What Is Exchange Scheme?

Exchange Scheme Explained

The Exchange module is the built-in bulk data movement facility of Baan and Infor LN, and the exchange scheme is its central object. A scheme names a direction - import or export - and then, for each table involved, defines which external fields map to which table fields, in what sequence, with what separators or fixed positions, and with what conversions applied along the way. Schemes are grouped into batches so a related set of loads runs in a controlled order.

Conversion setups handle the reality that external data rarely matches internal codes. A conversion can map an external customer number to an internal business partner code, translate a unit of measure, apply a constant, or derive a value where the source file has none. Because conversions are configuration rather than code, they can be maintained by functional consultants and adjusted between test runs without a compile cycle.

The most consequential option on a scheme is whether it processes records through the data access layer. Running with the DAL means every business rule, default and validation that applies to manual entry also applies to the load, which is slower but safe. Running without it writes rows more or less directly, which is fast and is exactly how environments end up with orders whose totals do not match their lines or items missing required defaults.

Operationally, exchange schemes are used for far more than initial data migration. They underpin recurring interfaces with suppliers and customers, extracts for external reporting systems, mass master data updates, and reference data synchronization between environments. Because they are configuration objects rather than compiled code, they are easy to change and easy to lose track of, so they should be inventoried, version controlled and promoted deliberately between environments rather than rebuilt by hand in each one.