WCO Data Model Components WCO Data Model V3.0 Harmonized max. data sets Message implementation guidelines XML Schemas / messages Other readers, Guidelines etc Information models Given that the name WCO CDM is misleading it is very important to point out that the WCO CDM is a product which consists of various components. All components together form the so called WCO DM. The harmonized maximum data sets are the first component and are the basic building blocks which form most people’s ideas of what a data model really is. There are around 450 individual elements such as vessel name, description of goods, dates, parties, locations and so on. The Message Implementation Guidelines are rules for constructing EDI messages for computer to computer exchanges using the 450 elements. These rules are similar to the grammar and syntax rules used in language whereas the data elements are like words. The next grey box describes the similar rules for creating so-called xml messages, a more modern language for structured data exchange. It is a “data model” and that implies the use of both information and business models as basic building blocks of the DM. The business process models are based on the standard procedures in the RKC and the information models describe the information flows that support those procedures. In combination models are a systematic way to describe the way data works in day-to-day business exchanges. Finally, the WCO supports the use of coded data wherever possible, particularly international codes such as those supported by UN/CEFACT – see as follows: UN/Rec. - No. 5 – Incoterms; UN/Rec. - No. 7 – Dates and times; UN/Rec. - No.15 – Shipping marks; UN/Rec. - No. 16 – UN/LOCODE; UN/Rec.-No. 20 – Units of measure; UN/Rec.-No. 21 – Type of package ; UN/Rec. - No. 28 – Type of MoT Business Process Models International code standards