SEF

EDI guideline format, designed to exchange specifications between mapping tools.

Definition

SEF (Standard Exchange Format) is a structured text file organized into sections (.SETS, .SEGS, .CODES, .TEXT…) that encodes an X12 or EDIFACT guideline: transaction structure, cardinalities, allowed codes and restrictions. It lets a specification move from one translator to another without re-keying.

Origin

Format published by Foresight Corporation in the « EDISIM Standard Exchange Format (SEF) » specification; it became a de facto interchange format adopted by many EDI translators for importing/exporting guidelines.

Example in context

.SETS
850=H,ST,1,1+BEG,1,1...
.SEGS
BEG=BEG01,M,ID,2/2...

Related terms

• Mapping — the transformation that the SEF-described guideline scopes.