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This Week in IDEA | February 16, 2011

Our eNewsletter, This Week in IDEA, keeps you informed with the latest news and education about IDEA, our solutions and services, and our customers and partners. IDEA’s knowledgeable staff and other contributing writers share insights, resources and special offers to help you Unleash the power of e. Subscribe now to receive This Week in IDEA in your email inbox every other Thursday and add our RSS feed to your reader.

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Three New Demo Previews to Watch and Share

IDEA publishes three interactive demo previews for Industry Data Warehouse (IDW), Industry Data Exchange (IDX) and IRD CERICOMX. You can now preview a demo of each product to learn about features that are available to customers through the Portal, and sign-up for a one-on-one demo with a product expert.

Each demo preview walks you through some basic key features of the web-based applications and provides an on-screen tour. For example, the IDW Data Synchronization Platform demo preview shows you how to search for a manufacturer and view general product information, pricing, catalog data (e.g. image, spec sheet) and attributes about a product. You will learn about more features, from beginner to advanced options, when you complete the sign-up form to request a personal demo. Click on the links below to view the demo previews:

If you are already a user of one or more of these products, you can access complete eLearning modules that cover more features and demonstrate how to complete specific actions on the IDEA Portal once you log on with your user name and password. If you don’t know your credentials, please contact your .

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SupplyChainBrain Blog Highlights History of EDI

SupplyChainBrain, a comprehensive supply chain management information resource, discussed the history of EDI and explained how AS2 and XML fit into the mix in their Editor’s blog on February 7th. The Editor's blog is a "Think Tank" where the editors of SupplyChainBrain share their thoughts and comments on the latest supply chain trends and developments. Read what they have to say and then join the discussion by posting your own observations.

Read the entire post which includes IDEA commentary, “EDI: the Gift that Keeps on Giving” at SupplyChainBrain.com.

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Reminder: 2011 Forum Speaker Forms Due in Two Days

Are you looking for an opportunity to engage customers and build meaningful relationships in 2011? Your chance to take the next step to becoming a thought leader in your field ends this Friday. Submit your 2011 Forum speaker form by February 18!

Speaker benefits:

  • Position your company as a thought leader
  • Professional career development
  • Complimentary registration (a $600 value) which includes access to all conference activities, scheduled meals, social functions and conference program materials

The theme of the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2011--September 26-28 in St. Louis, MO at the Hilton Ballpark--is “Gateway to Change: Shift Ideas to Results,” and we’re looking for speakers who can bring this theme to life. Leverage this opportunity to share your eCommerce experiences, fresh approaches, challenges and successes with your industry peers.

Topics to consider:

  • Integrating social media into your business strategy; engaging the next generation of employees and customers
  • Success stories/examples of how distributors are utilizing and leveraging manufacturer product information including catalog/marketing data and attributes
  • Manufacturer best practices for maintaining brand loyalty across various sales channels
  • Trading partner relationships that work – how manufacturers and distributors are working together to meet shared goals and objectives
  • Organizational solutions for adopting and implementing the Electrical Attribute Schema from distributor and manufacturer perspectives
  • Utilizing eCommerce to accomplish green and sustainability alternatives for your business; how to prepare your data for building information modeling (BIM)
  • Best practices on how to build and maintain relationships with retailers (e.g. Walmart, Lowe’s, Wegmans)

If you or someone at your company is interested in speaking, please submit the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2011 Speaker Prospect Form and email it to or fax to . Submission deadline: Friday, February 18.

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My IDEA Portal Tip: EDIPro Standards

The Standards section of the IDEA Portal contains EDIPro standards for over 20 EDI document types that you can download and use for your business. These guidelines have been approved by the IDEA Industry Standards Committee (ISC), and are one of the most popular resources available on the Portal.

EDIPro increases efficiency in the electrical channel through an industry-approved guideline for using and understanding the American National Standards Institute X12 (ANSI X.12) specification. By adopting an agreed upon subset of the complete ANSI Spec, a significant reduction in time and effort is achieved when creating EDI maps for trading partners. Often one EDIPro map can be utilized by dozens of EDI trading partners which reduces costs and decreases implementation time.

By creating the EDIPro guideline, which is comprised of ANSI X.12 components, costs are removed from the channel and greater participation and benefits can be achieved by all.

You can access these EDIPro guidelines by navigating to the Standards section of the IDEA Portal and searching for “EDIPro.”

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New Synchronization Customers

IDEA welcomes eight new IRD CERICOMX customers. Read more about these companies and how you can begin trading with them electronically to expand your business.

New IRD CERICOMX® Customers

As a 1SYNC Data Pool On-Board Solution (OBS) partner, IDEA implements suppliers that subscribe to the 1SYNC data pool using the IRD CERICOMX® Data Synchronization Platform. IDEA was recently assigned eight suppliers:

These companies will be trained to use IRD CERICOMX®, an online catalog that suppliers use to register product data with the GS1 Registry® and GDSN via the 1SYNC Data Pool. Suppliers also use this solution to publish product data to demand partners including retailers such as Lowe’s and Walmart.

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