CDSSG14100 - CDS Declaration Error Messages: Overview of Error Messages

Error messages can be generated by CDS for a number of reasons, ranging from incorrect information entered into the declaration, to cross-field validation across multiple elements.

Error codes can also be generated by an amendment request. In these cases, the amendment itself gets rejected, so the declaration data is left unchanged and doesn’t appear to match the error codes generated.

The amendment XMLs can be accessed through the declaration.

An error message will be returned by CDS in the following format:

ValidationCode;CodeDescription;

PointerNames: Declaration->GoodsShipment/Declaration-GoodsShipment->GovernmentAgencyGoodsItem(x)

AddInfoText/AddInfoCode

The definitions for each element of an error message are as follows:

Message Element Definition Example
ValidationCode The reference number for the error\nCan be used to look up additional guidance CDS40011
CodeDescription Description of the error \nWhat has gone wrong? \nWhat needs fixing? Missing data element value
PointerNames Location of the error\nWhere in the declaration is the problem?  
PointerNames:Declaration->GoodsShipment Error location without goods item number Header Level Error
PointerNames:Declaration->GoodsShipment->GovernmentAgencyGoodsItem(x) Error location with goods item number The number in brackets indicates the goods item with the error \n(1) = item 1
AdditionalDocument;FriendlyName Occasional statement indicating the data element where the error occurs \n \nThis field may not appear in all error messages Doc Code Statement
AddInfoText Additional information on the error\nMultiple additional information lines may be present Code missing from DE 6/17
AddInfoCode Additional information on which code is required for the error\nMultiple additional information lines may be present Y904

Using the examples in the table, an error message may be received in the following format:

ValidationCode:CDS40011;CodeDescription:Missing data element value;PointerNames:Declaration
->GoodsShipment->GovernmentAgencyGoodsItem(1); AdditionalDocument;FriendlyName: Doc Code Statement ;AddInfoCode:C604;AddInfoText:Measure type 705 on commodity code 3926909790 requires document; AddInfoCode:Y904;AddInfoText:Measure type 705 on commodity code 3926909790 requires document;AddInfoCode:All;AddInfoType:Either of these documents need to be supplied

The error messages received through third-party software may look different from this, but will be made up of most, if not all, of the same elements.

The following pages will break this message down and explain each element.