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Hi I have a question about the "ISA" header structure of EDI X12 message:

Does any one know whether the structure of "ISA" differs between different versions (e.g. 4010, 5010...)?

Thanks!

kai
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2 Answers2

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The structure of the ISA doesn't change - it is still a fixed length segment with 15 elements and 106 characters. The version (004010) is defined in the group (GS08). There is an element that defines the "interchange" version, but it does not affect the structure of the ISA segment.

Andrew
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  • Hi Andrew, it seems that your answer is different from eppyes. I am confused who is correct @@ – kai Nov 22 '11 at 02:51
  • it's about interpretation of your question. I take what you mean by "structure" as # of elements, length, etc..in which case the ISA has not changed in that capacity from version to version. It is true that certain elements might have changed meaning/usage, but I didn't take that to mean the structure changed. Probably just "lost in translation" here. I assume you are trying to build a parser and need to know how long the ISA is. – Andrew Nov 22 '11 at 15:11
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ISA has indeed different structures. both there is a strong need for upward compatibility, so only small differences.

the version of ISA is the syntax version, I think it is ISA 12 (this can and will be different from be different from the version in GS 08. The version in GS is about the version of the transacton, not the syntax.)

eppye
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  • Hi eppye, you say that the structures are different. May I ask where's the difference? I just wonder whether there are still 15 elements in it? Thanks! – kai Nov 22 '11 at 01:52
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    I think in version 004003 a ISA data-element was changed to get the meaning of 'repeating seperator'. the length of the ISA did not change, the interpretation did. – eppye Nov 22 '11 at 10:37