UN/EDIFACT message formats

A UN/EDIFACT message is a series of sequential segments in the order that is specified in a message directory. It starts with the message header and ends with the message trailer. This is equivalent to a transaction set.

These segments consist of predefined functionally-related data elements or composite data elements whose values are identified by their sequential positions within the segment. Each segment starts with a segment tag and ends with a segment terminator. A segment can be, for example, a street or city name, that with other data elements define a precise concept, such as an address.

Data elements are the basic units of data.

A UN/EDIFACT message is defined as a single transaction set. A batch subsystem that parses and encodes deals with interchanges and groups.

A batch refers to a group of one or more messages. These are surrounded by header and trailer segments with no special characters required to delimit the individual messages inside the batch.

You can convert old translations and version variants by removing interchange segments. Most of the work is performed automatically by hcirootcopy, but translations that contain references to interchange control segments must be performed by hand.

To make the conversion, remove these segments that envelope a transaction set:

  • UNA
  • UNB
  • UNG
  • UNE
  • UNZ