A message format can be an XML document or a list of parameters, which defines the format of the data exchanged between processes.
In the following example, the USPS Packet message format associated with the flow, between the Process Order process and the Ship US Postal Ground, defines how to process a package to be shipped through the United States Postal Service, using standard Ground shipment:
A message format can be created in a choreography diagram with any of the following target languages:
Message Formats in Analysis and Collaborative Languages
When working with the Analysis language and ebXML language, you can associate a message format with a flow or resource flow in order to define the format of information exchanged between processes. The message format is displayed on the flow that uses it:
Message Formats in Orchestration Languages
When working with the orchestration languages, a message format is used to specify the format of the message associated with an operation (see Operations (BPM)).
In some cases, it may be appropriate to decompose a message format into message parts that specify its contents (see Message Parts (BPM)).