Reconciliation is the process of correlating an event with another event. For example, you send a document file to a partner containing transactions such as payments or orders that require acknowledgment. When you send the file to the partner, you initiate a reconciliation. When you receive an acknowledgment from the partner, you complete the reconciliation. B2B Data Exchange uses a correlation ID to identify each reconciliation.

One document can require multiple acknowledgments. For example, you send a partner an EDI document containing 10 purchase orders. Depending on the business requirements, you can require one acknowledgment for 10 purchase orders, or one acknowledgment for each of the 10 purchase orders. If you require one acknowledgment, you initiate one reconciliation. If you require 10 acknowledgments, you must initiate 10 reconciliations.

Use PowerCenter workflows to reconcile events. Event reconciliation typically involves two workflows. One workflow processes the event that requires reconciliation and initiates the reconciliation. The second workflow processes the acknowledgment received from the partner and completes the reconciliation. The reconciliation process uses the correlation ID to associate a document with the acknowledgment.

The reconciliation process involves the following steps: