You may have already heard the news. Epicor plans to sunset TPCx (Trading Partner Connect) by December 2026. It’s not a sudden move, and honestly, it’s been coming for a while. TPCx has served its purpose well, but the legacy architecture makes it tough to keep up with the security and reliability standards businesses expect today.
Epicor EDI will take its place, which means it’s time for users to think about what comes next. Let’s walk through the shift and understand it better.
TCPx Vs. Epicor EDI: What’s New
TPCx served Epicor users well for years, especially in Prophet 21. It handled the basics of EDI like sending and receiving documents like POs, invoices, and ASNs. But it was built on older architecture, and that limited how far it could go.
Epicor EDI is the modern replacement. It’s designed for automation, visibility, and cloud-ready workflows. Instead of just moving data from point A to point B, it gives businesses deeper insight and stronger control over their supply chain.
How TPCx and Epicor EDI Differ
TPCx (Legacy)
- Focused mainly on exchanging documents
- Limited automation and visibility
- Built for older Epicor systems, including Prophet 21
- Narrower format support
- Less flexible for scaling and modern integrations
Epicor EDI (Modern)
- Designed for Epicor’s newer platforms, including Kinetic
- Real-time visibility through a web portal
- Built-in alerts and reporting tools
- Supports AS2, SFTP, FTP, and other modern protocols
- Works with more formats like EDIFACT and cXML
- Offers API-based and SQL-based integration
- Optional managed services for continuous support
This Shift Was Necessary:
- To automate more processes and reduce manual work
- To give users better insight into supply chain activity
- To integrate cleanly with modern cloud ERPs
- To keep pace with faster, more connected business operations
Also read: The Ultimate Epicor Automation Studio Guide [+ Best Alternative for Distributors and Manufacturers]
Why Waiting Now Could Cost You Later
It’s easy to look at the December 2026 deadline and think there’s plenty of time. A year feels like a long runway. But waiting comes with its own set of problems.
As support for TPCx winds down, the help available to you will slowly shrink. Teams that wait too long often run into crowded schedules, fewer migration resources, and tighter deadlines. That’s when mistakes happen. And when timelines get compressed, automated EDI is more likely to be disrupted.
Starting early gives you space to move at your own pace. You can plan, evaluate your options, review, map, test, and switch over without stress.
There’s also the upside of moving sooner. Epicor EDI comes with stronger features like Prophet 21 API support, turnaround data, UDF access, and more EDI documents. You also get better security and a cleaner user experience right away. No need to wait for the benefits.
And practically, many migrations take up to four months per system. If everyone rushes in at the last moment, the backlog will only grow. Getting ahead now makes the entire transition smoother and far more predictable.
Also read: How To Choose The Right EDI Service Provider [+ 6 Tools ]
Benefits of Migrating to Epicor EDI
With this migration, you actually get immediate benefits the moment you switch. The platform is built for the way businesses work today faster, more connected, and a lot less manual.
Here’s what you get:
1. Better Visibility
You can finally see what’s happening with your documents in real time. The web-based portal shows you the status of every transaction.
2. Stronger Security
The newer architecture is more secure from the ground up. It supports modern protocols and reduces the risk that comes with running older systems. You get a safer environment without extra effort from your team.
3. Faster Document Processing
Documents move quicker because the workflows are cleaner. Your trading partners get what they need without waiting.
4. More Automation
You can automate a lot more than simple EDI exchanges. Alerts, routing, reporting, and process triggers all work together. This cuts down on manual entry and reduces errors across your system.
5. Support for More Formats
You’re not limited to just X12 anymore. Epicor EDI supports EDIFACT, cXML, and more. This gives you more flexibility with vendors, distributors, and partners especially those outside North America.
6. Modern Integration Options
Integration is smoother. You can connect through SQL or APIs, which works better with Epicor’s newer platforms. It also makes it easier to scale your setup as your business grows.
7. A Better User Experience
The interface is cleaner, simpler, and more intuitive. It feels like a modern system, not something patched together over time. Your team spends less time figuring things out and more time getting work done.
8. Optional Managed Services
If you don’t want to manage EDI day-to-day, you don’t have to. Epicor offers managed services that take care of monitoring, troubleshooting, and updates. It removes a lot of the heavy lifting.
What to Expect When Migrating to Epicor EDI
Most migrations from TPCx to Epicor EDI go smoothly, but it’s still helpful to know what you might run into along the way.
1. Possible Roadblocks During Migration
Most transitions finish without any major setbacks, but a few things can slow the pace:
- On-prem environments can hit access snags. Some companies have stricter firewalls or security rules. These can cause delays during setup, but they’re normally resolved once the Epicor team and the customer’s IT staff sync up.
- Unexpected configurations may need extra attention. Older customizations or custom routing rules sometimes need adjustments before moving forward.
2. What a Smooth Migration Really Looks Like
When everything goes well, the switch feels almost invisible to your everyday users:
- When each phase is outlined so you always know what’s happening next.
- Updates come as steps are completed, so you’re never guessing where things stand.
- Your team gets hands-on time with the new environment to make sure everyone is comfortable.
- A structured “hypercare” period after launch. The same team that handled the migration stays involved for a short time to monitor activity and fix anything quickly.
3. Support You Receive After the Move
You’re not left on your own once you switch:
- Two weeks of focused post-go-live assistance. The implementation team keeps an eye on your system, responds to issues, and makes sure everything stabilizes.
- Smooth transition to long-term or managed support. If you’re using managed services, you’ll move into that model once the system is steady and performing well.
4. How to Get Ready for the Migration
You don’t have to do much heavy lifting, but a few steps on your side make the transition cleaner:
- List any special workflows you rely on. This helps identify anything that needs to be carried over or adjusted.
- Note any trading partners or documents outside your current TPCx setup. Some teams use this moment to add new partners or expand their EDI footprint.
- Review any custom logic you might want to keep. This ensures nothing important gets overlooked.
Also read: VAN In B2B EDI Communication [+Top Alternatives]
A Smarter Alternative
While Epicor EDI is the official path forward, many businesses want something simpler to manage. That’s where DCKAP Integrator stands out. It gives you the same EDI capabilities but in a way that removes a lot of the difficult work that usually comes with EDI work.
Here’s why it stands out:
1. One Platform for Everything
- EDI translation, mapping, and integration, all inside a single system.
- No switching between tools.
- No separate or disconnected processes.
- Just one place to build, run, and monitor all your workflows.
This makes onboarding, troubleshooting, and scaling so much easier. When everything flows through one engine, nothing is missed out.
2. Deep Epicor Experience
- DCKAP Integrator is also deeply rooted in the Epicor ecosystem.
- It has worked with Epicor Prophet 21 many, many times.
- It even has its own Epicor-specific APIs.
- And beyond Epicor, it has years of experience connecting dozens of major ERPs.
So when something needs to sync, connect, or translate, it’s handled by people who understand the environment. That means fewer delays, less back-and-forth, and no guesswork. And honestly, that background makes all the difference when you just want something that simply works.
3. Support You Can Rely On
- You’re not left on your own after setup.
- A dedicated team monitors and manages everything.
- They spot issues early and fix them before they escalate.
- You get help from people who actually understand your system
It feels more like having an extension of your internal team than an outsourced service.
4. Transparent Pricing
- There’s no mystery around cost.
- Clear pricing.
- Predictable billing.
- No surprise fees later.
You always know what you’re paying for, which makes budgeting easier and prevents those typical “integration shock” moments many companies run into.
So, If you want a cleaner, simpler, fully managed way to handle EDI and integration, DCKAP Integrator is worth a look.
You can book a demo or check out some client stories here, to see how it works in real life.
