CIECA 104
Anatomy of an Implementation Guide

The starting point for the development of a CIECA-based integration is the Implementation Guide (IG). Each message has an aligned Implementation Guide (IG) that provides important information to help achieve a successful implementation.  Note:  The abbreviation 'IG' is used commonly throughout the documentation.


An IG consists of 'recommendations' that guide the user through the process of an implementation based on the knowledge and experience of the committees that created the standards.


The IG consists of two sections:

  • Common Recommendations: These are recommendations that apply to all implementations, regardless of use case.
  • Business Use Case / Specific Recommendations:  For messages that vary by industry segment or use case, this section contains recommendations unique to each use case.

Each recommendation has a link to a detail page that provides specific information regarding the data dictionary, test instances, data recommendations and master code list references. (This is covered in more detail later in this tutorial.)

Common Recommendations

There are a number of elements of integrations that are common to any implementation. Aggregates such as Admin information, Party information and Vehicle information include information that is necessary for the use case. 

Business Use Case / Specific Recommendations

CIECA Standards support a wide range of use cases. Estimate, Rental, Parts and Salvage are examples of use cases that may follow a similar path but will have variations depending on the industry / use case. There can also be variations based on the service or message. 

Implementation Guide - Detail Page

Each recommendation in the Implementation Guide (IG) provides details on the recommendation as it applies to the Data Dictionary, Test Instances, Data and Code List References. To provide a consistent user experience, a Recommendation Detail page provides a consistent layout and structure of recommendation details.

Sample Implementation Guide Detail page

Data Dictionary References

The CIECA Data Dictionary is a comprehensive list of all the data elements used throughout the CIECA Standards. Since many data elements are common to multiple services and messages the data dictionary is a common resource across all use cases. To make navigation to the relevant content easier, the Data Dictionary References section provides reference information on where the related content is located in the dictionary.

Common Elements and Aggregates

As mentioned above, CIECA Standards support many use cases and services; therefore, there is much reuse of information that is common across the standards.  Aggregates are used extensively for repeating groups of information such as parties, addresses, etc. This section provides useful information to locate the appropriate aggregate and common elements within the message.

Data Dictionary Structure

This section provides useful notes on the structure of the Data Dictionary content and navigation.

Test Instances

An example of a test instance with valid data is included for easy reference.

Data Recommendations

This section contains specific instructions related to particular data elements & aggregates that are unique to the situation / use case.

Master Code List References

This section contains specific instructions related to codes and code list references.