Example for Germany

The DTAUS data format was defined within the overall online banking standard that was announced in 1995 by the German banks represented by their associations participating in the Central Banking Committee (ZKA - Zentraler Kreditausschuss).

The full standard is the "Homebanking Computer Interface (HBCI)". This format is used for both interbank and customer-bank payments processing in Germany.

In the DTAUS format, a physical file contains:
  • a single file header also called Record A
  • one or more payment exchange messages called Record C
  • a single file trailer called Record E)

There is a single format used for both direct debit or credit transfer, identified by Record A (File Header) Field 3 (Identifier). However, a logical file must contain only credits or only direct debits (no mixed payment records). Record A contains the sender and receiver of the file, and is a fixed length of 128 bytes. Each Record C contains details of the orders to be executed (credits or debits) and contains a constant and a variable length section. Record E is used for performing checks.