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EDIFACT message guide · Finance

BUSCRD Business credit report

The UN/EDIFACT message credit reporting agencies use to provide business credit information about a company to their trading partners.

Sent by
Credit reporting agency
Received by
Customer of the agency, such as a supplier or lender
Standard
UN/EDIFACT · Batch message
X12 equivalent
155 Business Credit Report

What is the EDIFACT BUSCRD message?

BUSCRD is the UN/EDIFACT business credit report message. The directory defines it as a message used by credit reporting agencies to provide business credit information about a company to the agency's trading partners. The information includes company names and addresses, ownership, financial information, payment history and other details.

Suppliers and lenders use credit reports to set credit limits and payment terms. Receiving them as structured data lets credit systems update ratings and limits automatically when an agency's information changes. The receiver and the agency agree which sections a report contains and how often it is refreshed.

How the EDIFACT BUSCRD message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT BUSCRD Business credit report message. Credit reporting agency sends it to customer of the agency, such as a supplier or lender. It usually starts the exchange. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and DTM (Date/time/period) and body and segment groups: the required SG1 loop with PNA (Party identification). 2 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT BUSCRD message worksBusiness credit report: who sends it, where it fits and what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeBUSCRDSENDERCredit reportingagencyRECEIVERCustomer of theagency, such as asupplier or lenderCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYNo business reply expected2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDsUNB … UNZMessage BUSCRDUNH … UNTSTART OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG1 · repeats up to 9PNAParty identification+ 2 conditional groups, starting with:CTALINBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditional groups are listed by the trigger segment that starts them; a group is sent only when its data applies.Conditional segments outside groups are not drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in the UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for BUSCRD. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.
How the EDIFACT BUSCRD message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT BUSCRD Business credit report message. Credit reporting agency sends it to customer of the agency, such as a supplier or lender. It usually starts the exchange. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and DTM (Date/time/period) and body and segment groups: the required SG1 loop with PNA (Party identification). 2 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT BUSCRDmessage worksBusiness credit report: who sends it, where itfits and what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeBUSCRDSENDERCredit reportingagencyRECEIVERCustomer of theagency, such asa supplier orlenderCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYNo business reply expected2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDs(UNB … UNZ)Message BUSCRD (UNH … UNT)START OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG1 · repeats upto 9PNAParty identification+ 2 conditional groups, starting with:CTALINBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditionalgroups are listed by the trigger segment thatstarts them; a group is sent only when its dataapplies. Conditional segments outside groups arenot drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in theUN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for BUSCRD.Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends BUSCRD, to whom, and which messages usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what the directory D.21A itself requires: the envelopes around BUSCRD and the segments and segment groups it marks mandatory. Conditional groups are listed by their trigger segment rather than drawn in full. This is the directory's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: a message implementation guide, such as an industry subset or a partner’s own guide, usually makes some conditional groups mandatory, restricts the codes and may use an older directory.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Checking a new customer's credit before trading
  • Updating credit limits for existing customers
  • Monitoring changes in a customer's credit standing

Where it fits in the message flow

This message BUSCRD Business credit report

No other message routinely comes directly before or after BUSCRD; it is exchanged when the business event occurs. If the partners agree, the receiver confirms each interchange with a CONTRL syntax and service report.

Structure

Mandatory segments in BUSCRD (directory D.21A)

In UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A, the BUSCRD message has 101 segment positions arranged in 22 segment groups. These are the segments and segment groups marked mandatory at message level, in order; a mandatory group is shown with the segment that starts it. Segments inside conditional groups are needed only when the group is used. This is the directory’s requirement, not your trading partner’s: each partner’s message implementation guide names the directory it uses, often an older one such as D.96A or D.01B where the structure can differ, makes some conditional segments mandatory and restricts the codes.

  • UNH
  • BGM
  • DTM
  • SG1 (PNA)
  • UNT

Practical example

BUSCRD in practice

A wholesaler receives a large first order from a new business customer. Its credit system requests a report from a credit agency, which returns a BUSCRD with the company's registration details, payment behavior and financial summary. The system assigns a credit limit and releases the order.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for BUSCRD

  • Comply with data protection and credit reporting rules.
  • Map agency ratings to internal credit policies.
  • Refresh reports for active customers periodically.
  • Record the report date used for credit decisions.

How ECOM helps

Automate BUSCRD with ECOM

Solution

Order-to-Cash Automation

Automate the flow from purchase order to payment across every customer channel.

Industry

Financial Services

Secure file transfer and B2B integration for banks and financial institutions.

Solution

Financial Document Automation

Automate invoices, remittances, payment files and bank statements from capture to posting.

Compare X12 and EDIFACT, or see answers to general questions in the EDI FAQ.

Related messages

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