ISO/IEC 19845:2015

Overview

ISO/IEC 19845:2015 adopts the OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL v2.1) as an international standard for XML-based business document interchange. UBL v2.1 defines a generic, reusable XML schema library of business data components (for example Address, Item, Payment) and a set of common business document schemas (for example Order, Despatch Advice, Invoice). The standard is designed so these generic components can be restricted or extended to meet industry- or country-specific requirements, enabling interoperable B2B and e‑government document exchange.

Key Topics

• XML schema library: reusable Common Basic and Common Aggregate Components that form the building blocks of business documents.
• Common business documents: canonical XML schemas for orders, invoices, despatch advices, credit notes, catalogues, packing lists and many others (declared namespaces include Invoice-2, Order-2, DespatchAdvice-2, etc.).
• Business object semantics and rules: guidance on items, item identification, pricing, parties, multilingual text, taxation rules, shipments vs consignments, transport concepts and financial/indirect tax handling (see UBL business rules).
• Profiles and customization: mechanisms to restrict or extend UBL to create industry, national or organizational profiles while maintaining interoperability.
• Alternative representations and artefacts: UBL v2.1 is available in XML and has alternative ASN.1 and UML representations; complete release packages and authoritative XML are published by OASIS.
• Namespaces and digital signature support: declared namespaces include common signature and signature-related components to support secure, signed documents.

Applications

• E‑invoicing and accounts payable/receivable: standardized Invoice and CreditNote schemas help automate financial document processing and compliance.
• Procurement and supply chain: Order, OrderResponse, Catalogue and Despatch Advice schemas support electronic procurement, fulfilment and logistics workflows.
• Logistics and transportation: transport-related schemas (Waybill, TransportExecutionPlan, TransportationStatus) enable structured shipment data exchange.
• Government and cross‑border exchanges: national e‑procurement and e‑invoicing initiatives use UBL as an interoperable format for public procurement.
• Software vendors and integrators: ERP, procurement, and middleware vendors implement UBL schemas to enable B2B interoperability and reduce custom EDI mappings.

Who should use this standard

• IT architects, solution integrators and software vendors building B2B/e‑procurement systems
• Finance and procurement teams implementing e‑invoicing or automated order-to-cash processes
• Public sector agencies defining e‑procurement/e‑invoicing mandates or profiles
• Standards bodies and implementers creating national/industry UBL profiles

Related Standards

• OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL) v2.1 (original specification)
• Previous UBL versions (superseded: UBL 2.0) and alternative representations (ASN.1, UML)
• ISO/IEC JTC 1 processes for adoption and interoperability

Keywords: ISO/IEC 19845:2015, UBL v2.1, Universal Business Language, XML schemas, e‑invoicing, B2B interoperability, procurement standard, business document standards.