EVA Publishes Updated Vending Data Transfer Standard Version 612

BRUSSELS -- The latest version of the European Vending Association's data transfer standard is now available for download. EVA's protocol is designed to serve as a standard format for storing and transmitting data required by vending operators. It's very similar to the vending industry data transfer standard developed in the United States under the auspices of the National Automatic Merchandising Association.

Version 6.1.2 of the EVA DTS incorporates a minor update in the form of an application note intended to clarify the standard's use with existing vending machines, and to demonstrate conformity to new national rules that may relate to financial security and data accuracy. Specifically, describes DTS compliance with the requirements of fiscal authorities. These include ensuring the accuracy of data and a safe transfer of data; storing single transactions and transactional sequences; and ensuring "provable" archives of data, in which manipulation of data is not possible. It also describes the standard's provisions for holding provable archives of back-office software and/or back-office data derived from the machines' raw data archives; not permitting cancellation of transactions or funds; and implementing recovery points for control calculation (daily funds statements).

The standard specifies the form of the data elements and the protocol for transfer to and from a vending machine (or other source) and a business system. In preparing EVA DTS, alternative methods of transferring data were taken into account, such as remotely by wireless means). The goal has been to provide a basis for compatibility between the elements.

The standard does not define how the data should be applied, nor data processing systems and report formats.

Interested parties may register at the EVA website to download a copy of version 6.1.2. The software library is available for both the DDCMP and DEX/UCS protocols. (DDCMP is a widely used electronic data interchange protocol developed by Digital Equipment Corp. in the mid-1970s. DEX/UCS -- Direct EXchange, Uniform Communication Standard --was designed by the Uniform Code Council nearly three decades ago, originally for direct-store delivery.