SCRDM (Supply Chain Reference Data Model)

The SCRDM is the UN/CEFACT data model that the CII invoice used in e-invoicing is derived from.

Definition

The SCRDM (Supply Chain Reference Data Model) is a reference data model published by UN/CEFACT. It describes, in a harmonised way, the information exchanged across the supply chain: order, dispatch, receipt, invoice and more.

Relationship to CII

The CII (Cross Industry Invoice) XML syntax, one of the two syntaxes allowed by EN 16931 alongside UBL, is derived from the SCRDM. The SCRDM provides the vocabulary and structure of which CII is a specialised view for the "invoice" message.

• SCRDM: the overarching supply-chain reference model.
• CII: the invoicing message derived from that model.

Good to know

Understanding the SCRDM helps explain why CII contains reusable structures (parties, products, amounts, document references) shared with other UN/CEFACT messages. This common foundation is what makes formats like Factur-X and ZUGFeRD consistent, since they embed an EN 16931-compliant CII invoice.