# Overview - Transform Guide JSON
Source: https://www.stedi.com/docs/edi-platform/operate/transform-json/transforming-data

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title: Overview - Transform Guide JSON
sidebarTitle: "Overview"
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Similar to working with transactions from platforms like Stripe or Shopify, you need
to transform Stedi's [Guide JSON](/edi-platform/operate/transform-json/guide-json) format to and
from a shape that your system can understand.

## Inbound transactions

Stedi parses and translates inbound files from your trading partner into Guide JSON format. You can then choose a [transformation approach](/edi-platform/operate/transform-json/transformation-approaches) to reshape it into your system's format.

## Outbound transactions

For outbound transactions, you need to call the [Generate Outbound Transaction](/edi-platform/api-reference/post-transactions) endpoint with a Guide JSON payload. For example, you may need to translate employee records exported from your internal database into Guide JSON to create an 834 benefit enrollment file.

Prior to calling the API, you can choose a [transformation approach](/edi-platform/operate/transform-json/transformation-approaches) to reshape data from your system into Stedi's Guide JSON format.