Not so fast. X12 isn't dead yet. In fact, in many respects, X12 is still the best choice for electronic data interchange today. XML is making great progress toward being a good alternative, but we aren't there yet.
by Michael Jones
December 21, 2004
n an article published last week on DevX entitled "Why EDI Must Die", the author, Jeremy Jones, gives several reasons why he believes XML is superior to the X12 format for electronic data interchange. He points out several shortcomings of X12 and several arguments as to why XML is a better choice.
But the article gives short shrift to X12 EDI, which has proven itself thanks to years of industry-wide use and reliability, and which continues, today, to be a mature choice for data interchange. The author seems to lack a true understanding of the technological advantages of X12 and the true reasons for the industry's slow migration to an XML format for use in EDI in the future. I am not attempting to convince the reader that XML is a poor choice for EDI, but rather to give X12 a fair perspective compared to XML.
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Michael Jones is the Director of Systems Architecture for Passport Health Communications, Inc., which provides a one-stop, comprehensive, administrative, and financial management tool for hospitals and physicians. He has the pleasure of working with a fantastic team of developers on a product line that is revolutionizing the administration of healthcare across the country. Michael, his wife, and three children live in Franklin, Tennessee where he spends his spare time reading and enjoying time with his family outdoors.
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