About the Data Formats in Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor

EDI Data Format

The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor generates an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) file for you, according to the standard (agency), version, and transaction set you select. The format includes all the groups, segments, composites, and elements that are defined by the standards agency for the version of the document you selected.

You can modify the Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor-generated EDI file by changing the properties of the map components and by using the Promote, Split, Copy, Cut, and Paste functions.

If you want to use a specialized version of an EDI standard that is not available in the preloaded standards or through the EDI Standards disc, you can either load an EDI file definition or define the EDI file yourself. For more information about loading an EDI file definition, see Create an EDI Layout from an EDI Standard.

Whether the Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor generates the EDI file or you define it, the EDI map components that you use depend on the type of map you are creating. The components can include the standard, version, and transaction set (document) selected, and the groups, segments, composites, and elements that your organization requires.

The EDI file must contain all the data that you expect to receive from your trading partner (if the map is inbound) or must send to your trading partner (if the map is outbound). The file must contain this data so that it can be accurately processed.

Positional Data Format

The positional data format defines characteristics of a file such as delimiters or record length. A positional data format is also referred to as a fixed format or an application file.

For more information about the positional data format, see Mapping Positional Documents.

Variable-Length-Delimited Data Format

Map Editor enables you to map variable-length-delimited files, such as the comma-separated text file (.csv).

For more information about defining a variable-length-delimited data format, see Mapping Variable-Length-Delimited Documents.

CII Data Format

The CII data format provides the Japanese syntax definition for EDI messages. The CII implementation is based on the CII Syntax Rule, available in both Japanese and English. The CII Syntax Rule specifies details such as looping structures and data types, but it does not include standard message types. Message types are provided by industry groups. IBM® provides a number of these standard message types in the EDI Standards, which you can download.

For more information about the CII data format, see Mapping CII Documents.

XML Data Format

In the XML data format, the XML implementation conforms to the rules of the XML language 1.0 specification, as published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), with some exceptions. The W3C base 1.0 XML specification enables you to perform the following tasks with XML:

• Specify the number of times that a group can repeat.
• Specify the number of times an element in a mixed group can repeat.
• Repeat an element (with a structure different from the structure of the original element) in a different part of the document. For example, for an invoice, you can define an address element twice—once under Ship To and once under Bill To.

For more flexibility, this implementation diverges from the W3C base 1.0 XML specification. This implementation supports the W3C specification with the following exceptions:

• The XML document must meet the well-formed document criteria specified for XML. If the document is not well-formed, an error message is generated.
• External parameter entities are supported but not mapping of external entities, notations, elements of type ANY, comments, conditional sections, internal DTDs, unparsed entities (non-XML data), or processing instructions. In most cases, the items listed as not supported are disregarded.
• This implementation can read and write UTF-8 and UTF-16 encoded files.

For more information about the XML data format, see Mapping XML Documents.

SQL Data Format

The Structured Query Language (SQL) data format enables you to create a map directly from a database schema, which saves time and ensures that the map is synchronized with the most current version of the database. You can also specify several data sources so that the translator can query or update multiple databases during translation.

The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor enables you to:

• Specify data sources that the translator uses to query for data or update data in multiple databases in a single translation session.
• Add data sources and then test the connection and edit the connection string.
• View a model of the database schema, including lists of tables and columns.
• Generate fields directly from your database schema.
• Check the consistency of your database.

SWIFT Data Format

Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor supports the use of Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT), a standard for the financial industry from SWIFT™ that uses the SWIFTNet transport protocol to enable real-time store-and-forward financial messaging through the InterAct and FileAct file protocols.

The SWIFT standards data dictionary is optionally installed from the Deployment > Standards page. It supports all SWIFT Standards Release messages loaded in the standards database. The SWIFT standards data dictionary also contains the special exception and code word validations, and the codes words and qualifiers necessary for the validation of the ISO 15022 messages (500 series). This information is used to automatically generate the translator_swift.properties.in file, which is used by the translator to perform the validations.

For Market Practices, the SWIFT standard validations are performed unless the Market Practice has customized a particular validation (for example, restricting a code word validation list). Market Practice code word and qualifier validations are maintained in property files separate from the SWIFT standard property files. By keeping the Market Practices you create separate, we can deliver updates to the SWIFT standard without overwriting your custom-implemented Market Practices. Similarly, semantic validation rules for Market Practices are stored in an extended rule library separate from the library that implements the SWIFT standard semantic validation rules. Please note that the standard property files and semantic validation rules are used when the implemented Market Practice does not override them.

Fedwire Data Format

Fedwire Funds Transfer System is a real-time inter-bank financial settlement system. Fedwire consists of a set of computer applications that route and settle payment orders. In addition, Fedwire and related applications review payment orders for syntax errors, query and update account balances, and notify participants of related credits and debits to their accounts. Fedwire is supported by a national communications network.

The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor enables you to map Fedwire documents. The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor generates a file layout for you using the components and message types that you select. The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor-generated Fedwire map consists of groups, records, composites, and fields that are comparable to parameters that are defined by Fedwire.

CHIPS Data Format

CHIPS, the New York Clearing House Interbank Payment System, is an industry standard for clearing international payments in U.S. dollars. CHIPS is a real-time, final payments system for U.S. dollars that uses bilateral and multi-lateral netting for maximum efficiency. CHIPS has the capability of carrying extensive remittance information for commercial payments and is a premier payments platform serving the largest banks from around the world. In the IBM implementation, messages are sent from the Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor to the CHIPS Central computer in New York, and are received by Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor from the CHIPS Central computer.

The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor enables you to map CHIPS documents. The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor generates a file layout for you using the components and message types that you select. The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor-generated CHIPS map consists of CHIPS fields and elements that are comparable to parameters that are defined by CHIPS.

SPEC2000 Data Format

SPEC2000 is a comprehensive set of e-business specifications, products, and services that are designed to overcome challenges in the aviation industry supply chain. Administered by the Air Transport Association (ATA), SPEC2000 is the product of 12 international industry associations representing airlines, manufacturers, suppliers, and repair agencies. The primary goal is to provide cost-effective, state-of-the-art methods for information exchange that are usable by the widest possible population of companies. Today the system includes four types of information exchange that comprise the SPEC2000 e-business system:

• ATA Aviation Marketplace
• E-Commerce Standards
• File Standards
• Bar Coding Standards

When used in a batch file, the SPEC2000 format consists of a sequence of records, in which each record may contain a series of segments. Each segment (or record, if it is not determined in terms of segments) consists of a set of control data elements which are slash-delimited, and usually begin with a Text Element Identifier (TEI). If the control data element does not begin with a TEI, the meaning of this control data element is implicit based on its order within the containing record or segment. There is typically one piece of data within a control data element, but sometimes it contains multiple pieces of data. Some data control elements are required to be present in a particular order, while others may appear in any order. Each data field is separated by a slash. Some records (for example, the header record of the V File) are required to have a slash delimiter at the end of the record, while other records (for example, the provisioning data record of the V file) are required to end with a space rather than a slash.

The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor enables you to map SPEC2000 documents, and generates a file layout for you using the components and message types that you select. The Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor-generated SPEC2000 map consists of map components that are comparable to parameters that are defined by SPEC2000.

Map Editor allows you to modify the map components by using the Deactivate, Promote, Split, Copy, Cut, and Paste functions.

You can create a map for the SPEC2000 online messages and batch files that are loaded as DDF files as part of the Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor installation. The data definition format (DDF) is an IBM format that contains an XML-formatted description of the input or output side of a source map and has the file extension .ddf. The extended rules for the DDF files are extracted from the standards database that is downloaded when you download and install the Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editorr.

SPEC2000 messages are also loaded using schema for XML messages. Additionally, you can create maps for customized messages.