Working with PIDX Trading Partners

To effectively set up trading partners that implement PIDX, you must configure Sterling B2B Integrator with specific PIDX message data settings. This section provides an overview of the steps to set up trading partner information, including the different types of contracts necessary, along with the specific configuration settings that enable you to meet your PIDX data exchange requirements. After setting up your trading partner information, you can then create and implement business processes that comply with PIDX standards.

Sterling B2B Integrator provides you with attachment support, which enables you to specify files (of any size and format) to be attached, by using the attachFile element and specifying a path to the file.

To configure trading partner information to implement PIDX, you must:

1. Create a trading profile for your organization and each of your trading partners. The trading profile enables you to define how you want to:
   • Build and parse PIDX message data.
   • Define message security and transport protocols.
2. You must create new Packaging to support SIGNING and/or ENCRYPTION (and supply this information while creating Profiles).
3. Depending on contractual requirements agreed upon by you and your trading partner, you then create the following types of contracts (selecting the PIDX option while creating the contracts):
   • A Partner Interface Process (PIP) is a PIDX-defined business process designed to be a framework for business flows between PIDX trading partners. For each PIP you plan to exchange (the PIDX PIPs are P11, P12, P21, P22, P31, P32, P33, P41, P42, P43, and P51), you must create a contract. For example, if the company is initiating and responding to P11, you must create a contract to initiate P11 and one to respond to P11.
   • You must create a RosettaNet contract for a PIP Code for Notification of Failure (PIP 0A1), as PIDX uses PIP0A1 as defined by RosettaNet as a standard means of Notification of Failure.
   • Message contracts—for PIDX-specific services to build and parse message, promote security, and send outbound PIDX messages to the appropriate URLs.

For more information about:

• PIDX solution for Sterling B2B Integrator, see the IBM® Customer Support Web site at http://www.sterlingcommerce.com/customer/tech_support.html.

  The Web site provides access to Support on Demand.

• PIDX concepts and development, see the PIDX Web site at http://www.pidx.org.

Before You Begin

Before you set up a PIDX trading profile and to simplify the tasks you must perform, collect, and prepare the following information about your organization and trading partners:

• Trading partner name and address information, including:
  • DUNS numbers
  • Contact information, such as addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses
• PIP information, including:
  • PIP code and PIP version to exchange
  • Roles of trading partners using each PIP (that is, the trading partner who is initiating and the trading partner who is responding).
• RNIF (RosettaNet Implementation Framework) version information (only RNIF v02.00 is supported).
• Transport information, including:
  • HTTP URLs
  • CA certificates for trading partner if using SSL
• Security information, digital signatures, and encryption and certificates (for example, certificates used to encrypt and decrypt).
• If you are using digital certificates, check in the appropriate certificate.