With the holiday season comfortably behind them, many retailers are now looking ahead to building out their infrastructure as they prepare for next year. As e-commerce becomes a more prevalent way to purchase goods, e-tailers are increasingly depending on their distributors for help with Dropship, or having the items sent directly from a distribution center. “They are getting that in their heads that they should start utilizing the vendors’ ability to distribute and get the branding experience in place,’’ says Scott Bolduc, Senior Supply Chain Strategist at SPS Commerce.

XML and EDI are two distinct, widely-used technologies with separate and occasionally-complementary uses. Writers in ec-bp.com and elsewhere have already tabulated at length the advantages and disadvantages of each. To the best of my knowledge, though, no one has published an accessible, accurate explanation of XML grammar definition, and how you can use this low-level programming tool to make the most of XML's strengths.

Ever wonder how your telecommuting colleagues really live? Turns out, many of them actually do work in their pajamas. They also tend to love their work-life balance – to the point where they’d take a pay cut to maintain the status quo. This is a “must read” for both remote workers and for their office-bound managers.

With supply chain platforms providing the E to E linkage and Managed File Transfer Services- do VANS still play a role? The pros and cons of VANs, AS2, FTP, Electronic Commerce Communications Providers. We will be evaluating TRANSPORT, not mapping,  Web portals, or other services which could be performed by a VAN as well as by other EDI service providers.