Unable to decode the message to us-ascii – Claim from Vendor

[Matthew Taylor]

We have been testing with a vendor and have been sending order messages just fine.  Now they claim all of a sudden that we are sending them messages in Unicode.   The error they return is “Unable to decode the message to us-ascii” – We think we have checked everything and nothing tells us that what we are sending them now is any different then what we were sending before.  What can we check/do to confirm/prove that we are sending them the message they want?  In netconfig for the thread Encoding is set to ASCII this has never changed.

Topic

[Jim Kosloskey]

I would set up a fileset/local thread and route the same messages there.

Then use a hex tool (like hcihd or hcihexdump) and check the data.

If you are on 6.0.0 ( and I believe the derivitives of 6.0.x through 6.1.x) the SMAT outbound reflects BEFORE encoding. So to be sure to see what they see I would do the above.

I would also ask them toprovide me with a copy of a message they have received (at the port) indicating what they see as an issue.

Assuming PDL protocol another thing to do would be to turn up EO so you can see the hex representation at the port going out (I think that is endoded at that point).

email: jim.kosloskey@jim-kosloskey.com 30+ years Cloverleaf, 60 years IT – old fart.

[Matthew Taylor]

Thanks Jim.  I used both tools.  I am not sure though what it is telling me.  This is all test data. Below is hcihd on the file sent to the fileset/local thread.

00000000   30303030 30303039 37314d53 487c5e7e   0000000971MSH|^~

00000010   5c267c7c 45504943 7c7c7c32 30313531   &||EPIC|||20151

00000020   31303531 32323135 387c3133 30323231   105122158|130221

00000030   7c4f524d 5e4f3031 7c313638 7c507c32   |ORM^O01|168|P|2

00000040   2e330d50 49447c31 7c7c3230 34393831   .3.PID|1||204981

00000050   5e5e5e42 485e4d52 7c7c5445 53545e4d   ^^^BH^MR||TEST^M

00000060   45524745 437c7c31 39383531 3130357c   ERGEC||19851105|

00000070   467c7c57 7c313233 20535550 45522053   F||W|123 SUPER S

00000080   54524545 545e5e54 4f574e53 454e445e   TREET^^TOWNSEND^

00000090   44455e31 39373334 5e55535e 507c7c28   DE^19734^US^P||(

000000a0   33303229 3435362d 37373838 5e505e50   302)456-7788^P^P

000000b0   485e5e5e 3330325e 34353637 3738387e   H^^^302^4567788~

000000c0   5e4e4554 5e496e74 65726e65 745e6140   ^NET^Internet^a@

000000d0   622e636f 6d7c7c7c 447c7c33 34313230   b.com|||D||34120

000000e0   7c373737 2d38392d 38343531 0d505631   |777-89-8451.PV1

000000f0   7c7c497c 324e4b5e 44323432 365e415e   ||I|2NK^D2426^A^

00000100   4b47485e 525e5e5e 5e5e5e44 45504944   KGH^R^^^^^^DEPID

00000110   7c7c7c7c 31303234 5e414c4c 45524759   ||||1024^ALLERGY

00000120   5e504859 53494349 414e5e5e 5e5e5e5e   ^PHYSICIAN^^^^^^

00000130   50524f56 49445e5e 5e5e5052 4f564944   PROVID^^^^PROVID

00000140   7c7c7c49 6e747c7c 7c7c7c7c 7c313032   |||Int|||||||102

00000150   345e414c 4c455247 595e5048 59534943   4^ALLERGY^PHYSIC

00000160   49414e5e 5e5e5e5e 5e50524f 5649445e   IAN^^^^^^PROVID^

00000170   5e5e5e50 524f5649 447c7c33 34313230   ^^^PROVID||34120

00000180   7c7c7c7c 7c7c7c7c 7c7c7c7c 7c7c7c7c   ||||||||||||||||

00000190   7c7c7c7c 7c7c7c7c 7c323031 35313130   |||||||||2015110

000001a0   35313232 3130330d 4f52437c 4e577c31   5122103.ORC|NW|1

000001b0   30323436 32385e45 50437c7c 33343132   024628^EPC||3412

000001c0   307c7c7c 5e5e5e32 30313531 31303531   0|||^^^201511051

000001d0   32323230 305e5e52 7c7c3230 31353131   22200^^R||201511

000001e0   30353132 32313535 7c313330 3232315e   05122155|130221^

000001f0   5441594c 4f525e4d 41545448 45577c7c   TAYLOR^MATTHEW||

00000200   31303234 5e414c4c 45524759 5e504859   1024^ALLERGY^PHY

00000210   53494349 414e5e5e 5e5e5e5e 50524f56   SICIAN^^^^^^PROV

00000220   49445e5e 5e5e5052 4f564944 7c313031   ID^^^^PROVID|101

00000230   30303136 3233355e 5e5e3130 31303031   0016235^^^101001

00000240   5e5e5e5e 5e4b4748 2032204e 4f525448   ^^^^^KGH 2 NORTH

00000250   20962049 4d437c28 35353529 3535352d    . IMC|(555)555-

00000260   35353535 5e5e5e5e 5e353535 5e353535   5555^^^^^555^555

00000270   35353535 7c7c7c7c 434c4953 55505e45   5555||||CLISUP^E

00000280   50494320 53555050 4f52545e 5e313031   PIC SUPPORT^^101

00000290   30313130 325e454d 48204d45 44205355   01102^EMH MED SU

000002a0   52470d4f 42527c31 7c313032 34363238   RG.OBR|1|1024628

000002b0   5e455043 7c7c4543 47315e45 43472031   ^EPC||ECG1^ECG 1

000002c0   322d4c45 41445e5e 5e454347 2031322d   2-LEAD^^^ECG 12-

000002d0   4c454144 7c7c3230 31353131 30353132   LEAD||2015110512

000002e0   32323030 7c7c7c7c 7c487c7c 7c7c7c31   2200|||||H|||||1

000002f0   3032345e 414c4c45 5247595e 50485953   024^ALLERGY^PHYS

00000300   49434941 4e5e5e5e 5e5e5e50 524f5649   ICIAN^^^^^^PROVI

00000310   445e5e5e 5e50524f 5649447c 28353535   D^^^^PROVID|(555

00000320   29353535 2d353535 355e5e5e 5e5e3535   )555-5555^^^^^55

00000330   355e3535 35353535 357c7c7c 7c7c7c7c   5^5555555|||||||

00000340   4543477c 7c7c5e5e 5e323031 35313130   ECG|||^^^2015110

00000350   35313232 3230305e 5e527c7c 7c7c5e31   5122200^^R||||^1

00000360   34323238 387c7c7c 7c7c3230 31353131   42288|||||201511

00000370   30353132 32323030 0d4e5445 7c317c7c   05122200.NTE|1||

00000380   44696167 6e6f7369 732d3e43 61726469   Diagnosis->Cardi

00000390   61632064 79737268 7974686d 69610d4e   ac dysrhythmia.N

000003a0   54457c32 7c7c496e 74657270 72657469   TE|2||Interpreti

000003b0   6e672070 68797369 6369616e 2d3e4361   ng physician->Ca

000003c0   7264696f 6c6f6779 20436f6e 73756c74   rdiology Consult

000003d0   616e7473 0d

[Jim Kosloskey]

Well if the encoding is set the same as what you have for the real-time then this should show what is delivered to the port at the receiving system.

If there is any non-base ascii codes I think you will see something in the ascii portion of the dump which is like an unprintable character indication.

It would be useful though if the receiving system could send you an example of what they see (at the port not after processed) so you can compare.

It is quite possible they have changed something on their side after the messagre is received so you need to see what they are really receiving.

email: jim.kosloskey@jim-kosloskey.com 30+ years Cloverleaf, 60 years IT – old fart.

[John Mercogliano]

Look at line 250.  It starts with 20(space)96(en-dash)20(space).  the 96 is extended ascii and probably what they are complaining about.  Someone is probably cutting and pasting from a web page or word document.

I have run into similar issues and used string map to fix.

Hope this helps,

John Mercogliano
Sentara Healthcare
Hampton Roads, VA

[Author]

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