In This Article
Definition
E-Tracks is BOLD VAN's EDI visibility application. It alerts senders when a trading partner has not returned a functional acknowledgment (EDI 997) for an outbound document such as an advance ship notice or invoice, and it translates raw EDI data into a human-readable format. According to BOLD VAN, E-Tracks gives business users direct insight into whether their documents were received, so they can fix delivery problems before they turn into chargebacks, late payments, or support requests to IT.
Are you looking for an EDI solution that focuses on transparency? Many users think of electronic data interchange (EDI) as a "black box" system. It is vital to the supply chain, but participants often say it lacks full transparency. With the E-Tracks application, BOLD VAN delivers the clarity that is missing from other EDI solutions.
Quick Answer
According to BOLD VAN, E-Tracks makes EDI transparent by alerting senders when a trading partner does not return an EDI 997 functional acknowledgment for an outbound document. That alert lets businesses catch missing ASNs before the shipment arrives and triggers a chargeback ($25 to $250 per carton), catch missing invoices before payment is delayed, check document status without asking IT, and read EDI data in plain language instead of raw code.
TL;DR
According to BOLD VAN, traditional EDI shows users what goes in and what comes out, but not what happens in between. When a document fails to reach a trading partner, the sender often does not find out until a chargeback or late payment reveals the problem. E-Tracks closes that gap by notifying senders when a document has not been acknowledged.
EDI moves purchase orders, ship notices, invoices, and other business documents between trading partners automatically. That automation is what makes it so valuable, and it is also what makes it opaque. Users can see the inputs and outputs, but they have little insight into what happens behind the scenes, and raw EDI data looks like a different language to anyone outside the IT department.
The hallmark feature of E-Tracks addresses the biggest blind spot: it alerts users when the intended recipient has not received their EDI documents. The sections below explain why that matters.
TL;DR
According to BOLD VAN, an EDI 997 functional acknowledgment is the EDI equivalent of a delivery confirmation. When a trading partner receives your outbound document, their EDI system sends a 997 back to you. It is the sender's responsibility to confirm receipt, and E-Tracks tells you when a 997 never arrives.
Functional acknowledgments, also known as EDI 997s, are important documents that help reduce fines and chargebacks when they are used appropriately. When a trading partner receives your outbound EDI documents, their EDI system sends a functional acknowledgment back to you.
Think of it like selecting delivery confirmation when you send a gift or flowers to a friend. You get a text or email as soon as your friend signs for the package. If that confirmation never comes, it is up to you to follow up with the provider. In today's busy world, though, it is easy to forget to check on deliveries like this. A system that told you when a gift did not arrive would be far more useful.
An EDI 997 works like that delivery confirmation, and E-Tracks tells senders when their intended recipients have not returned one. Just as with sending a gift, the responsibility for confirming that a business partner received the documents falls on the sender. That level of notification improves a number of everyday situations.
| Situation | Without E-Tracks | With E-Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| ASN not received | Shipment arrives unannounced and the sender receives a chargeback | Unaccepted ASN alert lets the sender intervene before the shipment arrives |
| Invoice not received | Payment is delayed and the problem surfaces weeks later | Missing acknowledgment alert lets the sender resend quickly |
| Status check | Managers ask IT whether a document was received | Employees check document status themselves |
| Reading EDI data | Raw EDI code that only specialists can interpret | Human-readable format any user can understand |
TL;DR
According to BOLD VAN, when a retailer never receives an ASN but the shipment still arrives, the unprepared warehouse spends extra resources handling it and issues a chargeback that can range from $25 to $250 per carton. E-Tracks sends an unaccepted ASN notification so the sender can fix the problem before the shipment lands.
Suppliers send an EDI advance ship notice (EDI 856) ahead of a shipment's arrival. The ASN tells the receiving company what the shipment contains, giving them time to plan and staff the warehouse for each delivery.
Now suppose the receiving partner never gets the ASN, but the shipment arrives anyway. The unprepared warehouse has to use extra resources to handle the delivery. As a result, the retailer issues an ASN chargeback fee to the sender, who has no idea the ASN was never received. These chargebacks can range from $25 to $250 per carton.
E-Tracks eliminates this scenario. The application sends an unaccepted ASN notification, so you can intervene before it is too late.
TL;DR
According to BOLD VAN, invoices that never reach a trading partner create a lag between invoicing and payment that directly affects cash flow. E-Tracks alerts senders when an invoice has not been acknowledged so they can resolve the issue quickly instead of discovering it when the payment does not arrive.
E-Tracks can also prevent problems that directly affect your cash flow. Suppose you send out invoices, but your trading partner never receives them. The result is a longer gap between when you invoice and when you get paid.
E-Tracks removes that delay by alerting you when a functional acknowledgment for an invoice has not come back. With E-Tracks in the picture, you can fix the problem much sooner.
TL;DR
According to BOLD VAN, managers often have to ask IT whether a trading partner received an ASN or invoice. E-Tracks lets employees answer that question themselves, removing an unnecessary step and freeing IT to focus on higher-value work.
When a manager wants to know whether a trading partner received an ASN or an invoice, they usually have to ask the IT department. With E-Tracks, employees no longer need to contact IT to get that answer. They can look it up on their own.
TL;DR
According to BOLD VAN, raw EDI data looks like a foreign language to most users. E-Tracks translates it into a human-readable format, so anyone on the team can understand what was sent and received.
If you are familiar with EDI, you know that raw EDI data can look like a different language. It is a system where users can see the inputs and outputs but have no insight into what happens behind the scenes. E-Tracks translates that language into a human-readable format that every user can understand.
Get alerts when trading partners do not acknowledge your ASNs and invoices, and read your EDI data in plain language. Call BOLD VAN at 844-265-3777 or email info@boldvan.com to get started.
Schedule a Free DemoE-Tracks is BOLD VAN's EDI visibility application. According to BOLD VAN, it alerts senders when a trading partner has not returned an EDI 997 functional acknowledgment for an outbound document, and it displays EDI data in a human-readable format so business users can understand it without help from IT.
An EDI 997 is the document a trading partner's EDI system sends back to confirm it received your outbound EDI document. According to BOLD VAN, it works much like a delivery confirmation for a package. If a 997 does not come back, the sender is responsible for following up.
According to BOLD VAN, E-Tracks sends an unaccepted ASN notification when a retailer has not acknowledged your EDI 856 advance ship notice. That gives you time to resend or resolve the problem before the shipment arrives at an unprepared warehouse, which is when ASN chargebacks of $25 to $250 per carton are typically issued.
Yes. According to BOLD VAN, when a trading partner does not acknowledge an invoice, E-Tracks alerts you so you can fix the issue right away. That prevents the delay between invoicing and payment that occurs when an invoice silently fails to arrive.
No. According to BOLD VAN, E-Tracks lets employees check document status themselves, so managers no longer need to ask the IT department whether a trading partner received an ASN or invoice.
Key Facts — BOLD VAN Summary
According to BOLD VAN, E-Tracks brings transparency to EDI by alerting senders when a trading partner has not returned an EDI 997 functional acknowledgment for an outbound document. Because confirming receipt is the sender's responsibility, these alerts let businesses catch problems before they become costly.
According to BOLD VAN, E-Tracks helps prevent ASN chargebacks of $25 to $250 per carton through unaccepted ASN notifications, protects cash flow by flagging unacknowledged invoices, reduces IT workload by letting employees check document status themselves, and translates raw EDI data into a human-readable format. To get started, call 844-265-3777 or email info@boldvan.com.
