NAUPA III Schema

General Information

The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) has created this reporting format to make electronic reporting more uniform. Two previous NAUPA formats have been offered, first in the 1990s and then 2000s. They have been modified over the years. This most recent version has not only added new data elements and codes but has moved from the fixed width format to Extensible Markup Language (XML). When using the NAUPA format to report, do not mix and match which version is being used.
Check with the jurisdictions in which you will report to determine which version(s) of the NAUPA layout is accepted.

The purpose of this document is to assist all parties with understanding the general layout structure and identifying all the various data elements and codes. Included with this document is an XML Schema Definition (XSD). The XSD provides specific guidance on how to create and test your final XML file before sending it to the appropriate Unclaimed Property jurisdiction. The XSD file contains logic which allows an associated XML file to be validated, to ensure that the data has been entered and is in the proper format. For example, if the XSD requires that a particular field contain a dollar amount, the presence of non-numeric characters will generate an error.

In addition to the XSD each state may have additional reporting requirements. NAUPA encourages you to check with each Unclaimed Property jurisdiction if they have any additional requirements or verification that will be performed.

XML Structure

XML is a language used for storing and transporting data. XML can be read and processed by computers, but can also be human-readable.uses human and not computer language. Tags label, categorize, and organize information in a specific way. A tag for a specific data element is placed between angle brackets (< >).

There are two types of tag: starting tags, which identify the starting point for the tagged data and ending tags, which denote the end point. The ending tag bracket for a particular starting tagbracket has a forward slash added to the beginning.

Here is a sample XML tag for a Namename data element, or field:

Note: XML tags cannot contain spaces, and it is generally considered a best practice to use camel case (for example,'CamelCase') for tag names.

Best Practice:

<Name>John Smith</Name>

Not Recommended:

<name> John Smith </name>

XML also permits tags to be embedded within each other, to denote hierarchical, or related data. Here is a more complex example of an XML representation of some data about a particular person:

Best Practice:

<Person>
	<Name>John Smith</Name>
	<PhoneNumber>
		<HomeNumber>506 555 3555</HomeNumber>
		<MobileNumber>506 555 7653</MobileNumber>
	</PhoneNumber>
</Person>

Not Recommended:

<person>
	<name> John Smith </name>
	<phone number>
		<home number> 506 555 3555 </home number>
		<mobile number> 506 555 7653 </mobile number>
	</phone number>
</person>

The specific type of data to be contained between defined tags can be specified in the XSD file referenced above. This makes it possible to ensure that data transmitted by XML is of the correct data type, thereby making it easier for the recipient to import the transmitted data to a database or application.