# SPS Commerce EDI with Infor VISUAL

> Source: https://netray.co/stack/sps-commerce-edi-infor-visual
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: ERP Stack

## Short answer

SPS Commerce offers retail and distributor EDI compliance for VISUAL job-shop and make-to-order manufacturers selling into big-box and distribution channels. The integration uses Infor ION BOD XML, so orders and shipping documents move between SPS and VISUAL as BODs.

## Erp

Infor VISUAL

## Erp Key

infor-visual

## On Prem

true

## Product

SPS Commerce EDI

## Vendor

SPS Commerce

## Category

EDI

## Integration

**Method:** Infor ION BOD XML

**Detail:** SPS exchanges documents with trading partners and passes them to VISUAL as ION Business Object Documents. Inbound purchase orders arrive as sales order BODs, and outbound documents such as ship notices and invoices leave VISUAL as BODs for SPS to translate to partner formats. Your ION setup, such as connection points and document flows, must be in place.

## Data Flows

**From:** Trading partner via SPS

**To:** Infor VISUAL

**Data:** EDI 850 purchase orders as customer orders

**Trigger:** Partner sends the order

**From:** Infor VISUAL

**To:** SPS

**Data:** Order acknowledgments

**Trigger:** Order accepted or changed

**From:** Infor VISUAL

**To:** SPS

**Data:** Advance ship notices (856) with carton and label data

**Trigger:** Shipment confirmed

**From:** Infor VISUAL

**To:** SPS

**Data:** Invoices (810)

**Trigger:** Invoice posted

## Setup

### Confirm ION availability

**Detail:** Verify that your Infor ION environment and VISUAL version support the BOD flows SPS requires.

### Collect partner specifications

**Detail:** Gather each retailer's EDI guide, because rules for labels, ship notices and timing differ by partner.

### Map items and customers

**Detail:** Cross-reference partner SKUs and ship-to codes to VISUAL parts and customer addresses.

### Configure BOD flows

**Detail:** Set up ION connection points for inbound sales orders and outbound shipment and invoice BODs.

### Test with each partner

**Detail:** Run partner certification tests for every document type before going live.

### Set monitoring

**Detail:** Decide who watches failed documents each day and how they are corrected.

## Pitfalls

- Partner SKU or ship-to codes missing from cross-references stop orders from loading.
- Unit of measure mismatches, such as each versus case, give wrong quantities on acknowledgments and invoices.
- Advance ship notices sent late or with wrong carton data trigger chargebacks from retailers.
- Order changes arriving after release to the shop floor are hard to apply in a make-to-order job shop.
- Duplicate orders occur when a partner resends a document and no check on PO number exists.
- ION configuration changes or upgrades can interrupt BOD delivery.

## Ai Layer

### Failed document triage

**Description:** A private assistant reads rejected EDI documents and ION logs, explains the cause such as a missing cross-reference, and drafts the fix for a person to approve.

### Chargeback prevention

**Description:** Check pending shipments against partner rules and warn when label or ASN data looks incomplete.

### Plain-language order status

**Description:** Let customer service ask where a retailer PO stands across EDI and VISUAL, with sources shown.

## Alternatives

- Another EDI provider with a VISUAL connector, such as 1 EDI Source, may suit you better on price or service.
- If you have only one or two partners, a portal-based entry process may be enough.
- A VISUAL-native flat-file import can work for low volumes without a managed EDI service.

## Faq

### How does SPS connect to VISUAL?

**Answer:** The SPS page for VISUAL describes integration through Infor ION BOD XML. Documents are exchanged as BODs between SPS and VISUAL, so ION must be configured.

### Who is this aimed at?

**Answer:** SPS positions it for VISUAL job-shop and make-to-order manufacturers selling to big-box and distribution channels that require EDI compliance.

### Can it run on-prem?

**Answer:** VISUAL is commonly on-prem. SPS is a cloud EDI service, so the link is an outbound connection from your ION environment. Confirm network and security design with SPS.

### Where does AI fit?

**Answer:** On your own hardware, a model can explain failed documents and reconcile EDI with VISUAL orders. It should propose fixes for people to approve rather than edit orders itself.

## Source

https://spscommerce.com/lp/sps-at-visual-focus

## Search terms

infor visual edi sps commerce, sps commerce infor visual, visual erp edi, infor ion edi, retail edi make to order manufacturer

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