CEFACT-XML-NDR

UN/CEFACT XML Naming and Design Rules. The public rule set that governs how XML schemas are derived from the Core Component Library.

Definition

The UN/CEFACT XML NDR (Naming and Design Rules) is a reference document published by UN/CEFACT that specifies how to build an XML schema from a Core Component model. It defines naming conventions (PascalCase, ABIE/BBIE suffixes), namespace structure, reuse patterns, and how CCL types must be translated into XML Schema types.

Origin

First published in 2007 as Naming and Design Rules version 2.0, the document has evolved through version 3.x. It is aligned with ISO 15000-5 (ebXML CCL) and is the technical foundation of every XML artefact produced by UN/CEFACT: Cross Industry Invoice (CII), Buy-Ship-Pay, Single Window. OASIS UBL shares similar principles but maintains its own NDR.

Example in context

In practice, the XML NDR requires that an Aggregate Business Information Entity like Invoice.LineItem be represented in XML as <InvoiceLine> with a compound name: PropertyTerm + RepresentationTerm in PascalCase. Every element derives from an XSD type named with pattern <ObjectClass>Type, e.g. InvoiceLineType. Names are English, singular, with no undocumented abbreviations.

Related terms

• CEFACT — the editor of the XML NDR document.
• W3C XML Schema — the language the XML NDR constrains.
• UNTDID — the repository that hosts the source CCL definitions.