The interface qualification programme

The scope of the Interface Qualification Programme is to validate the adherence of vendor interface products to the SWIFTNet interface vendor specifications. The specifications detail the messaging protocol between the central services and the interfaces. Other interface characteristics such as resilience, throughput and value-added features are not in the scope of the qualification.

• SWIFTNet Interfaces Qualification Programme Guide
• SWIFTNet Interfaces Qualification Policy

For SWIFTNet 6, SWIFT limited the scope of the qualification programme to those components that were necessary to support a FIN application (the FIN Interface, a Relationship Management Application (RMA) Interface, and a Communication Interface).

The following represent the software components that are needed to interface to the different SWIFTNet services.

FIN application components:

 

As of SWIFTNet 6.1, the qualification programme is extended to include qualification of InterAct Store-and-Forward and FileAct Store-and-Forward Messaging Interfaces. Qualification for SWIFTNet 6.1 and 6.3 are optional.

FileAct and InterAct application components:

Real-time is not in the scope of the qualification for SWIFTNet 6.1. FileAct and InterAct Store-and-Forward and Real-time messaging interface qualification will be mandatory as of SWIFTNet Release 7.

Vendors package application components either as separate products or bundled with other components. To be qualified, a vendor interface component (FIN, RMA, FileAct, InterAct and Communication) must implement all mandatory and any of the optional functional requirements from the SWIFTNet vendor specifications. Details on the features supplied by the products can be found in the Conformance Statement of each component (even if components are bundled).

Testing by SWIFT is done in two steps: the conformance testing between the vendor site and the SWIFT Test Authority that leads to the interim qualification. The second step is the implementation of the product at customer’s site resulting in the full qualification of the product. Qualification testing is typically performed on early versions of the product release. For general availability planning, please consult the vendor.

In the Partner Programme Terms & Conditions, vendors agree to give SWIFT the following level of comfort about their Qualified Products:

• Vendors warrant that a Qualified Product meets the full scope of the current SWIFTNet Specifications, from which the applicable Conformance Requirements are derived.
• Vendors warrant that a Qualified Product continues to comply with the full scope of the current SWIFTNet Specifications throughout the validity period of its qualification.

Th interface products are owned and controlled by the respective vendors, and because it is not possible to test the full scope of the SWIFTNet Specifications, SWIFT, as the qualification authority, excludes all liability arising from qualification or the absence thereof.