• Element: The smallest unit that represents a single data field of a primitive type, such as, alphanumeric text, integer, decimal, date, time, or binary.
• Composite: A complex data type consisting of one or more elements.
• Segment: The next higher level construct, consisting of a sequence of elements and composites.
• Loop or Loop Segment: A container for a specific set of segments or child loops, which make its structure nested and hierarchical.

The schema editor in B2B for Oracle Integration displays each of these constructs in its own row. The rows for segments, composites, and loops are expandable, and display the elements they contain. The order of the rows in the schema defines the exact order in which each of the constructs must appear in an actual EDI X12, EDIFACT, or X12 HIPAA document.

• An EDI X12 document, which is the topmost construct, is defined as an ordered set of segments and loops. The schema for all EDI X12 documents starts with a segment named ST and ends with the segment SE across all documents types. These segments are called transaction set envelope segments, and they cannot be deleted in the B2B schema editor.
• An EDIFACT document, which is the topmost construct, is also defined as an ordered set of segments and loops. The schema for all EDIFACT documents starts with a segment named UNH and ends with the segment UNT across all documents types. These segments are called transaction set envelope segments, and they cannot be deleted in the B2B schema editor.
• An X12 HIPAA document, which is the topmost construct, is also defined as an ordered set of segments and loops. The schema for all X12 HIPAA documents starts with a segment named UNH and ends with the segment UNT across all documents types. These segments are called transaction set envelope segments, and they cannot be deleted in the B2B schema editor.