EDIReader

EDIReader is a flexible and lightweight open-source EDI parser, written in pure Java using the SAX API and distributed under the GPLv3 license. First released in 2004 and enhanced steadily since then, it has handled millions of transactions in a wide variety of products, services, industries, platforms, and custom integrations. Its streaming parser is the foundation of the broader EDIReader technology stack.

HL7 support is included in EDIReader.
Beginning with version 6.0.0, HL7 parsing is available directly in the open-source EDIReader parser rather than requiring the EDIReader Framework.

ReleaseNotes.md

EDIReader Ecosystem

EDIReader is the open-source streaming parser at the foundation of BerryWorks’ EDI technology stack:

• Looking for EDI-to-JSON processing? Check out the EDIReader Framework Community Edition, the freely available EDI-to-JSON distribution of the EDIReader Framework.

• Looking for an on-premise REST API for EDI processing? Check out the BerryWave EDI API.
• Developing in Python? Check out the BerryWave Python SDK, which provides Python access to BerryWave EDI processing capabilities.

Quick Start

Basic Java Usage Example

import com.berryworks.edireader.EDIReader;
import com.berryworks.edireader.EDIReaderFactory;
import org.xml.sax.InputSource;
import org.xml.sax.XMLReader;

import java.io.FileReader;

public class ParseExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        // Create an EDIReader instance for an input stream
        InputSource inputSource = new InputSource(new FileReader("sample.edi"));
        XMLReader ediReader = EDIReaderFactory.createEDIReader(inputSource);

        // Attach a SAX ContentHandler (e.g., custom handler or standard XML transformer)
        ediReader.setContentHandler(new MySaxHandler());
        
        // Parse the EDI stream
        ediReader.parse(inputSource);
    }
}

Features Summary

The EDI parser supports:

• Automatic detection of EDI standard and syntax characters (terminators, delimiters, separators)
• X12, EDIFACT, and HL7
• Segment loops:
  • detects segment loops/groups within a transaction/message
  • using EDIReader plugins
• Handles multiple:
  • interchanges per input stream
  • functional groups per interchange
  • transactions/messages per functional group
• Command line tools:
  • EDI to XML
  • splitting EDI input into multiple XML single-transaction output files
  • scanning EDI input to produce a summary of transactions
• Java API
  • based on XML push-parser patterns
  • can be configured with custom SAX content handlers
• Detailed error messages for EDI syntax issues
  • for example: Segment count error in UNT segment. Expected 8 instead of 88 at segment 9, field 2
  • option to continue parsing after recoverable errors
• High performance
  • parses arbitrarily large input streams
  • without growing in-memory data structures or file I/O
• Acknowledgments as a by-product of parsing
  • 997, 999 (X12)
  • CONTRL (EDIFACT)
• Binary sequences
  • BIN segment (X12)
  • UNO/UNP (EDIFACT)

Primary Interfaces

• Command line interface tools accepting filename arguments
• Java API for embedding in your own Java system

Technical Notes

• Pure Java: SLF4J is the only required third-party library, minimizing dependency conflicts and licensing baggage. Compatible with standard JVMs and Android.
• Logging: Uses Simple Logging Facade for Java (SLF4J) for lightweight deployment-time binding (Logback, Log4j2, java.util.logging).
• Thread-Safe: Designed for concurrent execution in high-throughput enterprise applications.

License and Ownership

• Intellectual Property: Copyright BerryWorks Software.
• Open Source License: Distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3).
• Commercial Licensing: Commercial licenses (without GPL constraints) are available from BerryWorks Software, along with support and maintenance agreements for end-users and service providers.

The EDIReader Framework

The EDIReader Framework is a broader set of Java modules built on top of the open-source EDIReader parser. The EDIReader Framework Community Edition is its freely available EDI-to-JSON distribution. Additional Framework modules are commercially licensed from BerryWorks Software and provide features such as:

• EDIWriter, producing EDI output
• EDI Annotations, augmenting the parsed content from EDIReader with
  • transaction/message descriptions
  • segment descriptions
  • element and sub-element descriptions
  • code value descriptions
• Segment loop awareness
• Splitting EDI input containing many transactions into many single-transaction EDI output files
• EDI validation and compliance checking
• Support for additional EDI and EDI-like formats:
  • NCPDP
  • TRADACOMS
• JSON support
  • EDI to JSON
  • JSON to EDI