Overview

Introduction to EDIFACT ordering in WorldShare Acquisitions and this guide.

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 Learn more in a Community Center presentation: WorldShare Acquisitions Best Practices: EDIFACT ordering and claiming (Requires Community Center login)

EDIFACT stands for Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport. It is an international standard for EDI (electronic data interchange).

When completing certain actions in WorldShare Acquisitions you can notify the vendor by sending them an EDIFACT message using secure FTP (SFTP) or email. SFTP is the preferred method. Depending on the vendor you are working with, you can use EDIFACT messages to do the following:

  • Place orders
  • Claim order items
  • Claim serial issues

How to use this guide

This interactive learning path allows you to:

  • Navigate linearly: Work through each section in order using the sidebar navigation
  • Jump to specific topics: Click any section in the sidebar to go directly to that content
  • Expand/collapse sections: Use the buttons at the top to expand or collapse all sections at once
  • Search within the page: Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to find specific information
  • Track your progress: The progress indicator shows how many sections you've viewed

Before you begin configuration, you must contact the vendor in order to determine the correct EDIFACT notification settings:

  • The vendor will provide what to put in the UNB Vendor Identifier and NAD Vendor Identifier fields.
  • The vendor may also have recommendations for how your library should identify itself in the UNB Library Identifier and NAD Library Identifier fields. The vendor may require certain identifier types to be used, or they may provide you with the options they support.
  • For secure FTP messages, ask the vendor for their secure FTP information for dropping off messages.
  • For email messages, ask the vendor which email contact the message should be sent to.
  • It is your library's responsibility to have a conversation with the vendor about your library identifier. If you hit a roadblock in the process, contact OCLC Support.

Some vendors have provided more information about configuring their vendor profile for sending EDIFACT messages. See EDIFACT messages for vendors for more information.

For all other vendors, please use the general workflow below. 

  1. On the left navigation, click Vendors.
  2. Search for the vendor you want to configure for the EDIFACT notification method.
  3. From the vendor search results, click the Vendor Name.
  4. In the vendor record, click the Links & Logins accordion.
    1. Click Add New Link.
    2. Complete the following fields for the secure FTP link.
      • Link Name - Enter a descriptive name for the link (e.g., FTP account for EDIFACT claims).
      • URL - Enter the URL of your vendor's FTP site. The URL must start with sftp://.
      • User ID - Enter the username provided by the vendor for the secure FTP account.
      • Password - Enter the password provided by the vendor for the secure FTP account.
      • Directory - Enter the directory or folder where EDIFACT messages should go.
        • Top-level folders do not require a beginning slash (e.g. claims not /claims).
        • Sub-folders require a slash (e.g., incoming/claim).
    3. Click Save in the upper right corner.
  5. In the vendor record, click the Acquisitions Settings accordion.
    1. In the Specific Notification Settings fields, set the following:
      1. In the Action list, select the type of EDIFACT messages you would like to set up with your vendor.
        • Ordering
        • Claiming order item(s)
        • Claiming serial issues
      2. In the Delivery Method list, select FTP (EDIFACT).
      3. In the FTP Profile list, select the profile you created in step 1.
    2. In the Edifact Notification Settings fields, use the lists to select the type of identifiers you are using. You must select a value for all four fields:
      1. Depending on what you select for UNB Vendor Identifier and NAD Vendor Identifier, your next steps will vary.
        Identifier Type Qualifier used in EDIFACT message Action
        SAN

        31B

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier SAN}::31B
        1. Click the Identifiers accordion.
        2. In the SAN field, enter the vendor identifier.
        GLN

        UNB: 014

        NAD: 9

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier GLN}:014

        Example: {NAD Vendor Identifier GLN}:9
        1. Click the Identifiers accordion.
        2. In the Additional Identifiers Type list, select GLN Global Number or ISIL International Standard for Libraries.
        3. In the Value field, enter the vendor identifier.
        ISIL

        92

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier ISIL}:92
        1. Click the Identifiers accordion.
        2. In the Additional Identifiers Type list, select GLN Global Number or ISIL International Standard for Libraries.
        3. In the Value field, enter the vendor identifier.
        Local Vendor ID

        92

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier Local Vendor Number}:92

        		 The Local Vendor Number is assigned by the system. To view your vendor number, click the Local Identifiers accordion.
        Vendor-supplied ID

        91

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier Vendor Supplied Number}:91

        		 Enter the identifier in the text field that appears on the right.
        Library-supplied ID

        92

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier Library Supplied Number}:92

        		 Enter the identifier in the text field that appears on the right.
      2. Depending on what you select for UNB Library Identifier and NAD Library Identifier, your next steps will vary.
        Identifier Type Qualifier used in EDIFACT message Action
        SAN

        31B

        Example: {UNB Library Identifier SAN}::31B

        		 See Step 3: Add library identifiers in OCLC Service Configuration.
        GLN

        UNB: 014

        NAD: 9

        Example: {UNB Library Identifier GLN}:014

        Example: {NAD Library Identifier GLN}:9

        		 See Step 3: Add library identifiers in OCLC Service Configuration.
        ISIL

        92

        Example: {UNB Library Identifier ISIL}:92

        		 See Step 3: Add library identifiers in OCLC Service Configuration.
        WorldCat Registry ID

        92

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier WorldCat Registry ID}:92

        		 The WorldCat Registry ID is an identifier in the form of a running number which is assigned to all libraries and other cultural institutions within the WorldCat Registry. To view your WorldCat Registry ID, log into OCLC Service Configuration, and click WorldCat Registry > Identifiers.
        Vendor-supplied ID

        91

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier Vendor Supplied Number}:91

        		 Enter the identifier in the text field that appears on the right.
        Library-supplied ID

        92

        Example: {UNB Vendor Identifier Library Supplied Number}:92

        		 Enter the identifier in the text field that appears on the right.
  6. Click Save.
  7. If you selected SAN, GLIN, or ISIL for your UNB Library Identifier or NAD Library Identifier, continue to the next step to configure your library identifier. Otherwise, you can begin using EDIFACT messages.
EDIFACT information for vendor - Example
  • Secure FTP URL: sftp://ftp2.robinsons.com
  • Directory (orders): Incoming/orders
  • Directory (order item claims): Incoming/claims
  • UNB Vendor Identifier: SAN 321-2024 : 31b
  • UNB Library Identifier: SAN 432-2024 : 31b
  • NAD Vendor Identifier: SAN 321-2024 : 31b
  • NAD Library Identifier: WorldCat Registry ID : 92

If your UNB Library Identifier or NAD Library Identifier is a SAN, GLN, or ISIL, you must configure your library identification in OCLC Service Configuration.

  1. Sign in to Service Configuration.
  2. On the left navigation, click WorldCat Registry > Identifiers.
  3. Select your Identifier Type from the list.
  4. Enter your Identifier in the text field.
  5. Click Add.
  6. Click Save.

Overview

Once your settings are configured, you can send an EDIFACT message to a vendor when taking the following actions:

Place an order

Before placing an order: Open the order, complete any edits, and click Save Order at the top of the screen.

  1. Click Place Order.
  2. In the Place Order window, follow local practice to determine whether you check the box to notify the vendor about this order.

     Note: Reasons for notifying the vendor about an order vary. For example, if you have already placed the order on the vendor's website or the order is part of a current subscription, you don't need to notify the vendor. Otherwise, you may want to notify the vendor from WMS.

    • Yes - Place order and notify the vendor
      1. Select the checkbox.
      2. Click Continue.
      3. Go to step 3.
    • No - Place order, but do not notify the vendor
      1. Do not check the box.
      2. Click Place Order
      3. The order is placed.
  3. In the Notify Vendor about Order window, fill in the following fields:
    1. Method - The method you choose to notify the vendor of the order.
      1. E-Mail (EDIFACT): Send an EDIFACT order message via email. Before using this method, read Configure EDIFACT messages for a vendor for configuration information.
      2. E-Mail (HTML): Send your order via email.
      3. Print: Print your order to send via mail.
      4. FTP (EDIFACT): Send an EDIFACT order message via FTP. Before using this method, read Configure EDIFACT messages for a vendor for configuration information.
    2. To (E-Mail or Print) - The person or department at the vendor who will receive your notification of an order.
    3. Reply to (E-Mail (HTML) or Print) - The person at your library that the vendor can contact about your order.
      • The default is the first person listed on the Contacts page in OCLC Service Configuration (WorldCat Registry > Contacts).
      • You can set a recurring contact for when vendors reply to an order in the Institution Settings for your system. For more information, see Create a recurring reply-to contact.
      • You can set a default method and vendor contact by editing the Acquisitions Settings in the vendor record. For more information, see Acquisitions Settings.
  4. The method you choose determines the next step.
    1. Email (EDIFACT and HTML) and FTP (EDIFACT)
      1. (Optional) To preview the message, select Preview message before sending and click Continue.
      2. Click Send Order.
      3. Check the order status to confirm that the order was successful. 
        • An order status that remains set to Open indicates that there was an error and the order was not sent to the vendor.
        • An order status set to Placed indicates that the order notification was sent to the vendor. For FTP (EDIFACT) orders, this confirms that the order was successfully delivered to the target FTP server. For email (EDIFACT and HTML) orders, the system can only confirm that the notification was accepted by the outgoing SMTP server, but cannot account for other errors, e.g. an incorrect email address.
    2. Print
      1. Click Continue.
      2. From the Print Preview dialog, click Print Order.

Claim order items

If you have ordered an item, but have not yet received it from the vendor, you can claim the item in the system. When you claim an item in WorldShare Acquisitions, you have the option of notifying the vendor about the claim. Claiming an item increases the number of claims attached to that item and records the date last claimed, which allows you to track previously claimed items.

  1. On the left navigation, click Orders > Missing Order Items.
  2. On the Missing Order Items screen, find the items you want to claim. See Search and filter missing order items for details.
  3. Select the checkboxes next to the issues you want to claim. If you want to claim all items in the table, select the checkbox at the top of the table.
  4. At the top of the screen, click Claim.
  5. If you want to notify the vendor about the claim, go to the next step. If you do not want to notify the vendor about the claim, click Claim Items to finish the workflow.
  6. Select the Notify vendor about this claim checkbox.
  7. Click Continue.
  8. In the Notify Vendor about Order window, fill in the following fields:
    1. Method - The method you choose to notify the vendor of the order.
      1. FTP (EDIFACT): Send an EDIFACT order message via FTP. 
      2. E-Mail (EDIFACT): Send an EDIFACT order message via email. 
      3. E-Mail (HTML): Send your order via email.
      4. Print: Print your order to send via mail.
    2. FTP Profile - The FTP profile you'd like to use to send the message if you are sending by FTP (EDIFACT).
    3. To - The person at the vendor who will receive your notification of an order, if you are sending by Print or E-Mail (EDIFACT or HTML)
    4. Reply to - The person at your library that the vendor can contact about your order if you are sending by Print or E-Mail (HTML).
      • The default is the first person listed on the Contacts page in OCLC Service Configuration (WorldCat Registry > Contacts).
      • You can set a recurring contact for when vendors reply to an order in the Institution Settings for your system. For more information, see Create a recurring reply-to contact.
      • You can set a default method and vendor contact by editing the Acquisitions Settings in the vendor record. For more information, see Acquisitions Settings.
  9. The method you choose determines the next step.
    1. Email (EDIFACT and HTML) and FTP (EDIFACT)
      1. (Optional) To preview the message, select Preview message before sending and then click Continue.
      2. Click Send Order.
    2. Print
      1. Click Continue.
      2. From the Print Preview dialog, click Print Order.
  10. A confirmation message appears, and the items have been claimed in the system.

Claim serial issues

If you have ordered a serial issue, but have not yet received it from the vendor, you can claim the serial issue in the system. When you claim a serial issue in WorldShare Acquisitions, you have the option of notifying a vendor about the claim via email, a printed claim, or an EDIFACT message via email or FTP. You can also notify multiple vendors of serial issue claims via email. If you need to claim a one-time item, you must claim it on the Missing Order Items screen. See Claim order items for more information.

  1. On the left navigation, click Serial Issues > Missing Issues.
  2. Click Search to view all missing serial issues.
  3. From the list of results, find the items you want to claim. See Search and filter missing serial issues for details.
  4. Select the checkboxes next to the issues you want to claim. If you want to claim all issues in the table, select the checkbox at the top of the table.
  5. At the top of the screen, click Claim.
  6. If you want to notify the vendor about the claim, go to the next step. If you do not want to notify the vendor about the claim, click Claim Items and go to step 11.
  7. Select the Notify vendor about this claim check box.
  8. Click Continue.
    • If a single vendor is related to the selected issues, the vendor will be pre-filled for you automatically based on the most recent subscription order item in Acquisitions. Email or printed claims can be used to notify a single vendor.

       Note: If either of the below is missing, you will receive an error message.

      • There must be a valid email address for the vendor if sending by print or email.
      • If any of the issues do not have a vendor, you will not be able to submit the claim message to the vendor. 
    • If multiple vendors are related to the selected issues, this will be indicated in the dialog. Email is the required method for notifying multiple vendors.

       Note: If either of the below is missing, you will receive an error message.

      • There must be a valid email address for every vendor.
      • If any of the issues do not have a vendor, you will not be able to submit the claim message to the vendors.
    • To claim serial issues via an FTP or email EDIFACT message, you must first configure your vendor so that they are set up to receive EDIFACT messages. For more information, see Configure EDIFACT messages for a vendor.

       Note: If your vendor is not configured to receive EDIFACT messages, you will receive an error message.

  9. In the Notify Vendor about Order window, fill in the following fields:
    1. Method - The method you choose to notify the vendor of the order.
      1. FTP (EDIFACT): Send an EDIFACT order message via FTP. 
      2. E-Mail (EDIFACT): Send an EDIFACT order message via email. 
      3. E-Mail (HTML): Send your order via email.
      4. Print: Print your order to send via mail.
    2. FTP Profile - The FTP profile you'd like to use to send the message if you are sending by FTP (EDIFACT).
    3. To - The person at the vendor who will receive your notification of an order, if you are sending by Print or E-Mail (EDIFACT or HTML)
    4. Reply to - The person at your library that the vendor can contact about your order if you send by Print or E-Mail (HTML).
      • The default is the first person listed on the Contacts page in OCLC Service Configuration (WorldCat Registry > Contacts).
      • You can set a recurring contact for when vendors reply to an order in the Institution Settings for your system. For more information, see Create a recurring reply-to contact.
      • You can set a default method and vendor contact by editing the Acquisitions Settings in the vendor record. For more information, see Acquisitions Settings.
  10. The method you choose determines the next step.
    1. Email (EDIFACT and HTML) and FTP (EDIFACT)
      1. (Optional) To preview the message, select Preview message before sending and click Continue.
      2. Click Send Order.
    2. Print
      1. Click Continue.
      2. From the Print Preview dialog, click Print Order.
  11. A confirmation message appears and the items have been claimed in the system.
Title Description
EDIFACT messages for vendors Find information on EDIFACT messaging setup for specific vendors.
Place an order Discover how to locate, place, and resend an order in WorldShare Acquisitions. Includes information on ordering using EDIFACT messages.
Claim order items Discover how to search, view, and claim missing order items in WorldShare Acquisitions. Includes information on claiming order items using EDIFACT messages.
Claim serial issues Discover how to search, view, and claim missing serial issues in WorldShare Acquisitions. Includes information on claiming order items using EDIFACT messages.