Re: real life problem

[Mike Rawlins <mike@rawlinsecconsulting.com>]

There have been several replies on this topic, but I would like to point out
clearly that you have two separate issues to address.

1)  Your customer's supplier wants to use EDI and your customer wants to use
XML.
2)  Your customer wants to communicate using the Internet rather than an EDI
VAN.

As has been pointed out:

1) Your customer can do XML and have a third party do the XML<->EDI
transformation for the supplier.
2) Your customer can certainly do EDI over the Internet if they don't want to
use an EDI VAN.  They may either be able to convince their supplier to also go
this route, or find a third party who will do the interconnect to the supplier's
VAN.

The only thing that might be awkward is if your customer wants to do both XML
*and* over the Internet, since they would need to find a third party (or
parties) to do both the XML<->EDI transformation and the interconnect.
Certainly possible, but more complicated.

--
Michael C. Rawlins, Rawlins EC Consulting
www.rawlinsecconsulting.com