Overview of SWIFT message structure

SWIFT messages consist of five blocks of data. In addition, the MQSA component adds two blocks that are used for queue management. The high-level structure of a SWIFT message is as follows:

MQSA UUID

SWIFT 1:Basic Header Block

SWIFT 2: Application Header Block

SWIFT 3:User Header Block

SWIFT 4: Text Block

SWIFT 5: Trailer

MQSA S Block

Note:
The MQSA component adds the UUID (User Unique Message Identifier) and S blocks. Neither are parsed by the SWIFT data handler. The S block has the same structure as SWIFT block 5, except that field tags consist of three char strings. For example, {S:{COP:P}}.

For further information on SWIFT message structure, see Appendix C, SWIFT message structure, and All Things SWIFT: the SWIFT User Handbook.

Copyright IBM Corp. 1997, 2004