Free tool for Infor LN (and Baan)
Infor LN Integration and EDI Designer
Pick the business objects and the systems you need to connect, and get an Infor LN integration inventory that names the real interface for each flow: BODs published to Infor ION (SalesOrder, PurchaseOrder, Shipment, ItemMaster, ProductionOrder), LN OData REST APIs and BDEs through the ION API, the Exchange module for batch files, or LN Electronic Data Interchange with its BEMIS messages. Switch to EDI mode to see how X12 850, 855, 856, 810 and 830 (and the EDIFACT equivalents) map to BEMIS messages such as ORD001, ASN001 and INV001 and to LN tables such as tdsls400 and whinh430.
Business objects
Toggle what moves between systems. Presets add a typical set.
Targets, direction and frequency
Direction is seen from LN.
Nothing in scope yet
Integration inventory
LN publishes BODs to Infor ION from business events and from initial load sessions such as Publish Logistic Master Data (tcbod0200m000); BOD Parameters (tcbod0100m000) control publishing, schema version and inbound routing errors. Synchronous calls use LN OData REST APIs or BDEs through the ION API gateway; EDI runs through the BEMIS flat file standard and a third-party translator.
Your inventory appears here
Exports include the inventory, rationale, field maps with your target names, selected EDI maps and risks. No sign-in needed.
How to use it
- 1
Pick the objects
Select the business objects in scope, such as business partners, items, sales orders and shipments.
- 2
Add the target systems
For each object choose the system on the other side, the direction seen from LN and how often it must move.
- 3
Read the inventory
Each row names the LN interface (BOD noun, OData API, BDE, Exchange scheme or BEMIS message), why it fits and what to watch for.
- 4
Check the field map
Open the starter map for an object, fill in the target field names and note the LN table.field keys and required fields.
- 5
Export or save
Download the design as PDF, Excel, Word or CSV, save it to your account, or send it to an engineer for review.
LN interfaces in this tool
- ION BODs asynchronous
- LN publishes Sync BODs on business events and from initial load sessions per package (tcbod, tdbod, whbod, tibod, tfbia). ION Connect routes them through the LN connection point and document flows; LN also processes inbound BODs routed to its logical ID.
- LN OData REST APIs (ION API) synchronous
- REST APIs where each entity type corresponds to an LN table, for example tdapipurPurchaseOrder.odata with the Order (tdpur400) and Line (tdpur401) entity types. Called through the ION API gateway with OAuth 2.0; the list of APIs for your tenant is in ION API.
- BDE web services (Business Data Entities) synchronous
- Synchronous SOAP style business data entities that read and update LN business objects through DAL business logic. BDEs and BODs share the same extension point, so customer defined fields can be added to both. Take BDE names from the web service list of your LN release.
- LN Electronic Data Interchange (BEMIS) asynchronous
- Delivered EDI based on BEMIS (Baan Electronic Message Interchange System), the internal LN standard. A translator converts X12, EDIFACT, VDA or Odette to BEMIS ASCII files; Direct Network Communication (ecedi7205m000) reads and generates them.
- Exchange module (ASCII import and export) asynchronous
- Batch oriented import and export between LN tables and ASCII files, defined in Exchange Schemes (daxch0501m000) with ASCII files, fields and batches, and run on the LN job mechanism. Available since Baan; suits nightly extracts and bulk loads.
- Read-only SQL (on-premises) asynchronous
- On-premises only: read LN tables (company-numbered, for example tdsls400 in company 100) or a replica for reporting. Never write to LN tables from outside; direct updates bypass DAL business logic. Not available on multi-tenant CloudSuite.
- Infor Data Lake (CloudSuite) asynchronous
- On LN CloudSuite, BODs routed through ION can be stored in Infor Data Lake for analytics. Confirm which BODs your tenant ingests before you design reports on it.
Questions
Which BODs does Infor LN publish?
The initial load sessions list them. Publish Logistic Master Data (tcbod0200m000) covers ContactMaster, PartyMaster, ItemMaster, Location, Person, ConstrainedResource, CarrierParty, ConfiguredAssetMaster and UOMGroup. Order Management (tdbod0200m000) covers Requisition, RFQ, Quote, SupplierQuote, Contract, ReceiveDelivery, PurchaseOrder, SupplierRMA, SupplierSchedule, SupplierPlanningSchedule, Opportunity, SalesOrder, CustomerReturn, PlanningSchedule and InventoryConsumption. Warehousing (whbod0200m000) covers InventoryAdjustment, CycleCount, Shipment, AdvanceShipNotice, ReceiveDelivery, InventoryCount, Transfer, CarrierRoute and Invoice. Manufacturing (tibod0200m000) covers ProductionOrder and LnProductionResult.
How do I set up LN for BOD publishing?
Select Prevent BOD Publishing in BOD Parameters (tcbod0100m000), set the tenant and accounting entity, run Validate Publishing Data Setup (tcbod0300m000), map currencies, countries (2-alpha ISO) and languages, define blocking reasons, set up the financial BIA data, clear Prevent BOD Publishing and then run the initial load sessions. Infor warns that a publication to ION cannot be undone.
What is the difference between BODs, OData APIs and BDEs in LN?
BODs are asynchronous XML messages that LN publishes to ION on business events or receives from ION. OData REST APIs and BDEs are synchronous: you call them through the ION API and get the result at once, which suits lookups and writes that need the LN number back. All three run LN business logic, and customer defined fields can be added to each through the Extension Modeler.
How does EDI work in Infor LN and Baan?
LN does not read X12 or EDIFACT directly. A translator converts partner documents to BEMIS, the internal standard that dates back to Baan. Direct Network Communication (ecedi7205m000) reads the BEMIS ASCII files from the appl_to directory and creates orders, schedules, shipment notices or invoices; outgoing messages prepared by printing orders, acknowledgements, shipments and invoices are written to appl_from for the translator.
Which EDI messages does LN support out of the box?
The BEMIS defaults contain ORD001 order, ORS001 order response, ORC001 order change, OCA001 order change response, MRL001 material release, SHP001 shipping schedule, SEQ001 sequence shipping schedule, PUS001 pick-up sheet, ASN001 advance shipment notice, RDN001 receipt discrepancy, FML001 and FMS001 freight messages, INV001 and INV100 invoice, SBI001 self-billed invoice, RAD001 remittance advice and ERN001 error notification. Most work in both directions; FML001 is outgoing only, and FMS001, SBI001, RAD001 and PUS001 are incoming only. The 846 inventory advice is not in the list.
What happens to an incoming EDI message with errors?
LN stores the whole message in Saved Messages to be Received (ecedi7150m000). Correct the data in Saved Message Data to be Received (ecedi7151s000), approve it in Approve Saved Messages to be Received (ecedi7250m000) and reprocess it with Process Saved Messages to be Received (ecedi7252m000). Fix the master data cause first, or the same error repeats.
Can I write directly to LN tables such as tdsls400 for an integration?
No. LN business logic lives in the DAL (introduced in Baan 5.0, DAL-2 since LN 6.1), and direct inserts or updates bypass it, along with allocations, audit and financial integration. Use BODs, OData APIs, BDEs, the Exchange module or EDI, and keep SQL to read-only reporting on premises. Multi-tenant CloudSuite does not allow direct SQL.
How do I integrate Baan IV or Baan 5 when ION BODs are not available?
BEMIS EDI and the Exchange module both originate in Baan and remain the common batch routes for older releases. The BOD publishing sessions described here are documented for LN 10.x; confirm ION and API options for a Baan release with Infor, and treat an upgrade to LN as the path to BODs, OData and the ION API.