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MythBusters: EDI Edition
Myth 1: EDI is outdated and being replaced by APIs
Fact: While APIs are gaining popularity, EDI remains essential for many industries due to its standardization, reliability, and deep integration with legacy systems. In fact, EDI is evolving with cloud and AI technologies.
Myth 2: EDI is only for large enterprises
Fact: Thanks to cloud-based EDI and EDI-as-a-Service models, small and medium-sized businesses can now afford and benefit from EDI just as much as large corporations.
Myth 3: EDI is complex and expensive to implement
Fact: Modern EDI solutions are more user-friendly and cost-effective than ever. Cloud platforms offer quick onboarding, pre-built integrations and APIs, and managed services that reduce complexity.
Myth 4: EDI only supports batch processing and is not real-time
Fact: While traditional EDI was batch-based, many modern systems now support near real-time data exchange, especially when integrated with cloud platforms.
Myth 5: EDI data isn't useful for analytics or automation
Fact: EDI provides clean, structured data that is ideal for feeding AI models, automating workflows, and generating actionable business insights.
Myth 6: EDI is only used in retail and manufacturing
Fact: EDI is widely used across industries including healthcare, logistics, finance, and government—especially with the rise of networks like Peppol in public procurement.
Myth 7: We don't need EDI when we have Peppol
Fact: Peppol is in fact a type of EDI, not a replacement for EDI as a whole. Peppol is simply a specific, standardized EDI network. EDI is the broader discipline of structured electronic business communication. So – saying “Peppol replaces EDI” is like saying “Email replaces communication”.
Furthermore, Peppol is mainly designed for interoperability and compliance, not deep supply-chain automation. Thus, many companies use both – Peppol for invoicing and other forms of EDI for operations (logistics, warehouse automation, transport orders, etc.)