API integration
APIs and EDI, working together
APIs bring real-time data exchange to B2B relationships, but they rarely replace EDI overnight. ECOM helps you adopt APIs where they add value, connect them to your ERP and existing EDI processes, and manage both through one platform.
At a glance
- Partner API connectivity
- EDI and API bridging
- Application connectors
- Unified monitoring
What is API integration?
API integration connects applications through application programming interfaces, which let one system request or send data to another in real time, typically using REST and JSON. In B2B scenarios, APIs complement EDI by providing instant order status, inventory, pricing and shipment updates, while EDI continues to handle high-volume standardized documents.
Outcomes
What you can expect
Real-time information
Share inventory, order status and shipment events as they happen instead of waiting for batch transmissions.
Reuse existing processes
API transactions can drive the same validation and ERP workflows already used for EDI.
Support every partner preference
Serve API-first partners and EDI-based partners without maintaining two separate integration stacks.
Approach
How ECOM delivers it
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Partner API connectivity
Consume customer, supplier, carrier and marketplace APIs with managed authentication and error handling.
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EDI and API bridging
Convert JSON or XML API payloads to and from X12 and EDIFACT.
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Application connectors
Connect SaaS and commerce applications through their published APIs.
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Unified monitoring
Track API calls and EDI documents in the same PRISM-SCV views.
Scenarios
Common scenarios
Carrier tracking APIs
Pull real-time shipment events from carrier APIs and combine them with EDI 214 status messages.
Marketplace order APIs
Bring marketplace orders into the ERP alongside retail EDI orders.
Customer self-service
Let key customers check order and inventory status through an API.
Frequently asked questions
Will APIs replace EDI?
For most supply chains, APIs and EDI will coexist for years. Many large trading partners still require EDI, while APIs are used for real-time and application-to-application needs.
What is the difference between EDI and API?
EDI exchanges standardized business documents, often in batches, using established standards like X12. APIs exchange data on request in real time, usually in JSON, with formats defined by each provider.
Can you convert an API payload into EDI?
Yes. PRISM can transform API payloads into X12 or EDIFACT and the reverse, so either channel can feed the same business process.
Talk to an integration expert
Tell us about your partners, systems and goals. We will show you how PRISM and our team can help.