Reading the Standard
Contents
The standard specifies optional segments with square braces [ ] and repeating segments with curly braces { }
Here is what you would typically read in the standard:
And this table explains what the column headings mean:
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Description/Name | Description of the field. |
| Item # – ID Number | A small integer that uniquely identifies the data item throughout. |
| Segment | What segment you can find the field in. |
| Seq # or Position | The field number to locate the data in. |
| Len – Normative Length | If applicable the number of characters that one occurrence of the data field or component may occupy if populated. |
| C.Len – Conformance Length |
If populated, the conformance length column specifies the minimum length that applications must be able to store. In addition, the conformance length may be followed by a “=” or a “#”. The “=” denotes the value may never be truncated, and the “#” denotes that the truncation behaviour defined for the data type applies. |
| DT – Data Type | Type of data referenced in. |
| OPT – Optionality | Whether the field is required, optional, or conditional in a segment. |
| RP/# – Repetition | Whether a field may repeatY = Yes / N = No |
| Table | Some fields have tables of recommended or mandatory codes. The field references the table number with the specification for easy reference. Optionality can be defined by the following identifiers:
R = Required RE = Required/may be empty O = Optional C = Conditional on field/Event X = Not Used B = Backwards compatibility W = Withdrawn |
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