I'm working at this company. No one wanted to be responsible for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). It was seen as a problem (not a solution), so it gets dumped on the new guy - me.
With a lot of patience and time I slowly train myself and begin to understand. I had inherited a third party communication and translation software. It used 1 of only 2 modems in the entire company - it was along time ago. Users hated it. Apart from processing everything twice, it kept breaking down.
Time passes and I slowly improve the system and increase reliability. More customers start to use EDI. We had several customers connected by EDI. 2 different standards. 2 different networks. They were sending us Sales Orders and we were sending the Invoices. Hey! I was proud of what I achieved and everyone else (who didn't want to touch EDI in the first place) saw me as an expert.
Then one day a key supplier suggested we send our Purchase Orders to them by EDI. Hmm EDI with a supplier, not a customer. This was new. So I ring up my contact at our EDI software supplier. I know I need to get the trading partner/document relationship validated on the VAN. Oh, and the software will need some mapping tables for purchase orders. I know they are going to cost.
Me: Can I buy the translation tables for Purchase Orders please?
Contact: According to our records you purchased them some time ago. See your reference XXXXXXX
Me: Let me see (my files are organised). Ah yes, I have it in front of me. No, that was for Sales Orders. I want Purchase Orders.
Contact: What's the difference?
Me: Duh! I see what you mean. Never mind. Click