The EDI Unicorn

Pull up almost any SAP EDI job posting and you’ll see the same wish list. Know SD and configuration. Understand IDocs, segments and enhancements. Build maps in the EDI tool. Onboard trading partners. Be available when something fails after hours.

It reads like one job. It’s really three.

Let’s Break It Down

• The SAP functional analyst - Understands how the business runs in SAP: order to cash, pricing, partner functions and output. Knows why an order didn’t post, not just that it didn’t.
• The SAP technical person - Knows IDocs inside and out: segments, function modules, user exits and enhancements. Gets the data in and out of SAP the way the business needs it.
• The EDI specialist - Knows the EDI tool, the standards and the maps. Reads the partner’s spec, sets up the connection, runs the testing and gets the partner live.

Each one is a real specialty. Finding someone who is strong in two is hard. Finding someone strong in all three, who is also happy to handle daily support, is where the unicorn comes in.

Who’s Covering EDI When They’re on Vacation?

Say you find your unicorn. Picture it: they’re on vacation, and a new partner’s first order just failed.

Usually someone on the SAP team who knows just enough steps in, reprocesses the IDoc and hopes for the best. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it leaves a second problem waiting when your EDI person gets back.

Your EDI doesn’t take a vacation, but your EDI person should.

Hiring Is Just the Beginning

• The ramp-up - Even a great hire needs time to learn your SAP setup, your partners, and the workarounds nobody wrote down.
• The backup - One person means no backup. Two means paying for capacity you don’t need most of the year.
• The turnover - No matter how good your team is, people move on. When they do, the search and the training start again.

What a Better Setup Looks Like

The right answer depends on how many partners you have and what skills are already on your SAP team. A few options:

1. Hire for the gap - Figure out which of the three you already have in-house, and hire for the one you don’t.
2. Build a real backup - Cross-train someone on the SAP team and document your partner setups.
3. Hand it off - A fully managed SAP EDI service with end-to-end suppor from EDI to IDoc puts all three skill sets on one team, so vacations and turnover aren’t your problem.

Most companies don’t need three full-time EDI people. But they do need all three skill sets, every day of the year.

If you’re hiring for EDI right now, or wondering whether you should be, please reach out at info@contax.com. I'm happy to have a no-obligation conversation about the options.