Message standards, message definitions, and message domains

A message standard defines the syntax, structure, and semantics of a family of messages that are exchanged between counterparts. Each of the SWIFT message standards falls into one of the following categories:
MT
For FIN messages.
MX
For XML messages transferred via the SIPN.
SWIFT maintains different versions of the various message standards.
A message standard contains a message definition for each type of message that it describes. A message definition describes:
  • The structure of the messages of a particular type
  • The elements that each message of that type can or must contain
  • How a message of that type is represented in various network formats
  • The validation rules that apply to a message of that type
  • How a message is represented visually, for example, which field labels are used and how the message is formatted
FTM SWIFT groups all the message definition sets that are needed to satisfy a particular business need (for example, transferring SWIFTNet FIN messages, transferring SWIFTNet Funds messages, or transferring SWIFTNet system messages) into a message domain. A message domain holds all the different versions of a particular message standard. FTM SWIFT offers the following message domains:
DNIBULKPMT
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Bulk Payments solution.
DNICASHREP
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Cash Reporting solution.
DNICLEARING
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Clearing solution.
DNICOLLMGMT
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Collateral Management solution.
DNICORPACT
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Corporate Actions solution.
DNIENI
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the SWIFTNet Exceptions and Investigations solution.
DNIFIN
The message definitions in this domain apply to MT messages.
DNIFINPLUS
The message definitions in this domain apply to CBPR+ and Securities related MX messages for the FINplus service. The message definitions that are provided concretely can be found in file DNIvINST/run/doc/DNIFINPLUS.messages.types.
DNIFUNDS
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Funds solution.
DNIMX
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages that are obtained from the SWIFT MyStandards Base Libraries (MBL). The message definitions that are provided concretely can be found in file DNIvINST/run/doc/DNIMX.messages.types.
DNIPROXYVOTING
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the Proxy Voting solution.
DNISNSYS
The message definitions in this domain describe SWIFTNet MX system messages.
DNISWIFTREMIT
The message definitions in this domain describe MX messages used by the SWIFTNet Remittances solution.
Note: The message domain DNISWIFTREMIT is deprecated and planned to be removed with SR2025.
In FTM SWIFT, information about a particular release of the message definitions that comprise a particular domain is stored in a message definition set. FTM SWIFT services use the information contained in a message definition set to interpret the contents of messages, so that they can do such things as:
  • Validate messages
  • Route messages based on their contents
  • Transform messages to different formats
  • Print messages
  • Display messages

Three message definition sets are provided at maximum for each message domain. These are the current one and if existent two back-level versions.

Message standard information such as message domain, message definition set, and message type is maintained in the MQRFH2.ComIbmDni.MsgStandardInfo folder of a message.

Table 1 lists the FTM SWIFT message definition sets and the corresponding SWIFTNet standard or solution to which each applies. These SWIFTNet standards and solutions are described in SWIFT User Handbook.
Table 1. Message domains
Message domain SWIFTNet standard or solution Release Message definition set Activation date Deprecation date
DNIFIN Standards MT 2022 fin2022 19 Nov 2022 18 Nov 2023
2023 fin2023 18 Nov 2023 16 Nov 2024
2024 fin2024 16 Nov 2024  
DNIMX SWIFTNet MX 2022 mx2022 19 Nov 2022 18 Nov 2023
2023 mx2023 18 Nov 2023 16 Nov 2024
2024 mx2024 16 Nov 2024  
DNIBULKPMT Bulk Payments 2.1 bulkpmt21 01 Jan 2007  
DNICASHREP Cash Reporting 5.0 cashrep50 01 Jan 2007  
DNICLEARING Clearing 2.0 clearing20 01 Jan 2007 21 Nov 2015
3.0 clearing30 21 Nov 2015  
DNICOLLMGMT Collateral Management 2.0 collmgmt20 01 Jan 2007 21 Nov 2015
3.0 collmgmt30 21 Nov 2015  
DNICORPACT Corporate Actions 1.3 corpact13 16 Nov 2013 21 Nov 2015
1.4 corpact14 15 Nov 2014 21 Nov 2015
1.5 corpact15 21 Nov 2015  
DNIENI Exceptions and Investigations 1.1 eni12 07 Mar 2009  
1.2 eni12 07 Mar 2009  
DNIFUNDS Funds 5.3 funds53 21 Nov 2020 20 Nov 2021
5.5 funds55 19 Nov 2022 16 Nov 2024
5.6 funds56 16 Nov 2024  
DNIPROXYVOTING Proxy Voting 1.1 proxyvote11 01 Jan 2007 21 Nov 2015
1.2 proxyvote12 02 Jan 2007  
DNISNSYS SWIFTNet System Messages 6.3 sys63 07 Mar 2009 01 Apr 2012
7.0 sys70 01 Jan 2011 18 Nov 2017
7.2 sys72 18 Nov 2017  
DNISWIFTREMIT1 Remittances 2.0 swiftrem20 01 Jan 2007  
DNIFINPLUS FINplus service 2022 finplus2022 19 Nov 2022 18 Nov 2023
2023 finplus2023 18 Nov 2023 16 Nov 2024
2024 finplus2024 16 Nov 2024  
Note: FTM SWIFT validates FIN ISN messages of message domain DNIFIN for the mandatory SWIFT gpi services gCCT, gCOV, and gSRP as documented in SWIFT gpi - Supplementary Message Format Validation Rules, 1. August 2024.

Descriptive files that list all the supported message types per message domain are provided in directory DNIvINST/run/doc. The format of the file names is DOMAIN.messages.types, for example DNIFINPLUS.messages.types.

A configuration file specifies, for each FTM SWIFT instance, which message definition sets are available. For each message definition set, it specifies an activation date (that is, the earliest date that it should be used) and, for some message definition sets, a deprecation date (that is, the date after which it should no longer be used to create new messages). Unless indicated otherwise, the message definition set becomes active or deprecated at 16:10 GMT on the date shown.

An application can specify, in the message, which message definition set is to be used during subsequent message processing. If no message definition set is specified in the message, the Message Standards Service or the routing input nodes (DnqErFinInput, DnqErMsifInput, DnqFinInput, and DnqMsifInput) use the configuration file to determine which message definition set is to be used:
  • For a FIN ISN message, the message definition set for the current date is used.
  • For a FIN OSN message, the message definition set for the date when the message was sent to SWIFT is used.
  • For an InterAct message, the message definition set for the current date is used.
If a routing input node retrieves the name of a message definition set from the configuration file, it records the name in the MQRFH2 header of the message.

To test a message definition set that otherwise would not be used (for example, because its activation date is in the future or its deprecation date has passed), you can specify that it is to be used first for messages of a particular message domain, regardless of its activation or deprecation dates. How to do this is described in Testing a new message definition set.

Typically, a message definition set is assigned to a message and is not changed during the lifetime of the message. However, the SIPN FIN and FMT FIN services reset the message definition set for each FIN message that they process to the current FIN standard. This ensures that the current definitions are used for message validation.

1 The message domain DNISWIFTREMIT is deprecated and planned to be removed with SR2025.