• candidate Aggregate Core Components (ACCs),
• modifications to the ACCs in the existing CCL06A which are mostly requests to add further properties such as UNTDED cross-references,
• candidate Qualified Data Types (QDTs) and associated code lists,
• candidate Aggregate Business Information Entities (ABIEs).

Caveat: This data model draft version is a step forward in the UN/CEFACT drive to achieve facilitation of international trade through a new holistic approach to define aligned paper and electronic document flows via its UNeDocs Business Standards project. This publication is the first major step to meet the UNeDocs stated objectives and this is intended as the basis for implementation verification pilot projects in countries or sectors. It is in the process of being published and maintained as a UN/CEFACT Business Standard and therefore this version 2.02 cannot be considered as a final complete data model for production purposes.

This data model also includes master document structures (Business Information Masters or BIMs) for defining subset business documents which follow the principles and guidelines for document ‘families’ that are described in the UNECE Recommendation No. 1.

These BIMs reuse the highest-level UNeDocs Aggregated Business Information Entities (ABIEs) which are transport, packaging and trade aggregations. In all cases, the BIMs also include the more generic document identification aggregations (ABIEs) of document context and document header. The BIMs can thus be used to define contextualised document subset structures to build ‘families’ of related cross border documents sharing common generic document header information, document 'family' specific information and including document specific usage information as required.

The contents of this data model have been based on the work of the relevant TBG Working Groups and also on existing practices. The UNeDocs team would like to thank all of the groups who have contributed to this work and in particular the Transport Working Group (TBG3) and the Customs Working Group (TBG4 through WCO).

Furthermore this data model includes cross-references to the UNTDED which is the most important data dictionary for cross border trade as it is used as the basis for defining the UN Layout document data requirements of many of the legally binding cross-border trade Conventions including the revised Kyoto Convention. These UNTDED references provide mappings to several key conventions such as the Single Administrative Document (SAD) and the IATA Airway Bill as well as to the UN Layout Keys wherever identified.

Help in contributing to the future development of this UNeDocs Workbase is now required from experts within and external to UN/CEFACT in the form of the submission of the results of implementation verification projects which will be able to ensure that the final deliverable is fit for purpose.

The present situation is that >70% of cross border data is still exchanged via paper documents and that the use of UN/EDIFACT is still increasing by 20% each year and we believe that there can be no future solutions without considering the past and protecting present needs and current investments. Consequently this UNeDocs data model must first reflect, or serve as a basis to reflect, the well proven and globally implemented data structures of UN/EDIFACT as well as the data requirements of classic everyday paper documents.

Today the use of eBusiness is often a document centric one which is certainly influenced and even mandated by established traditions, current legal jurisdictions, conventions and legacy, often batch oriented, applications. The move to adopt process oriented eBusiness started a long time ago and this approach will be a key factor for the success of Single Windows. Both approaches will continue to exist in parallel for the foreseeable future and the success of process orientated eBusiness methods will, to a large extent, depend on the migration of legal frameworks from paper-based requirements. Thus it is critical that the UNeDocs data model delivers data and document structures which cover both document centric and process driven data requirements.

This data model is a way to support the re-engineering and re-design of business and administrative processes. It is important to note that this reengineering is not only beneficial for data exchange but also for the rationalisation of the business processes and their administration. Future process driven data exchange structures will be developed which will avoid the data redundancy inherent in the present document centric approach and which can be implemented by any appropriate syntactical solution like EDIFACT or XML.

This can only be achieved by the reusability of well-named and well-defined data structures across industry and administrative domains, countries, documents and payload grammars. It is also important that the data model provides reusable and document structures aligned to document 'family' patterns.

The benefits of achieving this maximised reusability is that the UNeDocs data model is the perfect partner for the Cross Border Data Reference Model (CBDRM) as identified at the UN Single Windows Symposium in May 2006. This also provides the ideal platform for the Single Windows Stakeholder Group to harmonise and modernise the data requirements of their conventions and regulations.

Thus this data model will significantly help all parties involved in international supply chains to move forward by supporting both present and future requirements and by offering a smooth and strategic migration path.

• cross-domain aligned data names and definitions,
• UNTDED cross-references plus
• reusable document frameworks and data structures

All of these are based on the relevant UN/CEFACT and ISO international standards.

The use of the UNeDocs data model as the basis for your work offers the benefit of speeding up the development of cross-border trade related business requirement specifications by ensuring the maximum pre-harmonisation of identified data with the UN/CEFACT CCL and other aligned business requirement specifications. As a result this will also provide the opportunity for increased interoperability across all these cross-border processes. 

In addition this internationally based data model has been designed to allow national, regional or industry applications to be specified to suit contextualised requirements. For example, all Customs import procedures follow some globally similar patterns but almost always they also include some national or regional specific requirements.

In order to help you in this work the data model provides wherever appropriate the UNTDED cross-reference. In addition the unique identifiers (UIDs) of the Core Components of the CCL06A are given as well as the TBG17 CCL Change Request identifiers. These references will enable you to more easily identify any data which you do not understand or which you require to use in your specific environment.

We would urge you to join any appropriate UN/CEFACT domain Working Groups and the UNeDocs project in order to develop these standards further and to submit the Business Requirement Specifications for your governmental and trade processes as a UN/CEFACT Standard.

It is of particular importance to receive from you the legal and traditional definitions and the name of the international convention where your data requirements are defined, e.g. the ASEAN CEPT form D. The UNeDocs project team will then be able to consider the inclusion of this contributed information in future versions of the data model for reuse by others which will promote global adoption by maximising harmonisation and interoperability of defined data exchanges.

By basing your cross-border documentary requirements on the UNeDocs Workbase data model, not only does this offer benefits as described above but also it offers to reduce significantly the effort in time and money required by traders and other parties to send and receive data and documents as of your requirements.

The richer the data model becomes with respect to convention and regulatory names, definitions and their respective data structures the easier and faster it is to identify and to describe the data requirements of future legislative versions and for regional, national or industry specific variations. 

• We have submitted the new or modified ACCs and ABIEs in the data model to UN/CEFACT for harmonization and for future inclusion in the UN/CEFACT Core Component Library. Our parent TBG Workinh Group, TBG2, is in the process of having the project endorsed and released.
• We will use this Stockholm Workbase version 2.02 to serve as the basis for mapping the included document structures to the UN Layout Key, to UN/EDIFACT, to existing XML and for the generation of UN/CEFACT XML schemas.
• In the future, as the new eUNLK international standard evolves, this data model will be used as the foundation for mapping to eUNLK documents.

• To develop as a top priority core document structures which include only the minimum data exchange requirements for key document types. This will result in smaller document structures which are more readable and understandable and in turn this will encourage minimised data requirements.
• To continue to improve the data model contents by implementing change requests resulting from implementation verification projects and from other contributions.
• To broaden the scope of the data model by the inclusion of finance related data, by extending the trade contract related data, by aligning closer with the WCO data model (working towards the joint CBDRM) and by covering cross-border related OGA requirements.
• To add family document structures covering additional document types.