Several of the specification objects include what is referred to as a Qualified Data Element. This is a data element that has been identified using the following information:
- Data_Element_name – This is always required.
- Qualifier_Position/Qualifier_Value – Optional position/value pairs of data values from the EDI Data Element that must match the specification definition. If none are specified, then the Data Element name matching is sufficient.
- Section_ID– Identifies the EDI Section in which the Data Element is expected. If the current EDI Section is different, the Data Element is not qualified. When the EDI data file is processed, the preprocessing keeps track of what the Current EDI Section is so that when comparisons are made to Qualified Data Elements, only matching sections will be applied. The Section ID must be defined.