BSART "FACT", recipient GLN → SAP partner code, ICD 0088 → SAP agent scheme).
• Business logic: enrichment (compute net total from lines), filtering (only send lines with quantity > 0), branching (if VAT = 0, add exemption reason).

Mapping is carried by dedicated tools — IBM Sterling B2B Integrator, Boomi, MuleSoft, webMethods B2B, SAP PI/PO, Talend ESB, Apache Camel DataFormat. Mappings can be implemented in declarative languages (XSLT, JSONata, GraphQL), graphical tools (Sterling Map Editor), or code.

Origin

Mapping was born with the first EDIs in the 1980s: every ERP vendor proposed their own internal format, which had to be reconciled with the EDIFACT or X12 standard received from a partner. The discipline professionalised in the 1990s with the arrival of Mapping Tools (Mercator, Gentran, Sterling Gentran:Director, Microsoft BizTalk Mapper). Today, mapping is a corporate asset — a typical Tier-1 retail deployment has 500 to 2,000 active mappings.

Example in context

A retail chain asks a new supplier to migrate from a paper invoice to an EDIFACT D.96A INVOIC. On the retailer's side: nothing to do, the integrator already has the INVOIC → ERP mapping. On the supplier's side: an ERP-Sage → INVOIC mapping is to be built, typically 4 to 8 weeks with partner testing. The total deployment cost rests almost entirely on this mapping; AS2 transport and security represent only a tenth of the budget.

Related terms

• ETL — the batch cousin of EDI mapping.
• Onboarding — the process where mapping is the centrepiece.
• Qualifier — frequently mapped element on the code side.
• INVOIC — typical source-format example.