Vendor Services

EDI - Electronic Data Interchange

Communication Options

1. Internet Server Connection (FTP)

   FTP is quickly becoming the common method of choice and allows RH and it's Trading Partners to exchange information using internet servers. Internet communication can be more cost effective and efficient. This process is automated and controlled by the RH FTP Hub.

2. Direct Connect

   In some cases where the volume of data exchanged is large, RH can dial directly to the customer or partner. This allows RH to send and receive data by dialing directly into the customer/partner's computer system. The communication method must be discussed in detail prior to setup to ensure that each company's computers are compatible and have the ability to 'talk' to each other.

3. What is Value Added Network (VAN)?

   Encouraged by the growth in the EDI community, some companies signed on to Value Added Networks. Imagine this type of network to be a big post office where each party has a mailbox. When a customer sends an order out to RH, the 'post office software' takes care of putting it in RH's mailbox. Likewise, when RH sends an acknowledgement back to the customer, it is routed to the customer's mailbox.

4. Third Party Services

   Some Trading Partners wish to use Third Party Inventory/Ordering Systems to manage their ordering process. The most widely known may be IBID and Wordstock although, many others are currently available. RH receives BISAC orders from the following:

   • The Book Manager
   • Information Partner
   • Anthology
   • Computac
   • Wordstock
   • Bookworks
   • IBID
   • Pubnet
   • BookLog