Overview
IEC 61360-7:2024 specifies a new data dictionary domain published in the IEC Common Data Dictionary (IEC CDD): "IEC 61360-7 – General items." This horizontal publication (per IEC Guide 108) defines generic, cross-domain concepts - classes, properties and qualifiers - intended to support unambiguous data exchange across electrotechnical and related domains. The dictionary is provided in DB format and maintained in IEC CDD (https://cdd.iec.ch).
All dictionary elements are machine-identifiable using an IRDI (International Registration Data Identifier). An IRDI comprises three sections separated by the character "#":
- RI - registration authority identifier
- DI - data identifier (range CAA000 to CAZ999 reserved for this domain)
- VI - version identifier
The document is designed to improve semantic interoperability, reuse of common concepts, and consistent metadata for systems that exchange technical data.
Key Topics
- Generic concepts and structures: The data dictionary defines a domain "General items" and its generic structures (classes and assigned properties) to be used across domains.
- Library of properties and qualifiers: A set of standardized properties (property IDs CBA001–CBA008) and their attributes (preferred name, definition, source, data type) are specified. Examples include:
- Applicability qualifier (CBA001)
- Value origin qualifier (CBA002)
- Value processing qualifier (CBA003)
- Life cycle qualifier (CBA004)
- Operational state qualifier (CBA005)
- Value quality qualifier (CBA006)
- Time stamp token (UTC) (CBA007)
- Time stamp token (TAI) (CBA008)
- Identification and coding rules: IRDI structure and reserved DI ranges are defined to ensure consistent registration and versioning.
- Maintenance and governance: Further development and maintenance follow the SDB content procedure (ANNEX SK) and are published in IEC CDD.
Applications
This data dictionary is practical for organizations and projects that require:
- Cross-domain data interoperability between product, systems and services in electrotechnology and adjacent domains.
- Standardized metadata for product ontologies, configuration management, asset information models and digital twins.
- Consistent qualifiers for value provenance, applicability, lifecycle stage and time-stamping when exchanging measurement and attribute data.
Use cases include system integration, data harmonization in supply chains, standardized catalogue entries and semantic enrichment of engineering data.
Related Standards
- IEC 61360 series (general-purpose dictionary and data element types)
- IEC CDD (IEC Common Data Dictionary) - repository and access point: https://cdd.iec.ch
- ISO/TS 29002-5:2009 (identification scheme referenced for IRDI)
- Procedures in ISO/IEC Directives Part 1 – IEC Supplement (ANNEX SK)
For authoritative content, always consult the official IEC CDD entry for IEC 61360-7:2024 and the published DB in IEC webstore/CDD.