ANNEX A (Normative)
DEFINITIONS
Some terms in this International Standard have been defined in other ISO standards and have been included for the benefit of the reader.
The responsibility for these terms, indicated by the number of thestandard, rests with the committee concerned. In cases where thedefinitions pertinent for this standard are restrictions of such terms with a wider concept, the indication "UN/EDIFACT" is used.
A.1 alphabetic character set: A character set that contains letters and may contain control characters and special characters but not digits (ISO 2382/4)
A.2 alpha character set: A character set that contains both letters and digits and may contain control characters and special characters (ISO 2382/4)
A.3 application message type: A basic message type adapted to suit a certain application area
A.4 character set: A finite set of different characters that is considered complete for a given purpose (ISO 2382/4)
A.5 common access reference: Key to relate all subsequent transfers of data to the same business file
A.6 component data element: A simple data element which is a subordinate portion of a composite data element and in interchange identified by its position within the composite data element
A.7 component data element separator: A character used to separate the component data elements in a composite data element
A.8 composite data element: A data element containing two or more component data elements
A.9 conditional: A statement in a segment or message directory of a condition for the use of a segment, a data element, a composite data element or a component data element (cf. mandatory)
A.10 connection: An established link for transmission of data
A.11 data: A representation of facts, concepts or instructions in a formalized manner suitable for communication, interpretation or processing by human beings or by automatic means (ISO 2382/1)
A.12 data element: A unit of data which in a certain context is considered indivisible (ISO 2382/4) UN/EDIFACT: A unit of data for which the identification, description and value representation have been specified
A.13 data elements directory: A listing of identified, named and described data element attributes, with specifications as to how the corresponding data element values shall be represented
A.14 data element name: One or more words in a natural language identifying a data element concept
A.15 data element separator: A character used to separate data elements in a segment
A.16 data element tag: A unique identifier for a data element in a data elements directory
A.17 data element value: The specific entry of an identified data element represented as specified in a data elements directory
A.18 functional group: One or more messages of the same type headed by a functional group header service segment and ending with a functional group trailer service segment
A.19 functional group header: The service segment heading and identifying the functional group
A.20 functional group trailer: The service segment ending a functional group
A.21 identifier: A character or group of characters used to identify or name an item of data and possibly to indicate certain properties of that data (ISO 2382/4)
A.22 interchange: Communication between partners in the form of a structured set of messages and service segments starting with an interchange control header and ending with an interchange control trailer
A.23 interchange control header: The service segment starting and identifying an interchange
A.24 interchange control trailer: The service segment ending an interchange
A.25 mandatory: A statement in a segment or message directory which specifies that a segment, a data element, a composite data element or a component data element must be used (cf. conditional)
A.26 message: An ordered series of characters intended to convey information (ISO 2382/16) UN/EDIFACT: A set of segments in the order specified in a Message directory starting with the Message header and ending with the Message trailer
A.27 message directory: A listing of identified, named, described and specified message types
A.28 message header: The service segment starting and uniquely identifying a message
A.29 message trailer: The service segment ending a message
A.30 message type: An identified and structured set of data elements covering the requirements for a specified type of transaction, e.g. invoice.
A.31 nested segment: A segment which directly relates to an other segment in an identified and structured group of segments covering the requirements for a specific message type
A.32 numeric character set: A character set that contains digits and may contain control characters and special characters but not letters (ISO 2382/4)
A.33 omission: Exclusion in an actual message of one or more units of data which are defined as conditional in a message type specification
A.34 qualifier: A data element whose value shall be expressed as a code that gives specific meaning to the function of another data element or a segment
A.35 release character: A character used to restore to its original meaning any character used as a syntactical separator
A.36 repeating segment: A segment which may repeat in a message as specified in the relevant message type specification
A.37 segment: A predefined and identified set of functionally related data elements values which are identified by their sequential positions within the set. A segment starts with a segment tag and ends with a segment terminator. It can be a service segment or a user data segment
A.38 segment code: A code which uniquely identifies each segment as specified in a segment directory
A.39 segment tag: A composite data element, in which the first component data element contains a code which uniquely identifies a segment as specified in the relevant segment directory. Additional component data elements can be conditionally used to indicate the hierarchical level and nesting relation in a message and the incidence of repetition of the segment
A.40 segment terminator: A syntax character indicating the end of a segment
A.41 segments directory: A listing of identified, named, described and specified segments
A.42 separator character: A character used for syntactical separation of data
A.43 service data element: A data element used in service segments
A.44 service segment: A segment required to service the interchange of user data
A.45 service string advice: A character string at the beginning of an interchange defining the syntactically delimiting characters and indicators used in the interchange
A.46 simple data element: A data element containing a single value
A.47 syntax rules: Rules governing the structure of an interchange and its functional groups, messages, segments and data elements
A.48 transfer: A communication from one partner to another
A.49 user data segment: A segment containing application data