Create a Guideline

The Hierarchy

EDI guidelines follow a tree-like structure:

Transaction Set
 └── Loop (e.g., N1_loop)
      ├── Segment (e.g., N1)
      │    └── Element (e.g., N101)
      │         └── Composite Element (for X12 only)
      └── Nested Loop

Each level has its own “mini-guideline,” which tells you:

• Whether it’s mandatory, optional, or not used
• What values are allowed
• Notes explaining business meaning

As a Leader, you define and assign the EDI requirements that your Trading Partners must adhere to.
These EDI requirements are known within Orderful as Guidelines.

Creating Guidelines

You can create new guideline sets in several ways. Most users use the app interface, but here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:

1. Start from Scratch – Build new rules manually.
2. Use a Template – Start from a pre-built set if one is available.
3. Start from an Initial Structure – Begin with basic loops and segments in place.
4. Copy an Existing Guideline – Duplicate a previous version and tweak it.

To create a Guideline from Scratch:

1. Sign in to your Orderful organization: https://ui.orderful.com/
2. Navigate to the Guidelines page from the navigation menu under the Requirements section.
3. Click on “Create New”.
4. Fill out the required information on the Create Guideline page:
   1. Guideline Name: Choose a descriptive name.
      Example: 810 to Amazonia (Domestic) (Direct to store) (v2.13) (1/22/2025)
   2. EDI account: Choose the EDI account associated with the new guideline
   3. Transaction Type: Choose a transaction type
   4. Version: Choose a JSON, X12 or EDIFact version.
      Tip: Need compatibility with a specific X12 version? Create your guideline in X12 and request Orderful Support to convert it to JSON.
   5. Select the loops and segments you want to use.
      Note: You can update the loop and segment structure of a draft guideline at any time.
   6. If you currently have a source document for your guideline, you can upload it.
5. Click Create Guideline.

Your guideline has been now created as a draft guideline.

You then need to enter your guideline requirements for each segment, loop and element in your guideline.

Guideline Status