System and method for automated building of a trading partner profile

• US 6,408,303 B1
• Filed: 07/06/1999
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Healthcare Transaction Processors, Inc. (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Richards, Frederick R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, SANJIV
• Application Number:
  US09/348,000
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/102, 707/203, 707/204, 707/4, 707/9, 707/6, 707/7, 707/104, 380/25, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and method for building a trading partner profile for use with commercial translator software is disclosed. A list of file types, maps for translating data formats, and instructions for invoking commercial translator software determines what file types a business is willing to accept. Information from this list as well as information from an incoming file is used to create a trading partner profile that the commercial translator software relies on to perform a translation of data from one format (e.g., an EDI standard format) to another format (e.g., a format for a business applications). After determination of the incoming file type, information from the incoming file and the list of file type/map/instructions is extracted to build a trading partner profile that is stored in a trading partner profile database. The commercial translator software uses the trading partner profile to complete the translation of the incoming file to a format for use by business or other applications.

Claims

1. A system for automated building of a trading partner profile comprising:

a list comprising file types and associated map names and instructions;

a plurality of files comprising data in one of a plurality of formats, each of said formats in accordance with one of said file types in said list;

a first software component for determining a type for each of said files;

a second software component for building a trading partner profile comprising information from an entry in said list for each of said formats and said files; and

a database for storing said trading partner profiles.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a commercial translator for translating said files from a first format to a second format in accordance with parameters from said trading partner profiles and in accordance with instructions from said list, said instructions selected in accordance with said types for said files.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said trading partner profiles comprises an identifier, map name, transaction number, map version, segment terminator, data element separator, composite separator, map direction, and production/test indication.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said files comprising data in one of a plurality of formats are in conformance with an EDI standard.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said EDI standard is selected from the group consisting of ASC ANSI X12, EDIFACT, TDCC, USC, VICS, EDX, ODETTE, and TRADACOMS.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said files comprising data in one of a plurality of formats are in conformance with a non-EDI standard.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said files comprising data in one of a plurality of formats are selected from the group consisting of ASC ANSI X12, NSF Format—

320 Byte Record, and NSF Format—

190 Byte transactions.

8. A method for automated building of a trading partner profile, comprising the steps of:

a) defining a list comprising file types and associated map names and instructions;

b) determining a file type for each of a plurality of incoming files;

c) selecting parameters from said list based on said file types for said incoming files;

d) selecting parameters from said incoming files based on said file types for said incoming files;

e) creating a trading partner profile from said parameters from said list and said parameters from said incoming files; and

f) storing said trading partner profile in a database.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

g) translating said incoming files in accordance with information from said trading partner profile; and

h) storing said translated files in output files.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of creating a trading partner profile comprises the steps of:

obtaining an identifier, transaction number, map version, segment terminator, data element separator, composite separator, map direction, and production/test indication from said incoming file; and

obtaining a map name from said list of file types, maps, and instructions.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said incoming files are in conformance with an EDI standard.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said EDI standard is selected from the group consisting of ASC ANSI X12, EDIFACT, TDCC, USC, VICS, EDX, ODETTE, and TRADACOMS.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said incoming files are in conformance with a non-EDI standard.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said incoming files are selected from the group consisting of ASC ANSI X12, NSF Format—

320 Byte Record, and NSF Format—

190 Byte transactions.

15. A system for automated building of a trading partner profile comprising;

a list of file types, map names, and instructions;

a determine file type software process, said process adapted to determine a file type for an incoming file;

a build trading partner profile software process, said process adapted to select parameters for a trading partner profile from said incoming file and an entry in said list identified in accordance with said file type for said incoming file; and

a database for storing said parameters selected by said build trading partner profile software process.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a perform translation software process for translating said incoming file in accordance with said parameters from said trading partner profile and in accordance with an instruction from said list, said instruction selected in accordance with said file type.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said perform translation software process is performed by commercial translator software.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said trading partner profile comprises an identifier transaction number, map version, segment terminator, data element separator, composite separator, map direction, and production/test indication from said incoming file and a map name from said list.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said incoming file is in conformance with an EDI standard.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein said incoming file is in conformance with a non-EDI standard.