Technically speaking, cctop is an Internet server.

This server stores central master data of all participating users such as partner profiles, communication addresses, data exchange formats etc.

An user interested in the Service once has to register online on the server, a process which is closed in less than five minutes. Apart from information about the enterprise, Subscriber has to specify the desired accounting model and manner of payment as well as the form of notification in case of incoming messages. User ID and password then give access to the parameters of the clearing center. A lot of so called templates can be used.

cctop parameters:

• Setup, adjustment and maintenance of business partner relationships (which business partners, which communication profile shall be used for data exchange?),
• Partner-specific definition of message types to be exchanged (which business transactions shall take place with which business partner?),
• Partner-specific definition of desired message format (which data format is to be transmitted/expected by the business partner: EDIFACT/EANCOM, SAP IDoc, XML, Inhouse format etc.?)

cctop features:

• General features:
• File transfer from/to server either in accordance with the store-and-forward-principle (X.400, Internet Mail), by means of Internet Browser or via FTP.
• Receipt, conversion and forwarding of in- and outgoing messages in selected formats
• Logging of all activities
• Archiving of received messages up to 60 days
• Automated notification about received messages by E-Mail or SMS
• Extensive support and help functions
• Special WebEDI features:
• Use of online forms, partly with turnaround functionality
• Extensive plausibility checks directly during data entry

The clearing center is operated and administered of stratEDI. The operator ensures the availability of the Service (24h, 7 days in the week) with appropriate reliability and warrants the authenticity and integrity of the data.

On the one hand, these can be made available in XML or Inhouse format of the customer, which creates the possibility for Up- or Download of files and abandonment of data capturing. In this case, processing of the data is done by the Inhouse application, cctop simply acts as a data turntable.

On the other hand, it is also possible to capture data directly in appropriate online forms in the clearing center.

This is e.g. meaningful if the Inhouse application of the customer is not at all capable to support the offered data formats or if the customer doesn't even have an appropriate application, which means data is not yet available in the desired form anywhere. Incoming messages are displayed in online forms and can be printed out, exported as XML file or - by means of Turnaround functionality - be converted into corresponding response messages.

Conversion into EDIFACT format of the business partner always takes place in the clearing center, which also sets up the communication connection with partners. By this, current EDI users can be addressed by means of their existing EDIFACT interfaces and - in response - reach a substantially larger number of their business partners on electronically.

Today's variety of interfaces with the business partners is in such a way (in the ideal case) reduced to only one. By combination of all integration levels (fully automatic handling with the current EDI user, partly integrated handling at the clearing center customer) the use of the clearing center enables genuine "any to any" communication, i.e. everyone can exchange messages electronically with each business partner. Due to the central administration of the EDI partnership connections in the clearing center, the administration expenditure for the customer remains insignificant thereby; new business partners, message types or data formats can be created at any time.

The clearing center thus represents a future-reliable solution, which can in response be used as an instrument to increase the number of partners tied up at very short notice. Since any investment for an EDI system with appropriate setup of Mappings is omitted, the entrance barriers are reduced to the existence of a telephone connection with Internet access. If requested, stratEDI will offer further services like data quality management, so that consistency of the received data is guaranteed with the EDI user.