Post to EDI Listserv

"Hello all:

I've been researching for a few months and am currently demo-ing a couple products to replace Gentran for Windows. The top three are Inovis' Bizmanager, GXS and a local company called Messageway.

I'm reading a lot of stuff about bugs at GXS and Sterling is listed as the #1 vendor, yet, we are getting rid of them because the thing breaks daily.

The process has not been as smooth as I'd hoped... It seems so simple to have a product that will do everything you need, yet I can't seem to find it.

So... I guess... of the three above which would anybody recommend? And, would there be a better direction to take than those three??

  • Money is not an issue
  • Stability and good support are required
  • ODBC innate mapping -communications built into the product
  • USER FRIENDLY!!!!!
  • Mapper with the versatility of Sterling
  • Document/interchange viewing and searching is imperative... We love GXS's life cycle option.

Any advice would be much appreciated!"

Response from Softshare Client

"Of those three I would recommend Softshare Delta and ECS. You said money is not an issue. Then take the extra money and invest in a really BIG Christmas party!

  • Softshare doesn't break
  • Has integrated ODBC
  • Best support I've experienced in 30-something years in IT (DP, EDP, IS)
  • Integrated comm., including ASx
  • Very stable
  • User friendly (You can take class in Santa Barbara—THAT SUCKS (LOL)
  • Built-in doc and interchange viewing
  • Capacity is HUGE
  • Speed is FAST
  • Translates any-to-any (X12, EDIFACT, XML, Flat File, ODBC) and any-to-HTML
  • Integrated support for SOAP, ebXML
  • Communicates: file system, SMTP, POP3, FTP, AS1, AS2, AS3
  • Manages secure transmission, certificates
  • Built-in scheduler
  • Server system runs on Win2K or Win2003, with SQL Server
  • They have big customers, including the U.S. government
  • They are garnering more and more respect in the industry as they expand their customer base because they are just so much better than the alternatives
  • Owned by people, not by another company with diverse interests
  • They will make you look good to your company management
  • They will make you look good to your TPs

In case you didn't figure it out, I like Softshare. I have used it for three years, and I couldn't be more pleased. I have used other providers' stuff in the past, including Sterling, Preminos, and Harbinger."