Debatching Groups of Incoming Documents

Incoming documents often serve as containers for other documents. To facilitate processing both the container documents and the contained documents, each container is copied into x identical container documents, where x is the number of documents that the original container document contains. This process is known as debatching. The most common formats for which this process is used are X12 and XML.

This section shows how GearCo creates document types to enable debatching of incoming orders from its partner AAZBoards.

X12 Documents

Purchase orders (POs) sent in X12 format are typically enclosed in a GS envelope, which is in turn enclosed in an ISA envelope. In order to process the POs, they must be debatched: that is, separated so that each PO is enclosed in its own GSA and ISA envelopes, as shown in ISA, GS, and ST Debatching.

Figure 1. ISA, GS, and ST Debatching

Debatching Incoming X12 Documents shows how GearCo uses Document Types to debatch an ISA envelope containing a GS and multiple STs.

XML Documents

Product orders sent in XML format are typically enclosed in a parent container. In order to process the product orders, they must be debatched: that is, separated so that each product order is enclosed in its parent container, as shown in XML Debatching.

Figure 2. XML Debatching

Debatching Incoming XML Documents shows how GearCo uses Document Types to debatch an ISA envelope containing a GS and multiple STs.