Must I have EDI Translator?

We have about 250 outboud invoices and some 200 Purchase orders that we want to electronically send and receive per month..... I read a couple of discussions and found that some people don't really use an EDI translator but still receive data into JDE.
Since I am new to EDI I would like your suggestions or expert opinions. Do I have to use EDI Translator? If yes, then which one would be more cost effective, Gentran, Harbinger, Extol or edict(web edi).
How can I make use of XML for EDI?
Thanks-

Any suggestions anyone?

You will need something to translate your data into JDE formats (F47 or Z1 files) and vice-versa (unless all parties are using the JDE format) as there is nothing shipped standard in Xe to do this.

Which one is more cost effective???

There are a myriad of ways to get data to/from all of the different data interchange formats. Some even outsource this to external suppliers to manage mailboxes, FTP relationships, etc...

The only way to know which is the most cost-effective option (if that is your driver) is to know how much it will cost, and the only way to know that is if you can find a turn-key solution (if you can find one that covers JDE and all of your EDI partnerships???) or anyone who will do a fix priced implementation for you.

I am sure you will find lot's of positive and negative stories about all of these options. Listen carefully, EDI projects have lots of traps and should not be taken lightly.

Good luck,

Craig, thanks for your valuable response. I need your expert opinion on one more question.
Can I use commbination of hosted EDI and XML? For inbound transactions should I use an EDI hosting company? For outbound can I use XML? We have formscape which can produce XML files from EnterpriseOne. Do you think this would be a more cost effective way to go since we have very few transactions per month?
Thanks-

Eastwood,

Sounds like you have a couple of options to explore. Bit hard to cost compare from here and don't forget to consider the cost of maintaining skills in this area if you plan to do in-house.

One catch can be sending data via a different mailbox then the mailbox of the original order receipt. Ran into an issue recently where a particular Customer had an issue with the ASN coming from a different mailbox to the one they sent the purhase order to (due to their own coding rules not EDI stds). Something to check with your partners if you plan to have a different outbound delivery method to your inbound process.

Plenty to consider,