Controlling Agency (0051)

EDIFACT element of the S009 composite in the UNH segment, defined by ISO 9735.

Definition

0051 disambiguates a message type's provenance by naming its controlling agency. The value "UN" points to standard UN/CEFACT messages; other codes exist, such as "EAN" (GS1, EANCOM subsets) or "EN" (CEN). Combined with the version elements (0052/0054) and the association code (0057), it lets two partners know exactly which message definition to apply.

Origin

Defined in ISO 9735 (UNH segment structure); the coded values come from data element 0051 of the UN Trade Data Interchange Directory (UNTDID) maintained by UN/CEFACT.

Example in context

UNH+1+INVOIC:D:01B:UN:EAN010'
0051 = UN (controlling agency), 0057 = EAN010 (EANCOM subset).

Related terms

• D.96A / D.01B — version elements of the same S009 composite.
• UNTDID — source directory of the 0051 codes.