1. In an electronic information processing system including a pre-existing core program, EDI protocol data and protocol processing instruction data, a method for conforming input data into an output data structure, the method comprising the steps of: ascertaining, by the pre-existing core program in said system, an EDI protocol to be utilized in the system based on characteristics of the input data; selecting the EDI protocol data by the pre-existing core program, the EDI protocol data describing a syntax of the EDI protocol, the EDI protocol data including at least one data model; selecting the protocol processing instruction data by the pre-existing core program, the protocol processing instruction data including at least one layer of elements, the protocol processing instruction data describing trading partner specific editing and validation logic; initializing, in said system, the selected EDI protocol data related to the EDI protocol and protocol processing instruction data; linking, in the system, the initialized EDI protocol data and the initialized protocol processing instruction data to the pre-existing core program to form a data management engine; and converting, with the data management engine, the input data into the output data structure, the data management engine being. dynamically configured based on the EDI protocol data, the protocol processing instruction data and the core program.