At the end of 2020, the World Customs Organization released a new version of its Data Model. GEFEG.FX users of the WCO Data Model version 3.10 can now access the new version. What is new in 3.10? Requirements due to new or amended legislation submitted as change requests by customs authorities and WCO Data Model users have been added or have been modified.

The involvement of customs authorities from around the world supports an important objective of the data model: Requirements of national and regional legislations or guidelines for implementation are considered and incorporated in the WCO Data Model. There is no new information package in this version, so that the new version is backward compatible. Extensive changes are expected in the next major version of the WCO Data Model. As it currently stands, this major version is expected to be released towards the end of 2022.

Effectiveness and efficiency of customs authorities around the globe will be improved

It is an important objective for the WCO Data Model to create and further develop a global standard for seamless crossborder transactions for all customs administrations worldwide. What are the benefits of the data model, which is intended to be the basis for information exchange of crossborder processes in a global world?

The data model opens the possibility to achieve interoperability and collaboration in single window and other implementations by customs authorities. Data flow and integration of business data for customs procedures should be simplified and harmonized. The main components of the WCO data model consist of “Base Information Packages.” These information packages compile information that is submitted by economic parties and processed by customs for typical customs processes and procedures in single window implementations or at the virtual border. This includes, for example, declarations, licenses, permits, certificates, or other types of regulatory cross-border trade documents.

Delivery of the WCO Data Model in a structured, reusable format in GEFEG.FX

In cooperation with the World Customs Organization, GEFEG has been delivering the WCO Data Model with GEFEG.FX software since the early 2010s. Thus, new possibilities for joint development work and user-specific use of the WCO Data Model opened up for Customs authorities, governmental organizations, traders and other parties involved in cross-border processes. For users, the reuse of the WCO data model is simplified and streamlined with GEFEG.FX. A ready-to-use XML schema export also contributes to this.

Easy and effective use of the WCO Data Model

Many users of the WCO data model packages in GEFEG.FX have been impressed by the simple and efficient methods for reusing the WCO data model and planning their country-specific policies. With each new release, it is important for users to determine if their existing implementations need to be modified to incorporate the latest WCO definitions of objects and customs procedures to ensure compliance with the Data Model. In this release, there are 11 new Compositions, 2 new Attributes, 3 new Classes, and 1 new Code List that are being maintained and approved by the WCO’s Data Model Project Team and applied in GEFEG.FX by GEFEG’s Implementation Support Team.

The EU Customs Data Model (EUCDM) is the new data and interface model for trans-European customs systems and for Member States’ national customs clearance systems. Its overall objective is to be the single and true source of information for modelling data requirements. It provides a technical tool that models the data requirements laid down in EU customs legislation. Thus, it sets the guideline for the technical developments of the various IT systems used for data processing by customs in the EU.

The EUCDM in machine-readable format

GEFEG is the only company to offer the EUCDM in the machine-readable GEFEG.FX format for application.

The unique GEFEG.FX software makes it easy for Member States and the private sector to adapt the EUCDM to national requirements and their own business through reuse and customisation.

Alignment of the EUCDM with own data structures

In doing so, GEFEG.FX supports both the overview of the structures of the EUCDM and the own data structures in-house. It enables easy mapping and thus supports data harmonisation between these structures.

This is done with the innovative and unique methods developed by GEFEG for using and building messaging standards.

The core of these methods is the development of so-called guidelines to define data structures and interfaces based on available message standards. Furthermore, it supports the creation of publications.

EUCDM governance and data quality assurance

Governance is a particularly important issue in cross-border data exchange. GEFEG.FX supports compliance with governance and ensures data quality. Implementations can be validated against the specifications of the customs data model as early as the development phase.

But this support is not limited to the customs data model. Data harmonisation also works with own interfaces based on other standards in this environment. This makes it possible to improve the value chain and the interaction of upstream and downstream partners.

Cost savings and efficiency gains

The increased complexity means that companies often no longer know the data structures of their systems. They do not know what happens when a field is changed in the application or how to get the information they need. In a European or even international context with many national requirements, the challenge becomes even greater. Alignment with the EUCDM leads to significant cost savings here:

The impact of legislative changes on the overall “customs” system becomes transparent.

Examples of publications in the customs environment

Examples of publications created with GEFEG.FX in the customs environment are:

• The European Customs Data Model (EUCDM) itself
• The CITES data model, which is based on the data model of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) (from p. 34)
• The interface to the Customs Management System (ECMS) of the Dutch Customs

More than 6 offers from GEFEG around the EUCDM

The methods and software systems developed by GEFEG are used by both customs administrations and the private sector, such as logistics companies.

GEFEG’s offers on the EUCDM include:

• GEFEG.FX to define the interfaces based on the EUCDM and to harmonise your data structures and interfaces against the EUCDM (and other standards).
• GEFEG.FX.Cloud: GEFEG.FX in the Amazon Workspace Cloud with application of GEFEG.FX in the web browser in any operating system without installation
• GEFEG.Portal as a cloud solution for community building and on-boarding support, e.g. for validation of data, publication of interfaces as well as sharing of information and collaboration.
• GEFEG.Packages with more than 30 other data packages, including the WCO data model, EDIFACT, UN/CEFACT CCTS, GS1, UBL etc. for the development of guidelines and data harmonisation
• GEFEG.Support with workshops and support (not only) for EUCDM and WCO data model implementers who want to customise predefined EUCDM datasets, create guidelines or perform data harmonisation
• GEFEG.API as the latest and worldwide unique component of the GEFEG product family. It allows the creation of APIs based on message standards. In this case, based on the schemas of the EUCDM, but also on any other schemas. This ensures that your API is compliant with a desired message standard.

With our offer, all kinds of digitisation projects can be carried out in the EUCDM environment: Integration projects, API projects and even AI projects can be carried out in a time- and cost-saving manner, as knowledge and complete control over all data are guaranteed at all times.

Of course, this also applies to all projects beyond the EUCDM that are based on the WCO data model or other standards. When will you start your GEFEG project?

The updated Object Check function … and more in the new GEFEG.FX Release

What’s New in the GEFEG.FX 2021-Q1 Quarterly Release?

New and updated data packages in GEFEG.FX

• EDIFACT D.20B in GEFEG.FX

New: IFTSTA as RECAST VERSION Message

• UN/LOCODES Version 2020-2

The code list for coded place names in 249 countries worldwide is updated twice a year and also delivered with GEFEG.FX.

• Automotive standards
  • New versions for Odette EDIFACT Messages
  • Finished Vehicle Logistics
  • Packaging Messages
  • Code list update
  • New version of auto-gration schema messages
• VDA standards (VDA recommendations)
  • New or revised logistics message VDA 4933, VDA 4984, VDA 4985, VDA 4987, VDA 4989, VDA 4990
  • Code list update
• WCO Data Model Version 3.10

Get on the track of structural problems with the Object Check function

If you make structural changes to project folders, this can directly affect your objects in GEFEG.FX. In the worst case, you can no longer open GEFEG.FX guides. What is the reason for this?

In many cases, objects in GEFEG.FX are linked to code lists or are based on basic standards. If these necessary objects are not linked in the GEFEG.FX Manager or have been moved/deleted outside of GEFEG.FX in Windows, GEEFG.FX guides cannot be opened properly. Multiple objects are also problematic: In such cases, GEFEG.FX cannot establish a clear assignment and cannot open the GEFEG.FX object.

Solve your problems with linking, duplicates or moved objects using the object check function

Use the object check in the manager to identify problems in linking, duplicates or moved objects. Regardless of the format (EDI guide, XML schema or data model), the result of the object check is output as an error list and can now be saved as a separate file for further analysis.

Navigate data model and schema structures quickly

A GEFEG.FX schema or data model can take on very complex structures. It is useful to define the used components (elements, types, attributes, classes) of a message globally, if required.

The advantages of such a global design include:

• Reuse

Reuse components so that structures, contents and constraints are adopted and not re-entered

• Systematic error correction

Mit der Korrektur an einer Stelle werden alle Wiederverwendungen automatisch mit korrigiert

From now on, an extension for the navigation within global objects is available, which should be especially relevant for schema and data model developers: “Show usages in messages“. Jump from a global component directly into the element structure and save time and effort without having to track every single usage.

What is a typical example of how this feature is used? You have defined a global type ‘Party’. With “Show Usages in Messages” you skip the intermediate levels and get directly to the positions of ‘Buyer’ or ‘Seller’ in the message.

GEFEG.FX Quarterly Update – What is New?

Data packages in GEFEG.FX

• ISO20022 – Data model and Code lists, 09/2020 Updates
• OAGIS 10.6 Standard and Enterprise Edition

FACELIFT for GEFEG.FX: Now with ribbons (menu bands)

GEFEG.FX now presents itself with a new face. Menu functions are clearly grouped in ribbons. As known from other software applications, ribbons are used to group related functions and commands, allowing you to edit your specifications faster and more efficiently. For example: the commands for delete, rename and insert are bundled in the Organization group. By means of the icons you can recognize the linked function at first glance and do not have to navigate through the context menu.

When opening a test data layout, it is not necessary to select a test file

When testing incoming or outgoing messages in GEFEG.FX, you will save a lot of effort that would otherwise be required for the analysis of structure or format deviations of faulty messages. Use the results of the tests in the log files as a basis for subsequent error correction.

If you want to discuss or forward your test files afterwards, you can create test message documentation in GEFEG.FX and use layouts to create a user-specific, uniform presentation.

The test scenario may comprise a single message or a set of several hundred messages. You can also use test data layouts for the targeted output of selected information of a test message.

In the new release we have optimized the layout editing: Until now, to edit test data layouts, a test file had to be determined in advance, which was used to display the layout. Now test data layouts are opened for editing without having to call up test files.

Improve navigation in your HTML documentation with modern drop-down menus

Many GEFEG.FX users create human-readable HTML documentation of their specifications in addition to PDF and Word documentation. For this purpose GEFEG.FX automatically generates hyperlinks within the structure of your object at the push of a button.

HTML documentation is particularly suitable for publication on web pages. By publishing your specifications in HTML format, you enable your partners to browse in a user-friendly way and quickly find the information they are looking for in your complex or extensive specification(s). Instead of laboriously flipping back and forth in a PDF or Word file, your partners can easily click through the documentation.

From now on, drop-down menus are also available in HTML documentation. This makes navigation clearer and easier, as the following example shows: You use variants of schemas or data models that differ slightly from each other. Use dropdown menus to group these variants together and select them from a drop-down list.

With the new GEFEG.FX Quarterly Update 2020-Q3 the following new or enhanced functionalities are available.

New data packages in GEFEG.FX

EDIFACT D.20A in GEFEG.FX

Create human-readable documentation using GEFEG.FX

For many users the functions of GEFEG.FX are important and extremely helpful for the generation of human readable outputs of the GEFEG.FX guides: the generation of documentation for the publication of specifications. In the new release our development focus is on the documentation of specifications.

A documentation consists of layout and report files. Layouts define how information is to be presented. Reports define which information is to be documented. In the following section, we present extended formatting options that enable you to process your documentation more quickly.

Select own Notes as identifiers for elements and attributes

When generating schema or data model documentation, the element or attribute name is the most important field in the respective report. The element or attribute name, that is, the tag, is used to map the structure or display a restriction. Previously, only the element tag could be displayed as the element name. From now on, you can overwrite the name of an element or attribute in reports. If you do not want to output default names of a B2B standard in specifications for your customers or for internal departments, simply overwrite them with a preferred note from the GEFEG.FX Guide.

Use stylesheets to format your documentation quickly and easily

Transferring stylesheet formats

When editing layout fields, you can use stylesheets to quickly apply predefined formatting. This formatting is adopted in the documentation and, among other things, reflects the contents of a GEFEG.FX object according to the font and color scheme of the stylesheet. New functions for stylesheets simplify and accelerate layout editing:

As of the current release, you can transfer the format of a field to another field, as known from other text editing programs. You don’t have to repeat format editing, which saves time when creating the layout.

Duplicating stylesheets

You do not need to create and build stylesheets manually. In addition to copying, you can now also duplicate and adapt existing variants in the list of stylesheets. A classic use case for slightly different formatting is the visual delimitation of element levels. If you want the display to differ in a few characteristics, it is recommended that you duplicate the stylesheet and adapt it easily.

Link components of your specification in the table of contents

You can determine the scope of the table of contents via table of contents entries. Previously, you could specify these for the beginning of a report (Branching Diagram or Component Report).

As of Release 2020-Q3, the table of contents can now be extended – in addition to or instead of the reports – for individual detail components.

A use case in the EDIFACT environment would be to list all segment identifiers in the table of contents, so that the EDI partner no longer has to comb through the Segment Detail Report to obtain details on a selected segment. For example, the LIN segment could be called directly from the table of contents. In the schema environment, an element group could be output in an extensive table of contents, so that users could jump directly to the detail view for the parent element “Party”, for example.

Avoid warnings, error messages and waiting times during documentation generation by using the consistency check

Before generating documentation (Word, PDF or HTML format), we recommend that you perform a consistency check to identify any missing base objects or incorrect links. As of the new release, you can configure the consistency check and deactivate individual messages or the entire consistency check. For example, if you do not want to check the Word file extension, deactivate this entry. The consistency check then runs faster and does not include unwanted messages. You can also deactivate warnings in the consistency check to keep the focus on actual errors.

If you generate documentation from the open publishing project, you can now deactivate any previous consistency check.

Find the following new or further developed functionalities in the latest GEFEG.FX quarterly release 2020-Q2.

Data packages in GEFEG.FX

• GS1 XML 3.4.1 and code lists
• ISO 20022 models, schemas and code lists as of 04/2020

GIT-Support in GEFEG.FX

Collaboration on documents and folders using the version control system GIT is enjoying growing popularity and, along with Subversion (SVN), represents one of the most common repository solutions. GEFEG.FX now also supports GIT repositories and can therefore be used as a GIT client. Link GIT-controlled folders in GEFEG.FX and apply proven functions of version control systems to your data, for example adding or checking in files.

Subversion (SVN) is also still supported in GEFEG.FX, of course, so SVN and GIT can be used as version control systems for your repository management in GEFEG.FX.

Faster selection of types in schema development

Types, elements and attributes are essential components of an XML schema, with which a schema structure can be built. Elements are always based on types, which are used to restrict and format elements.

In schema development or editing, each element must therefore be assigned to a type. Local or global types are available for this, depending on the selected schema design principle. In the new release, we make it easier for you to select a suitable type via a search field, so that you no longer have to scroll through a possibly long list of types. By entering the type name, you jump directly to the desired type and select it.

New diagram variant for data model or schema: Output without attributes possible

Diagrams make it easier to understand the message structure and show the structure of a message with only few technical details. For the GEFEG.FX data objects Data Model and Schema and their guides, diagrams can be generated in the GEFEG.FX Manager and exported as image files.

The current release gives you the option of outputting a diagram variant without attributes, as an alternative to the more comprehensive display with attributes. This is especially relevant if a more business-oriented view of the message is desired. This variant is also useful if existing attributes are only relevant at a later date and can be hidden for the time being.

Output of attribute paths in data model or schema reports now also for linked objects

In data modeling, attributes are used to describe properties and characteristics. Similarly, attributes are used in XML structures to transmit metadata. Since the last release, attributes with short and long name paths and the IndexPath are also output in data model and schema reports. This facilitates the classification of the attribute in the overall structure of the message as the position of the attribute in the message can be read at a glance.

In the current release we have extended this function so that the output of paths is not only possible within the GEFEG.FX object itself, but also for linked objects. Links between GEFEG.FX data objects exist, for example, in mapping projects. Previously, separate reports were necessary to output path names and IndexPath for attributes in involved mapping objects. Now, the specifications of the mapping partner can be accessed in a single report. This saves work steps and thus leads to more work efficiency.

New design function for background layouts in documentation

Documentation in GEFEG.FX can be designed very flexibly. Layout and report files form a unit in GEFEG.FX to generate Word or PDF files, for example.

The interaction of layouts and reports defines the various design options with respect to colours, fonts and font sizes in the layout file and thus provides the basis for the report. In the current release, a new setting for the page background can now be made: The opacity of the background colour can be set individually as a percentage.