IEC 61968-8:2015

Overview

IEC 61968-8:2015 - part of the IEC 61968 series - defines standard system interfaces for customer operations in electric utility distribution management. It specifies the information content of a set of message types used to support customer support (CS) business functions such as service requests, customer agreements, and trouble management. The standard targets inter-application integration across the utility enterprise - enabling exchange of customer-related information between Customer Information Systems (CIS) and other systems (e.g., Outage Management Systems, Work Management Systems).

Key Topics

• Message types and payloads: Standardized message structures for trouble tickets, incident information, service requests, service orders, work requests and customer agreements.
• Information and reference models: A reference model and static information model that define classes and relationships used in customer operations messaging.
• XML schemas (XSD): Annex A provides sample XML schemas for message payloads to support implementation and message validation.
• Integration scope: Focus on exchange of information between a customer support system and other enterprise systems (loose coupling, heterogeneous environments).
• Use-case examples: Illustrative flows such as CIS ↔ OMS trouble ticket exchange and CIS ↔ WMS service order/work request exchanges.
• Normative structure: Includes terms/definitions, normative references and message format guidance for implementers.

Applications

IEC 61968-8 is practical for:

• Utilities seeking standard integration between Customer Service/CRM (CIS) and operational systems (Outage Management, Work Management).
• System integrators and software vendors building middleware, ESBs or message-based interfaces for distribution management.
• IT architects implementing inter-application messaging (near-real-time exchanges) across legacy and third‑party applications.
• Operational teams improving workflows for trouble management, service provisioning, point-of-sale interactions and customer agreements.

Benefits:

• Reduces custom interface development by providing standardized message semantics and XSD examples.
• Supports reliable exchange of customer-centric operational data for faster incident resolution, accurate service orders and consistent customer records.

Related Standards

• IEC 61968 series (Application integration at electric utilities - system interfaces for distribution management) - IEC 61968-8 complements other parts of the series.
• IEC 61968-1 (Interface Architecture and General Requirements) - provides the overall Interface Reference Model that IEC 61968-8 leverages.

Keywords: IEC 61968-8, application integration, customer support, distribution management, message types, service request, trouble management, customer agreement, CIS, OMS, XML schemas.