Introduction
  
       
       
 
       
The following message specification is based on the publication of the "Drawing Administration Message" of GS1 Global in syntax 4.
  
       
       
 
       
       
 
       
Status
MESSAGE TYPE: CONDRA
REFERENCE DIRECTORY: D.01B
EANCOM® SUBSET VERSION: 004
Definition
This message will be used for the administration of each exchange of an external object. An external object may be for example a photograph, a video, a film, a CAD file. The message will give additional information about the object and it will refer to the message, and if necessary to the line number to which it is related.
Principles
Because the transmission of external objects is not always synchronised with the transmission of the message which includes the GTIN or the GLN, a link must be established. The information transmitted in the link is the following:
1. Identification of the message related to the object (RFF)
This is the number (BGM/DE1004) of the message used to exchange data (e.g. article/location numbers) which is being related to the object.
2. Line number within the identified message (RFF)
This is a line number from the message identified in 1 above.
3. External Object Identifier (EFI)
When the external object is in Digital Data Format, it is recommended that the external object name must exactly correspond to the name of the external file sent by tele-transmission or by other means, i.e. the name of the external file without its extension.
4. External Object Data Format (EFI)
- An external object may be in "Digital Data Format" or "Non-Digital Data Format". An external object is considered to be in Digital Data Format when it may be processed, as a byte string, by a computer. In this case the external object Format can have the file extension (e.g. BMP, PCD, etc.)

- An external object is considered to be in Non-Digital Data Format when it must be processed manually. A external object in Non Digital Format is exchanged in the form of a recording on a physical medium (e.g. a photograph on paper, or an analog sound sequence). The external object format (e.g. PAL, SECAM) enables the recipient to know the type of reading equipment which will be required to retrieve the object.

The recipient of an External Object will apply different processing procedures to it depending on whether it is in Digital Data Format or Non-Digital Data Format. For this reason:
When two or more external objects are exchanged for the same product in a Digital Data Format and in a Non Digital Data Format, each must be considered as distinct external objects identified by distinct names.
An external file is to be considered as being made up of only one external object. This implies that it is advisable to create external files which only contain one external object. For example, an external file which includes several pictures will be considered as only one external object.
5. External Object Physical Medium (CED)
This information enables the recipient to identify the physical medium which will be required to read, or was used to create the object, e.g. a CD-ROM, a diskette, a directory on a computer.

Where the external object is exchanged as a data file the following information should also be transfered:
External File Generation Environment:
- the generating software name (CED),
- the software version (CED),
- the software release (CED),
- the original medium type (CED) used originally to generate the external file (e.g. transparency,...).
The Computer System Environment:
- the operating system name under which the file was generated (CED),
- the operating system version (CED),
- the operating system release (CED).
The Compression Environment
- the compression software name used to compress the data in the file (CED),
- the compression software version (CED),
- the compression software release (CED),
- the file size before compression (QTY),
- the file size after compression (QTY).
6. External Object Generation Date (DTM)
The date on which the external object was generated.
Rules for sending the CONDRA message
Within the recipient's application a link table should be held. Each time a CONDRA message is sent, the table should be updated. ALL the links of a product MUST be sent in the same CONDRA message. If the CONDRA message mentions an GTIN/GLN which is already in the link table, the existing link will be erased and replaced by the new one.

Example with a PARTIN message:


Example with a PRODAT/PRICAT message sent before CONDRA:


Example with a CONDRA message sent before a PRODAT/PRICAT message:


The CONDRA message can be transmitted either before or after the PARTIN, PRODAT or PRICAT message.

Rules for sending the external object
It should be agreed by the partners whether it is needed to send the CONDRA message before the external object is sent.

Rules for the deletion of an external object
Since an external object may be related to several products, the external object can only be deleted if the updating of the link table reveals that the external object is no longer linked to any product.