9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to: store the companion guide profiles and the inventory of all rules.
7. A system for validating EDI documents comprising: a computer system having a processor, a memory, a storage device, a network interface, and a bus for exchanging information therebetween, the memory storing computer usable program code executed by the processor to: provide an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for a plurality of entities; dynamically adjust the inventory of all rules based upon entity specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities; create a rules analyzer to analyze content of the plurality of companion guides and to build an organizer of companion guide rules; employ the organizer of companion guide rules to add companion guide rules to the inventory of all rules; create a profiles engine to create a respective, current rule set for each of said plurality of entities; create a companion guide profile for each of the plurality of entities where each companion guide profile indicates that entity's companion guide rules and provides pointers to the rules in the inventory of all rules that are associated with the respective, current rule set of that entity, and create a runtime checker engine to validate an EDI document by comparing the EDI document to the respective, current rule set associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of entities, by forwarding the EDI document to the corresponding one of the plurality of entities if the EDI document matches its current rule set, wherein the EDI document is validated and by returning the EDI document to a sender if the EDI document does not match the respective, current rule set, wherein the EDI document is invalidated.