RFC 1767 (rfc1767) - Page 2 of 7

MIME Encapsulation of EDI Objects

RFC 1767                      EDI in MIME                     March 1995


   Since there are many different EDI specifications, the current
   document defines three distinct categories as three different MIME
   content-types.  One is Application/EDI-X12, indicating that the
   contents conform to the range of specifications developed through the
   X12 standards organization [X125, X126, X12V].  Another is
   Application/EDIFACT, indicating that the contents conform to the
   range of specifications developed by the United Nations Working Party
   4 Group of Experts 1 EDIFACT boards [FACT, FACV].  The last category
   covers all other specifications; it is Application/EDI-consent.

2.     APPLICATION/EDIFACT SPECIFICATION

   The Application/EDIFACT MIME body-part contains data as specified for
   electronic data interchange by [FACT, FACV].

   Within EDIFACT, information is specified by:

   MIME type name:               Application

   MIME subtype name:            EDIFACT

   Required parameters:          none

   Optional parameters:          CHARSET, as defined for MIME

   Encoding considerations:      May need BASE64 or QUOTED-PRINTABLE
                                 transfer encoding

   Security considerations:      See separate section in the
                                 document.

   Published specification:      Contained in the following section.

   Rationale:                    The EDIFACT specifications are
                                 accepted standards for a class of
                                 inter-organization transactions;
                                 this permits their transmission
                                 over the Internet, via email.

   Contact-info:                 See Contact section, below.

   Detail specific to MIME-based usage:

        This is a generic mechanism for sending any EDIFACT
        interchange.  The object is self-defining, in terms of
        indicating which specific EDI objects are included.  Most
        EDI data is textual, but special characters such as some
        delimiters may be non-printable ASCII or some data may be



Crocker