GS1 XML — the XML EDI of GS1

GS1 has two syntaxes for its business messages: EANCOM, the EDIFACT subset, and GS1 XML, its XML version. Same business, same GS1 keys (GTIN, GLN, SSCC); only the syntax changes. GS1 XML is also the language of the GDSN, the global product-data synchronisation network.

What is GS1 XML?

GS1 eCom bundles GS1's electronic-message standards. It comes in two syntaxes: EANCOM (based on EDIFACT) and GS1 XML (based on XML). Both describe the same business processes — order, despatch advice, invoice — with the same GS1 identifiers. Choosing between them is mainly a matter of syntax and technical ecosystem.

GS1 XML is carried by Business Message Standards (BMS) and versioned XSD schemas. It is especially present where structured XML and master-data synchronisation matter: retail, fast-moving consumer goods, healthcare.

Anatomy of a message

A GS1 XML message is wrapped in an SBDH envelope carrying the sender and receiver (by their GLN); the body is the business document itself. Example of an order:

<StandardBusinessDocument
    xmlns="http://www.unece.org/cefact/namespaces/StandardBusinessDocumentHeader">
  <StandardBusinessDocumentHeader>
    <Sender><Identifier Authority="GS1">5412345000013</Identifier></Sender>
    <Receiver><Identifier Authority="GS1">4012345500004</Identifier></Receiver>
    <DocumentIdentification><Type>order</Type></DocumentIdentification>
  </StandardBusinessDocumentHeader>

  <order xmlns="urn:gs1:ecom:order:xsd:3">
    <orderIdentification>
      <entityIdentification>PO-2026-4471</entityIdentification>
    </orderIdentification>
    <buyer><gln>5412345000013</gln></buyer>
    <seller><gln>4012345500004</gln></seller>
    <orderLineItem>
      <transactionalTradeItem><gtin>04006381333931</gtin></transactionalTradeItem>
      <requestedQuantity>240</requestedQuantity>
    </orderLineItem>
  </order>
</StandardBusinessDocument>

The GLN identifies the buyer and seller, the GTIN the ordered item. These are exactly the same keys as in an EANCOM EDIFACT order (NAD+BY, LIN): only the XML clothing differs.

The GS1 XML messages

GS1 keys and the SBDH envelope

• GTIN — the trade item.
• GLN — the party or location (buyer, seller, ship-to point).
• SSCC — the logistic unit (pallet, parcel), central to the Despatch Advice.

GS1 XML and the GDSN

Beyond transactional messages, GS1 XML is the format of the GDSN (Global Data Synchronisation Network): the network through which suppliers and retailers synchronise their product records (dimensions, weight, allergens, packaging hierarchies…) via certified data pools. Its central message, the Catalogue Item Notification (CIN), is a GS1 XML document. This is one of the major uses where GS1 XML has no direct EANCOM equivalent.

GS1 XML vs EANCOM, UBL and PEPPOL

• vs EANCOM: same business, same GS1 keys — XML on one side, EDIFACT on the other.
• vs UBL / PEPPOL: UBL (OASIS) dominates regulatory e-invoicing (EN 16931, PEPPOL); GS1 XML stays strong on the retail logistics chain and master-data synchronisation via GDSN. The two worlds meet through the SBDH envelope.
• Identifiers: the GS1 keys (GTIN/GLN/SSCC) cut across all these formats — see the GS1 parser.

Further reading

• GS1 — GS1 XML (eCom).
• GS1 — GDSN (product-data synchronisation).
• The EDIFACT cousin: EANCOM.