Background
When integrating with SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration via EDI, verifying that your inbound messages are correctly formatted and that the connection is properly configured has traditionally required a full end-to-end test with real data — a process that’s time-consuming and hard to debug when something goes wrong.
The Interactive EDI Test service simplifies this by letting you inspect, edit, and submit sample EDI documents directly from the System Connections app, with real-time JSON translation and immediate feedback — all before going live.
Prerequisites
- You are signed in to a carrier test tenant (Test Plan)
- You have an active connection in Outbound Connections with:
- Service: EDI Inbound All
- Operation: Pull EDI
- The connection has valid Communication Details and Authentication Details configured
How to Open the Interactive EDI Test
- In the System Connections app, go to the Outbound Connections page
- Select the row where Service is EDI Inbound All and Operation is Pull EDI
- Click the Test Service dropdown in the toolbar and choose Interactive EDI Test
The Test Service — Select EDI Document Type dialog opens.
Dialog Overview
The header of the dialog shows a summary of the selected connection — Service Name, Operation Name, Communication Details, and Authentication Details — so you always know which configuration you are testing against.
The dialog is divided into the following areas:
- Left — Document Type: Select the EDI message type to test
- Center — EDI: View and edit the sample EDI payload
- Right — JSON: View the translated JSON representation
- Bottom — Test Run Results: Shows the outcome after running the test
Step 1 — Select a Document Type
The left panel lists all supported document types, grouped by format:
ANSI X12
Code | Description |
210 | Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice |
214 | Transportation Carrier Shipment Status |
301 | Booking Confirmation (Ocean) |
310 | Freight Receipt and Invoice (Ocean) |
315 | Status Details (Ocean) |
843 | Response to Request for Quotation |
990 | Response to a Load Tender |
EDIFACT
Code | Description |
IFTMBC | Booking Confirmation |
INVOIC | Invoice Message |
IFTSTA | Shipment Status |
Note: The available document types are determined by the message format configured in your Communication Details. If your communication detail is set to ANSI X12, only ANSI types are selectable; EDIFACT types will be grayed out, and vice versa.
Note: To test EDIFACT document types, you must first maintain your GLN ID under Manage Alternate IDs.
Once you select a document type, the center panel automatically loads a sample EDI payload for that type.
Step 2 — Review and Edit the EDI Payload
The center panel shows the sample EDI payload as plain text. You can edit the content freely — for example, to change order details or adjust field values to test different scenarios.
Step 3 — Translate to JSON (Optional)
Click the Translate button between the EDI and JSON panels to convert the current EDI content into its JSON equivalent. The JSON is displayed in a read-only code editor on the right with syntax highlighting and line numbers.
This is useful for verifying that your EDI message will be correctly parsed before sending it. The JSON schema follows the public API format published at SAP Business Accelerator Hub for SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration.
Step 4 — Run the Test
Click Run Test to submit the EDI document to the system. The Test Run Results section at the bottom of the dialog updates immediately:
- Success — displays a confirmation message and a link: Open the Manage Integration Logs app to view the details. Click the link to navigate directly to the corresponding log entry and inspect the full processing result.
- Error — displays an error message describing what went wrong, helping you identify whether the issue is with the EDI content, the communication configuration, or the authentication setup.
Summary
The Interactive EDI Test gives carriers a fast, low-risk way to validate their inbound EDI setup:
Without Interactive EDI Test | With Interactive EDI Test |
Requires real data and a full end-to-end flow to test | Test with sample payloads without any production data |
Hard to tell if errors are caused by format, connectivity, or auth | All three are validated in a single test run |
JSON translation requires external tooling | Built-in translation shows exactly how your EDI will be parsed |
Test results require manual log lookup | Direct link to Manage Integration Logs after each test run |
Use the Interactive EDI Test as part of your onboarding checklist — run a test for each document type you plan to use, confirm the JSON output matches your expectations, and check the integration logs before activating your production connections.
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