CCTS 2.01 Data Type Catalogue

When the Core Components Technical Specification (CCTS) Version 2.01
was published by UN/CEFACT in 2003, it contained a list of 10 Core
Component Types, 20 primary and secondary representation terms, and
supporting Content and Supplementary Components. The Core Component
Types were simple data types that were intended to be used as the basis
for the development of data types to express the value domain for CCTS
leaf elements (Basic Core Components and Basic Business Information
Entities). It was envisioned that the 10 CCTs and the 20 Representation
Terms would be used to create a set of 20 unqualified data types and an
unlimited amount of qualified (more restricted) data types. It was
also envisioned that future updates to the data types would be published
independently of the CCTS specification. The recently published CCTS 2.01
Data Type Catalogue delivers on those expectations. It republishes the
CCTs, Representation Terms, Content and Supplementary Components, and
allowed restrictions by primitive data type that were contained in CCTS
2.01. It also, for the first time, publishes the full set of 20
unqualified data types that were implicitly expressed in CCTS 2.01.
These data types have also been expressed as XML schema in support of
the UN/CEFACT XML NDR standard. The UN/CEFACT Applied Technologies
Group is responsible for maintaining changes to the data type catalogue
and has provided a Data Maintenance Request form for interested parties
to submit their requested changes. ATG is also working on the CCTS 3.0
data type catalogue which expands the number of data types, and also
looks at closer alignment with the data types of the W3C XSD specification.
SAP actively participates in the development and maintenance of these
data types, and has contributed a number of additional unqualified data
types that are under consideration within UN/CEFACT. Additionally, these
unqualified (or Core) data types are the lowest level of data
interoperability being created across a wide variety of individual
business standards development organizations such as ACORD, CIDX, OAGi,
RosettaNet, UBL and others who have adopted, or are in the process of
adopting, CCTS and its supporting data types.