DEX
In essence, DEX is a wired electronic exchange between a vendor and customer. DEX (Direct Exchange) is a simple and effective standard for data exchange in a Direct Store Delivery (DSD) environment. Direct Store Delivery is usually used with date sensitive products (such as bread). Suppliers deliver the products directly to the store, as opposed to being shipped to a customer's warehouse. Hence, DSD.
Using DEX can minimize errors, increase productivity, and expedite transactions. DEX provides a standard to data exchange.
DEX is capable of the following transaction types: Delivery/Return Base Record, Delivery/Return Acknowledgment Record, and Adjustment Record.
DEX is simple. Here is how it works:
When a Supplier is ready to deliver they can set out to the store and connects their device to the Vendor's DEX connector. Then, the Supplier sends their transaction (invoice) to the store.
At this point, the customer (store) receives the transaction and proceeds to modify or approve the it.
If there is a need to modify the transaction, be it because of price changes or amount differences,
the store employee will modify the it and he/she will ask the vendor to connect the hand-held equipment back to the DEX connector.
Then, the transaction will be sent back to the vendor. If there were any modification made to the transaction, the store employee most likely will ask the vendor for a printed copy of the transaction.
Finally, when the agreed upon transaction is complete, the vendor will again connect the hand-held device to the DEX connector and it will proceed to send the closing transaction to the store.