DIN IEC 61968-8 E 2013-04 PDF

Full title and description

STB DIN IEC 61968-8 E 2013-04 — Application integration at electric utilities: System interfaces for distribution management — Part 8: Interface Standard for Customer Support. This document defines a set of standard message types and information content to support customer service and trouble-call management functions between distribution-management and enterprise systems.

Abstract

IEC 61968-8:2013 specifies the structure and information content of messages used to support customer support workflows (customer enquiries, service orders, trouble calls, appointments and related data exchanges) between utility enterprise systems and distribution/field systems. It aligns message models with the Common Information Model (CIM) extensions used for distribution and defines XML/profile bindings to enable interoperability between vendors and systems.

General information

• Status: Superseded / withdrawn in national adoption (later republished as an EN/DIN EN edition).
• Publication date: 22 April 2013 (DIN adoption: 2013-04).
• Publisher: Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) as DIN IEC adoption; original base standard published under IEC TC 57.
• ICS / categories: 35.240.67 (IT applications in building and construction industry); also related to 33.200 (Power systems management and associated information exchange).
• Edition / version: 2013 edition (DIN IEC 61968-8:2013-04).
• Number of pages: Approximately 245 pages (national publication format varies).

Scope

This part of IEC 61968 defines message types and the information content required to support many customer-service related business functions and trouble-call management within electric distribution utilities. It covers message structure, required and optional data elements, and the intended exchanges between customer information systems, outage/trouble-call systems, field-force systems and other enterprise applications. The standard focuses on information modelling and message profiles rather than prescribing a specific transport protocol or implementation technology.

Key topics and requirements

• Standard message definitions for customer enquiries, service orders, trouble tickets, appointments, and notifications.
• Data models and element-level definitions aligned with CIM distribution extensions to ensure semantic interoperability.
• XML/schema profile recommendations for message encoding and exchange.
• Rules for message sequencing, identifiers, and references between related business objects (orders, events, customers, locations).
• Guidance for synchronizing customer master data and for exchanging trouble-call and outage-related information.
• Interoperability objectives with other IEC 61968 parts (metering, asset/records management, etc.) and with IEC 61970/CIM where applicable.
• Clarification that transport, security and operational deployment choices (e.g., web services, message bus) are outside the normative information-model scope.

Typical use and users

Utilities and distribution system operators implementing or integrating customer-service, outage or trouble-call systems; software vendors producing CIS/OMS/FSM/MDM components; system integrators tasked with enterprise application integration; and consultants designing data-exchange architectures for electric utility business processes.

Related standards

IEC 61968 series (notably IEC 61968-1 for architecture and recommendations, IEC 61968-3 for message exchange patterns, IEC 61968-4 for records and asset management, IEC 61968-9 for meter reading and control, IEC 61968-11 for CIM distribution extensions), and IEC 61970 family (CIM for transmission/energy management). National/adopted editions include DIN IEC 61968-8:2013 and subsequent DIN EN / EN 61968-8 editions.

Keywords

customer support, trouble call, service order, message types, CIM, distribution management, system interfaces, enterprise integration, IEC 61968

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 61968-8:2013 (published as DIN IEC 61968-8:2013-04 in national adoption) is the part of the IEC 61968 suite that defines standard message types and information content to support customer service and trouble-call management in electric distribution utilities.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the information model and message profiles for exchanges related to customer enquiries, service orders, trouble tickets, appointments and related customer-data synchronization between utility enterprise and distribution/field systems. It is primarily focused on information content rather than specific transport mechanisms.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Electric utilities, CIS/OMS/MDM/FSM software vendors, system integrators, and consultants who need consistent, interoperable message definitions for customer-support and trouble-management processes.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2013 DIN IEC edition has been superseded in national/European adoption by later EN/DIN EN editions (publication actions in 2017 and subsequent consolidations). Users should check whether their national or newer EN/IEC edition is the applicable, current version before implementing.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 8 of the IEC 61968 series (Application integration at electric utilities — System interfaces for distribution management) and is designed to work with other parts of IEC 61968 and with CIM definitions in IEC 61970/61968-11.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Customer support, trouble call, service order, CIM, message profile, distribution management, enterprise integration.