Information codes

The information code (IC) is one field of a Data Module Code (DMC). It answers a single question: what kind of information does this data module hold?

The Standard Numbering System (SNS) says where the information sits in the product. The information code says what the information is. Together they give a data module its meaning.

A description of a hydraulic tank and a removal procedure for the same tank sit at the same place in the product. They share an SNS. The information code is what keeps them apart.

A three-digit code

An information code is three alphanumeric characters. The characters are read in order: a primary code, a secondary code, and a tertiary code.

• The primary character (the first one) selects one of ten broad families.
• The secondary and tertiary characters narrow the family to a specific subject.

So the code 520 reads as: family 500 (disconnect, remove, disassemble), narrowed to a remove procedure. The code 720 reads as: family 700 (assemble, install, connect), narrowed to an install procedure.

Read the families by their first digit

You can always tell the family of a code from its first digit alone. 040, 042, and 0A1 are all in the 000 family. 520 and 550 are both in the 500 family. The first digit is the fastest way to know what a module is for.

The ten primary families

S1000D defines a base set of information codes. The first digit groups them into ten primary families. These are the verified top-level families:

Family	Meaning
000	Function, plans, and description
100	Operation
200	Servicing
300	Examinations, tests, and checks
400	Fault reports and fault isolation
500	Disconnect, remove, and disassemble
600	Repairs
700	Assemble, install, and connect
800	Package, handling, storage, and transportation
900	Miscellaneous

The families follow the natural order of work on a product. You describe it (000), operate it (100), service it (200), check it (300), find faults (400), take it apart (500), repair it (600), put it back together (700), and store it (800). The 900 family holds information that does not fit the others.

A note on letters

Information codes are alphanumeric, not just numbers. Newer issues of S1000D also use letter-led codes for some subjects, such as a C00 family for computer systems, software, and data. Most maintenance content still uses the numeric 000-900 families above.

The information code variant

A single alphanumeric character follows the information code. This is the information code variant (ICV).

The variant marks an alternative way to do the same activity. The default value is the letter A. A second method for the same task can use B, a third can use C, and so on. The activity is the same; the variant says which version of it the module describes.

For example, two install procedures for the same item, one for each of two suppliers, can both use information code 720 and be told apart by their variant or by other DMC fields.

Common examples

The full information code set has hundreds of specific codes. You do not need to memorise them. Knowing the ten families and reading the specific code is enough for most work.

The table below lists the ten primary families and a few common specific codes. The specific codes are marked as examples.

Information Code ReferenceS1000D · what kind of information a data module carries

Filter information codes

000	Function / description	Primary family
040	Description (general)	Common example
100	Operation	Primary family
200	Servicing	Primary family
200	Servicing procedure	Common example
258	Clean (other procedure to clean)	Common example
300	Examinations, tests and checks	Primary family
400	Fault reports and isolation	Primary family
500	Disconnect, remove and disassemble	Primary family
520	Remove procedure	Common example
600	Repairs	Primary family
700	Assemble, install and connect	Primary family
720	Install procedure	Common example
800	Storage	Primary family
900	Miscellaneous	Primary family

The ten primary families (000–900) are the verified top-level S1000D categories. Rows marked Common example are illustrative three-digit codes — not the full set; S1000D defines many more, and projects may add their own variants.

How to read a code

Examples (illustrative only):

• 040 — a description. First digit 0, so the 000 family. A general descriptive module.
• 520 — a remove procedure. First digit 5, so the 500 family. Take the item off.
• 720 — an install procedure. First digit 7, so the 700 family. Put the item back.

The s1kd-tools tutorial uses the example DMC BIKE-A-DA1-10-00-00C-720A-D. The 720A part is an install procedure (720) with the default variant (A).

Where it sits in the DMC

The information code is the field after the disassembly code in a DMC. Here is the same illustrative DMC used elsewhere in this guide:

DMC-1B-29-10-05-00A-720A-A

Reading the relevant fields (this is an example, not a real product code):

Field	Value	Meaning
SNS	29-10-05	Hydraulics → Main system → Tank (where)
Information code	720	Assemble, install, connect (what)
Information code variant	A	Default variant

Change 720 to 520 and the same module location now describes how to remove the tank instead of installing it. The location did not move. Only the kind of information changed.

See The Data Module Code for the full field-by-field breakdown.

Sources

• s1kd-tools tutorial — kibook.github.io — information code as three alphanumeric (primary/secondary/tertiary) characters; the primary families (000–900 plus C00); the information code variant character (default A); the information code's position in the DMC (after the disassembly code); and the example DMC BIKE-A-DA1-10-00-00C-720A-D
• Information Control Numbers for S1000D Issue 4.0 or higher — RWS Contenta docs — the primary information-code families (000–900, plus C00)
• S1000D — Wikipedia — data modules (DM) and "data module coding" as the hierarchical XML organising mechanism