New IDEA Industry Retail Database and Industry Data Warehouse Customers

New IDEA IRD Customers

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

• Trendium, Inc.
• Yarnell Ice Cream
• Laclede, Inc.
• Hellenic Rug Imports, Inc.

These companies will be trained to use IRD CERICOMX®, an IDEA branded product for supporting and uploading supplier product information into the GS1 Registry® and GDSN via the 1SYNC Data Pool.

If you would like to learn more about the CERICOMX® product, please contact , IRD Product & Customer Support Manager, at .

New IDW Customer

Womack Electric and Supply Company, an electrical distributor from Greenville, NC, recently expanded their eCommerce services and will now depend on Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) for their product, pricing and catalogue data needs. Founded in Danville, VA, Womack ES is a leading electrical supplier throughout southern Virginia and central to eastern North Carolina. They are proud members of NAED and IMARK. Find about more about Womack ES.

Tags for this post: idw customers ird womack electric supply

Back To Top

IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008 Unveiled

IDEA recently unveiled additional information on the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008 website (www.idea-ebizforum.com). Visitors can find details about the upcoming Forum such as sponsorship and speaking opportunities, location, keynote speakers, and the Richard Buzun Award for Leadership and Innovation in eCommerce. This website will be complete in March when the Early Bird Registration opens.

Honor IDEA’s 10th Anniversary

Early sponsorship opportunities are available for the Forum through February 29 to honor 10 years of IDEA and the Forum. All companies that confirm their sponsorship level before February 29 will receive additional benefits:

• Recognition in the Forum Press Release
• Earlier and Longer Visibility on the Forum Website
• Company Logo on Pre-Event Promotions

IDEA has added more sponsorship benefits and additional sponsor activities to increase exposure for eCommerce supporters. Take a look at the new sponsorship opportunities to decide what option is best for your company.

Contact at to officially confirm your sponsorship and begin reaping the benefits today!

Coming Soon…

IDEA will update the Forum website as details are confirmed so check back for more exciting news and tools such as:

• Exhibitor and Tech Center Details
• Online Registration (Coming March 2008)
• Online Award Nomination
• Online Exhibitor and Sponsorship Confirmation
• IDEA’s 10th Anniversary Gala Details
• Attendee Testimonials

Tags for this post: ebiz forum news events

Back To Top

Michael Rogers, The Practical Futurist MSNBC Columnist, to Speak at IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008

IDEA is proud to announce Michael Rogers, one of the nation's leading experts on the impact of technology on business and society, as a general session speaker of the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008. As an interactive media pioneer, novelist and journalist, Rogers will enlighten attendees on his latest predictions. His session will explore the new world of ubiquitous computing and how the acceleration of widespread wireless and new devices will impact us both as individuals and businesses.

About Rogers

Michael Rogers is futurist-in-residence for The New York Times Company and also writes the Practical Futurist column for MSNBC. His consultancy, Practical Futurist, helps businesses and organizations worldwide think about the future. For ten years he was vice president of The Washington Post Company's new media division, guiding both the newspaper and its sister publication Newsweek into the new century, as well as serving as editor and general manager of Newsweek.com.

He began his career as a writer for Rolling Stone and went on to co-found Outside magazine. He then launched Newsweek’s technology column, winning numerous journalism awards. In 1993 he produced the world's first CD-ROM newsmagazine for Newsweek, going on to develop areas on Prodigy, America Online and then a series of Internet sites. In 1999 he received a patent for the bimodal spine, a multimedia storytelling technique. In 2007 he was named to the Magazine Industry Digital Hall of Fame.

Rogers is also a best-selling novelist whose fiction explores the human impact of technology. He lives in New York City and is at work on his next book.

Learn more about Rogers

Tags for this post: ebiz forum speakers michael rodgers

Back To Top

GS1 and IDEA Part Two: Understanding GS1 GDSN and IDEA’s Role in Achieving Global Data Synchronization

The Basics of Global Data Synchronization

In a trading relationship, you need to define:

• WHO you are
• WHERE you are
• WHAT you have to trade
• WHICH target market you'll be trading in
• WHO you are trading with

To answer these questions, GS1 has developed GS1 Identification (ID) Keys –a globally managed system of numbering to identify trade items, logistic units, locations, legal entities, assets, service relationships, and more. The numbers are built by combining the GS1 Company Prefix with standards based rules for allocating reference numbers.

The GS1 ID Keys most vital to data synchronization are:

Global Product Classification (GPC) - the key enabler for the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) and category management. All current published GPC content is available free of charge, without any usage restrictions.

Global Location Number (GLN) - the GS1 ID Key used to identify legal entities, trading parties and physical locations of items in the supply chain.

Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) - the GS1 ID Key assigned to any product or service that may be priced, ordered or invoiced at any point in any supply chain.

Since the keys alone do not provide sufficient information, they are supplemented by attributes describing them such as an item description, price, size, name address, etc. This attributed data supporting the trading partner relationships is known as master data or transactional data and is available through GS1 certified data pools.

What is GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN)?

GS1 GDSN (Global Data Synchronization Network) is an automated, standards-based global environment that enables secure and continuous data synchronization, allowing all partners to have consistent item data in their systems at the same time. The GDSN concept was developed in order to help streamline supply chain transactions and reduce supply chain costs.

The network connects retailers, distributors and suppliers, via their GDSN-certified selected data pools, to the GS1 Global Registry.

GS1 Data Pools

GS1 certified data pools are electronic catalogues of standardized item data. They serve both as a source and/or recipient of master or transational data, and can be run by a GS1 Member Organization, supplier, customer or service provider. Certified data pools interoperate with the GS1 Global Registry and each other. Since they are interoperable, a supplier providing data through a certified data pool meet data synchronization requirements and do not have to participate in a specific data pool that is preferred by a retail participant. Other terms and their definitions can be obtained from the IDEA Customer Portal (www.myideaportal.net).  

1SYNC

1SYNC is a GS1 certified data pool that was formed by the merge of UCCnet and Transora. They offer a full range of data pool services that support user needs and make implementation easier. 1SYNC operates as a not-for-profit subsidiary of GS1 US to help the industry maximize the value of data synchronization.

The 1SYNC technology platform aids companies in the elimination of costly data errors, bringing about increased supply chain efficiencies, to lay the foundation for next-generation eCommerce initiatives. 1SYNC is one of many participating data pools in the GDSN today.

The GS1 Global Registry

The GS1 Global Registry is the directory of the Global Data Synchronization Network for the registration of Items and Parties that validates registered data and ensures the uniqueness of Items and Parties based on their Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) and Global Location Numbers (GLN). The GS1 Global Registry lets companies locate source (supplier) or recipient (retailer) data pools so data can be standardized and synchronized between trading partners on a near real-time basis. In other words, the GS1 Global Registry is the “yellow pages directory” for suppliers and retailers that:

• Provides information for subscription sharing
• Enables data pool interoperability
• Guarantees uniqueness of the registered items and parties
• Ensures that all data pools in the network are complying with a common basic set of validation rules
• Stores the information about who has subscribed to trade item or party data

IDEA’s Role in the Global Data Synchronization Network

IDEA's Industry Retail Database (IRD) is a single solution that consolidates all the eCommerce tools and services retail trading partners need to comply with industry standards (GS1–GDSN), meet retail mandates, exchange transactional data, and streamline processes to do business more efficiently. IDEA represents its customer’s positions in the GDSN standards development process as a 1SYNC data pool partner.

IRD creates a bridge between suppliers and retailers by delivering an environment in which suppliers can load their data into the 1SYNC™ Data Pool using our templates or other data formats. The data is then automatically registered in the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) and made available to authorized retailers in the supplier's network via any data pool they choose.

To meet the data synchronization requirements IDEA licensed a certified software application to interface with the 1SYNC data pool, CERICOMX®. The software application synchronizes and evaluates the supplier’s business information against the requirements established for the GDSN and retail end users.

IDEA IRD customers are provided a full service that enables them to meet their trading partner data synchronization requirements at a substantial savings over alternative services or individual programs.

If you are a supplier to the retail market, contact at to get connected and start saving today.

*Excerpts from: The GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network: What You Need to Know

Tags for this post: standards data synchronization ird gs1

Back To Top

Industry Data Warehouse February Training Schedule

IDEA continues to offer Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) distributor and manufacturer trainings and focused sessions on Net Pricing and the Inbound Mapper. The February dates for these trainings are:

IDW Distributor Training Sessions:
Wednesday, February 6: 1:30-3:00PM
Wednesday, February 20: 1:30-3:00PM

IDW Manufacturer Training Sessions:
Thursday, February 14: 1:30-3:30PM
Thursday, February 28: 1:30-3:30PM

Net Pricing Training Sessions:
Thursday, February 7: 1:30-2:00PM
Thursday, February 21: 1:30-2:00PM

Inbound Mapping Sessions:
Wednesday, February 13: 1:30-2:30PM
Wednesday, February 27: 1:30-2:30PM

Additional training sessions are announced each month in This Week in IDEA.

To sign up for a training session, please contact , IDW Tech and Training Representative, at .

Tags for this post: idw training

Back To Top

Did You Know? IDW Hot Facts

IDEA allows its customers to send the Price Sales Catalog document (832) via Flat File or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) free through Industry Data Exchange. The 832 is used to report vendor product data to a trading partner for ordering purposes. There are four major functions of the Price Sales Catalog:

• U.P.C. Catalog Operation
• Traditional Vendor's Catalog
• Item Setup and Maintenance
• Sales Price Communication

IDEA offers this service free to encourage suppliers to provide their essential product data to their trading partners in a centralized location to increase supply network efficiencies. If you currently utilize the 832 document for ordering purposes, why wouldn’t you send the information to IDW and increase your sales and lower expenses free of charge?

Contact IDEA to get started today.

Tags for this post: idw hot facts document exchange

Back To Top