FAQ
frequently asked questions

Tip : Press [ Ctrl+F ] for keyword find on this page.

• Message: "ECS is currently running, please try again later." What does this mean and what should I do?

• A file is getting created that has ISA, GS, and ST segments, but no transaction data, no SE segment, but there is a GE segment, and there is an IEA segment. No obvious error message appears in the xlcntl.err file created by GENTRAN: Server (or Excel). What's wrong?

• What is ECS?

• How do I launch an ECS session?

• How does ECbridges define a custom adapter?

Question: When I start a communications session, I get the message: "ECS is currently running, please try again later." What does this mean and what should I do?

Answer: That message means that either another ECS ("Enabling Communications System") session is active or it means that a previous ECS session ended abnormally, leaving an orphan lock file.

If you verify that another ECS session is truly active, wait until that session ends then try launching a new ECS session.

If you verify that another ECS session is truly not active, delete the file "ecsActive" from the "/ecs/" directory. After deleting "ecsActive", run your ECS session again. (Note: Unix filenames are case-sensitive ... the letter "A" in "ecsActive" is uppercase.)

Background: To prevent more than one ECS session from starting accidentally, a "lock file" ("ecsActive") is used. Near the beginning of an ECS session, the "/ecs/" directory is checked for the presence of "ecsActive". If it is not found, "ecsActive" is created and the communications session continues. At the end of the session, "ecsActive" is deleted.

If, on the other hand, an "ecsActive" file is found in the "/ecs/" directory when the communications session is launched, you get the error message in question and the session ends.

If you find the "ecsActive" file in the "/ecs/" directory even though there is no communication session in progress, this means that a previous session failed to reach the point where it does its "housekeeping" so that the "ecsActive" file is not deleted. This can happen if the system crashes during a session or if a user aborts a session (using "CONTROL-C" or the "kill" command for instance).

back to top »

Question: There is something wrong with one (or more) of my outbound transactions. A file is getting created that has ISA, GS, and ST segments, but no transaction data, no SE segment, but there is a GE segment, and there is an IEA segment. No obvious error message appears in the xlcntl.err file created by GENTRAN: Server (or Excel). What's wrong?

Answer: The EDI delimiters defined in Document Maintenance (35.23.13) and in the Trading Partnership setup in GENTRAN: Server (or Excel) do not match. The settings in one must correspond exactly to the settings in the other.

This is easy to get confused. First, the terminology used in these two locations is different, so here's something to help:

35.23.13 GENTRAN: Server or Excel
Delimiter = Element Separator
New Line = Segment Terminator
Sub-delimiter = Sub-element Separator

The other thing is that the character value in 35.13.23 must be expressed in decimal, while the character value in GENTRAN must be expressed in hexadecimal.

Recommendation #1: Unless you have a trading partner or VAN with special requirements, always use printable characters for all EDI delimiters. This makes reading the finished transactions and troubleshooting problems much easier.

Recommendation #2: Standardize the characters you use for EDI delimiters to avoid or minimize confusion. Unless your trading partner or VAN has specific requirements, here are some good values to use:

Character 35.23.13 GENTRAN: Server or Excel
* (asterisk) Delimiter=42 Element Separator=2A
~ (tilde) New Line=126 Segment Terminator=7E
> (greater-than) Sub-delimiter=(blank) Sub-element Separator=3E

back to top »

Question: What is ECS?

Answer: ECS is short for "Enabling Communications System." This is the part of Total-EDI that processes exported transactions and transmits them to the VAN ("Value Added Network") or TPN ("Trading Partner Network"). It also retrieves incoming transactions from VANs or TPNs and prepares them for importation into MFG/PRO.

There are three primary components to ECS. They are:

1. Unix shell scripts or MS-DOS batch files that automate the movement of data to and from MFG/PRO and through the other ECS components.
2. The enabling software, which is typically Sterling Commerce's GENTRAN: Server or GENTRAN: Excel product. The enabling software adds the interchange, functional group, and transaction set envelopes that get wrapped around exported EDI data. The enabling software compliance checks inbound EDI transactions. The enabling software generates functional acknowledgements as needed against inbound EDI transactions. And the enabling software maintains audit files that can be used for functional acknowledgement reconciliation.
3. The communications software sends and receives EDI data from VANs and TPNs. Typically, the communications software is Cleo 3780Plus, Cleo A+, or FTP.

back to top »

Question: How do I launch an ECS session?

Answer: An ECS session can be launched in one of a few ways:

1. From the MFG/PRO menus, go to 35.23.23.1 and type in a three-character network code.
2. From an Operating System prompt (Unix or MS-DOS), go to the ECS directory and enter "edi xxx" (without the quotes and where xxx is the three-character network code).
3. Optionally, a user can automate ECS sessions with user-implemented scripts or scheduling tools (like cron).

back to top »

Question: When I placed an order for an adapter, the Installed Base Sales Representative said my request constitutes a "custom adapter." How does ECbridges define a custom adapter?

Answer: To be a custom adapter, ONE of the following must be satisfied:

1. The modifications of a standard library adapter to be a custom adapter must be at least a 20% change.
2. The adapter requires Trading Partner specific changes to meet the customer's business needs that makes the adapter unique between Trading Partners and cannot be used with any other trading partner.
3. The adapter includes hard coded information.

back to top »

Was your question answered in these FAQs?

Yes   No