Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of documents in a standard electronic format. It is not a library specific format, and is used in the business world to transmit documents directly from one system to another. The idea is to eliminate the need for human interaction typically required when sending documents via conventional means: mail, fax, email, etc. A typical transaction might look like this:

EDI setup in Alma is best achieved by working with the vendor to get things configured and tested. The GIL team can assist you, but many configuration items (such as FTP information) will still need to be obtained from the vendor. The more commonly used vendors should already be familiar with setting this up in Alma. If you use acquisitions in Alma and have a high volume of transactions with a particular vendor, you and the vendor will both certainly benefit from setting up EDI.

The GOBI API is a vendor application that is built into the GOBI (Previously known as YBP) website. It interfaces with Alma to perform acquisitions tasks. It's related to EDI because it goes a step further in reducing acquisitions-related workflow tasks. See the more detailed GOBI API integration section for more information on how the GOBI API works.