B2B Overview & Implementation Guide

The M&S B2B EDI solution will enable M&S and you as a Trading Partner of ours to implement a fully automated, end-to-end B2B EDI solution.

This solution is supported for trading partners who have an existing EDI solution, or, who are transitioning to an EDI solution, and can send and receive the EDI messages into their business systems.

We have partnered with OpenText to provide a leading-class B2B solution that enables us to seamlessly exchange business documents with you. The following diagram provides a high-level summary to this solution:

For the implementation of the M&S EDI business documents (messages) we have provided an Implementation Guide for each business document to help you through your adoption of the M&S B2B EDI solution.

The Implementation Guide details the business context and the circumstances in which the message will be passed between yourself and M&S, along with general rules for implementation and usage.

Also provided for you as part of the guide is the EDI Business Document Definition; this definition specifies the structure and content of the EDI message that M&S will exchange with you. At M&S we have adopted an Industry compliant EDI data standard to ensure ease of adoption for our Trading Partners. The standards adopted is EANCOM (an EDIFACT compliant data standard which forms the basis of each our Business Document Definitions).

In addition we have provided a Testing Compliance section, along with example testing files to ensure that your implementation is successful and compliant with what M&S will expect to exchange with you. Click here to use the Testing Tool.

Together this information, the Implementation Guide, the Business Document Definition, and the Testing Compliance specification, will provide you with all the information you need to successfully and smoothly transition onto the M&S B2B EDI solution.

Once you have established which business documents your company should be exchanging with M&S you can download the relevant Implementation Guide:

EANCOM Standards

• Contracts – General Merchandise only
• Purchase Order
• Purchase Order Amendments
• POD (Proof of Delivery) – Food only
• Invoice
• Invoice Acknowledgement
• Debit Note
• Self Bill Invoice – General Merchandise only
• Self Bill Credit Memo
  – General Merchandise only
• M&S Invoice – For Franchise Partner only

To support your implementation, the example test files that are referenced within each of the implementation guides can be downloaded below:

EANCOM Test Files

• Contracts
• Purchase Order
• Purchase Order Amendments
• POD (Proof of Delivery) – Food only
• Invoice
• Invoice Acknowledgement
• Debit Note
• Self Bill Invoice
• Self Bill Credit Memo
• M&S Invoice – For Franchise Partner only

If you do have any questions on understanding any of these implementation guide documents, or you require support with your implementation, please contact us to discuss your queries.

M&S have adopted the EDIFACT compliant EANCOM standard for its B2B EDI messages; all EDI messages sent and received must be encoded with this data standard as detailed by each of Business Document Definition document.

Each of the specified Business Documents (or EDI messages) is defined by the Business Document Definitions, and forms the “data contract” between M&S and you our Trading Partner.

The Business Document Definitions provide you with the following information:

• The EANCOM data object to be utilised for each Business Document
• The EANCOM message segments and elements within those to be transmitted as part of any data exchange
• The business definition of each element to be used
• The elements that are mandatory and those which are optional i.e. may NOT be passed
• The format of the data to be passed for each element

As part of your transition process onto the M&S B2B solution, GXS, our partner for this solution will assist you with any queries you may have regarding the Business Document Definitions themselves, or your implementation of those definitions. For further information please use the contact information provided.

Once you have finalised your decision use the B2B EDI solution you will be directed to this micro-site and the message implementation guides. We will contact again to confirm that you have been able to access the documentation, understand the requirements of your implementation, and address any initial concerns that you may have. Further communication will be made to ensure that you are progressing successfully with the implementation, to arrange compliance testing dates, and to inform / agree go-live transition date onto the M&S electronic trading solution.

An indicative list of communications from OpenText / M&S and timelines are provided below for you:

• Electronic Trading Solution Confirmation: confirm your decision to use the B2B EDI solution and to ensure understanding of implementation requirement. This will happen within 1 week of the initial communications.
• Progress Update and Compliance Test Date Notification: to ensure you are progressing successfully with your implementation and on-track to meet go-live transition date. This communication will happen approximately 5 weeks after initial contact.
• Progress Update Communication: to ensure you are progressing successfully and able to complete testing as per previously scheduled dates. This communication will happen approximately 7 weeks after initial contact.
• On-boarding Completion Confirmation: to confirm that you have successfully completed the implementation, the compliance testing process, and confirm your transition date to the M&S electronic trading solution. This communication will happen approximately 9-10 weeks after initial contact.
• Go-live Reminder: a reminder communication that your company will be transitioned onto the M&S electronic trading solution and you should start to receive and send EDI business documents from the agreed go-live date onwards. This communication will happen approximately 1 week before your agreed go-live date.

Once you have finalised your implementation of the M&S Business Document Definitions, OpenText will be on-hand to test compliance of your implementation with M&S’ implementation and to ensure that you can successfully connect to your secure mailbox. OpenText & M&S will work with you to ensure your on-boarding is a success and to help resolve any issues you encounter with your implementation.

Once these final checks and testing have been completed you will be ready to start exchanging EDI messages with M&S electronically and soon start realising the benefits of using our electronic trading solution.

During the exchange of business documents between M&S and yourself there may be circumstances where the documents are not successfully transmitted, or the data received is not accepted / compliant to that which is expected by either of our systems.

Where business documents failed to be processed by M&S, we will notify you immediately either through automated acknowledgements detailing what the technical or data problem was, or via our business support team who will contact your designated business representative.
If you encounter any problems receiving business documents from M&S, you can contact our support service – see contacts.