Your Payments Processing Data Template

SWIFT
Your Payments Processing Data Template

Your Payments Processing Data Template

This template provides the structural foundation for mapping your SWIFT transaction workflows from initiation to final settlement. It details the specific data components and operational milestones needed to gain full visibility into your payment lifecycles. By utilizing this guide, you can effectively prepare your data to uncover hidden inefficiencies and reduce compliance risks.
  • Recommended attributes for deep transaction analysis
  • Key SWIFT process activities and milestones
  • Technical guidance for financial data extraction
New to event logs? Learn how to create a process mining event log.

Payments Processing Attributes

These are the recommended data fields to include in your event log for a comprehensive analysis of your SWIFT transaction lifecycle.
5 Required 9 Recommended 6 Optional
Name Description
Activity Name
ActivityName
The name of the process step or event that occurred.
Description

This attribute describes the specific action or status change recorded in the system log. Examples include 'Payment Request Created', 'Sanctions Screening Passed', or 'SWIFT ACK Received'.

It is the primary dimension for process maps, defining the nodes in the visualization and allowing analysts to understand the sequence of operations performed on a payment.

Why it matters

It defines the 'what' of the process, enabling the visualization of process flow and variations.

Where to get

Transaction logs, Audit trails, or derived from Message Types (e.g., MT103 Sent).

Examples
Payment Request CreatedPayment Instruction SentSWIFT ACK ReceivedPayment Approved
Event Timestamp
EventTimestamp
The exact date and time when the activity occurred.
Description

This attribute records the precise moment an event took place. It is used to sequence activities chronologically and to calculate all duration-based metrics, such as lead times, cycle times, and throughput.

Accurate timestamps are critical for analyzing 'Network Cut Off Time Performance' and identifying bottlenecks in the approval chain.

Why it matters

Timestamps are the basis for all temporal analysis and performance metrics in process mining.

Where to get

System audit logs, Message creation timestamps, or Database transaction times.

Examples
2023-10-25T08:30:15Z2023-10-25T14:45:00Z2023-10-26T09:15:22Z
Last Data Update
LastDataUpdate
The timestamp when the record was last extracted or refreshed.
Description

Indicates when the data was last loaded into the process mining tool. This is crucial for determining data freshness and ensuring that the dashboards reflect the most current state of the payment operations.

It helps users trust the data by providing transparency on the latency of the reporting pipeline.

Why it matters

Ensures users understand the currency and reliability of the data presented.

Where to get

ETL process execution timestamp.

Examples
2023-10-27T12:00:00Z2023-11-01T06:00:00Z
Payment Transaction ID
PaymentTransactionId
The unique identifier representing the end-to-end payment case.
Description

This attribute serves as the central case key for process mining. It groups all activities related to a single payment instruction, from the initial request through validation, SWIFT transmission, and final settlement. In SWIFT contexts, this is often mapped to the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) or the Unique End-to-end Transaction Reference (UETR) to ensure continuity across banking systems.

It is used to reconstruct the process instance path and is essential for all variant analysis and cycle time calculations.

Why it matters

Unique identification is the foundation of process mining, allowing the stitching of scattered events into a cohesive process view.

Where to get

SWIFT Field 20 (TRN) or Field 121 (UETR) in message headers.

Examples
TRN-20231025-883954392-882-101UETR-9982-1123-5521PAY-US-EU-9912
Source System
SourceSystem
The name of the system where the event data originated.
Description

Identifies the software or platform that generated the event log. In a payment process, this might be the core banking system, the payment gateway, or the SWIFT interface directly.

This attribute helps in verifying data lineage and debugging issues when merging data from multiple disparate banking applications.

Why it matters

Provides context for data origin, essential for multi-system process mining.

Where to get

Hardcoded during ETL or extracted from system identifiers.

Examples
SWIFT Alliance AccessCore Banking SystemPayment EngineSanctions Filter
Beneficiary BIC
BeneficiaryBic
The Bank Identifier Code of the receiving institution.
Description

Identifies the destination bank for the payment. This is a crucial dimension for the 'Beneficiary Rejection Root Cause' dashboard.

By grouping failures by Beneficiary BIC, the bank can identify specific counterparties that frequently reject instructions due to data quality issues or specific formatting requirements.

Why it matters

Essential for analyzing counterparty performance and rejection patterns.

Where to get

SWIFT Field 57A (Account With Institution) or 58A (Beneficiary Institution).

Examples
CITIUS33BARCGB22DRESDEFFHANDSEXX
Is STP
IsStp
Flag indicating if the payment required no manual intervention.
Description

A boolean indicator that is True if the case contains no 'Error Identified', 'Payment Rejected', or manual 'Modification' activities. This directly calculates the 'Straight-Through Processing Rate' KPI.

It is the primary metric for automation success in payment processing.

Why it matters

The primary measure of process efficiency and automation health.

Where to get

Calculated based on the absence of specific negative/manual activities in the case.

Examples
truefalse
Processing User
ProcessingUser
The user or system agent who performed the activity.
Description

Identifies the individual or automated bot responsible for the activity, such as a compliance officer approving a sanction hit or an operator fixing a formatting error.

This attribute drives the 'Validation Error Heatmap', allowing managers to identify training needs or specific users associated with high rework rates.

Why it matters

Enables resource analysis and identification of manual bottlenecks.

Where to get

System audit logs, 'User ID' column in transaction tables.

Examples
SYSTEMJ.DoeCompliance_Bot_01M.Smith
SWIFT Message Type
SwiftMessageType
The type of SWIFT message used (e.g., MT103, pacs.008).
Description

Indicates the specific format of the payment instruction. Common types include MT103 for customer transfers and ISO 20022 equivalents like pacs.008.

Used in 'Payment Journey Variant Analysis' to compare the processing efficiency of legacy MT formats versus the new ISO standards.

Why it matters

Differentiates payment flows and processing standards (Legacy vs. ISO 20022).

Where to get

SWIFT Block 2 (Application Header), Message Type field.

Examples
MT103MT202pacs.008MT101
SWIFT NAK Code
SwiftNakCode
The error code returned by the SWIFT network if a message is rejected.
Description

Contains the specific error code (e.g., T26, T13) provided in a Negative Acknowledgment (NAK) from the SWIFT network.

This attribute powers the 'SWIFT Error and Rework Analysis' dashboard, enabling the categorization of technical failures to prioritize system fixes.

Why it matters

Provides technical root causes for network-level rejections.

Where to get

MT 015/019 System Messages, or Field 451 in ACK/NAK.

Examples
T26H01T13G02
Transaction Amount
TransactionAmount
The monetary value of the payment instruction.
Description

Represents the principal amount being transferred. This data is extracted from specific SWIFT fields (e.g., Field 32A in MT103).

It is essential for the 'High Value Transfer Approval Cycles' dashboard, allowing the segmentation of payments by size to analyze approval delays for high-risk, high-value transactions.

Why it matters

Enables financial impact analysis and segmentation by transaction size.

Where to get

SWIFT MT Field 32A (Amount) or ISO 20022 element IntrBkSttlmAmt.

Examples
15000.001250.501000000.0045.00
Transaction Currency
TransactionCurrency
The 3-letter ISO code indicating the currency of the payment.
Description

Identifies the currency in which the payment is denominated (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP). This is critical for the 'Network Cut Off Time Performance' dashboard, as cut-off times are currency-specific.

It also supports the 'Currency Conversion Efficiency' analysis by identifying cross-currency pairs.

Why it matters

Determines routing rules, cut-off times, and settlement corridors.

Where to get

SWIFT MT Field 32A (Currency) or ISO 20022 element Ccy.

Examples
USDEURGBPJPY
UETR
UniqueEndToEndReference
The Unique End-to-end Transaction Reference for tracking in SWIFT gpi.
Description

The UETR is a 36-character string that provides a single, immutable reference for a payment across the entire SWIFT network. Unlike internal IDs, the UETR persists across banks.

This attribute is vital for end-to-end visibility and for correlating internal logs with external SWIFT gpi status updates.

Why it matters

The gold standard for tracking cross-border payments across different institutions.

Where to get

SWIFT Block 3, Field 121.

Examples
b8c3f4a0-5d2a-4e1b-9c3d-1a2b3c4d5e6f123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000
Value Date
ValueDate
The date when the funds are to be made available to the beneficiary.
Description

Represents the settlement date instructed in the payment message. Comparing this date to the actual 'Payment Settled' timestamp helps in the 'Settlement and Reconciliation Aging' dashboard.

It indicates the urgency of the payment and is used to measure adherence to service level agreements regarding fund availability.

Why it matters

Critical for liquidity management and measuring settlement timeliness.

Where to get

SWIFT MT Field 32A (Date subfield) or ISO 20022 IntrBkSttlmDt.

Examples
2023-10-262023-11-01
Instruction Priority
InstructionPriority
The priority flag indicating the urgency of the payment.
Description

Derived from the message headers (e.g., 'Normal' vs 'Urgent'). This allows for segmentation in the 'High Value Transfer Approval Cycles' dashboard, as urgent payments often require expedited approval flows.

Understanding priority distribution helps in resource planning for peak times.

Why it matters

Helps distinguish SLA requirements between standard and expedited payments.

Where to get

SWIFT Block 2, Message Priority field (e.g., N for Normal, U for Urgent).

Examples
NormalUrgentSystem
Is Cross Border
IsCrossBorder
Flag indicating if the payment involves different countries.
Description

A boolean attribute that is True if the Sender Country differs from the Beneficiary Country. This supports the 'Multi-Currency Handling Latency' KPI by separating domestic from international flows.

Cross-border payments typically have higher complexity, costs, and processing times.

Why it matters

Fundamental segmentation for payment complexity analysis.

Where to get

Comparison of Sender BIC country code vs Beneficiary BIC country code.

Examples
truefalse
Met Cut Off Time
MetCutOffTime
Flag indicating if the instruction was sent before the network deadline.
Description

A boolean flag calculated by comparing the 'Payment Instruction Sent' time against the currency-specific SWIFT network cut-off time. This supports the 'SWIFT Cut-off Adherence Rate' KPI.

Failing to meet cut-off times results in settlement delays, impacting liquidity positions.

Why it matters

Crucial operational KPI for treasury and liquidity management.

Where to get

Calculated by comparing timestamp vs static reference table of cut-off times.

Examples
truefalse
Originating Country
OriginatingCountry
The country code of the entity initiating the payment.
Description

Indicates the jurisdiction where the payment request originated. This is vital for the 'Sanctions Screening Lead Time' dashboard, as payments from high-risk jurisdictions often undergo rigorous and longer compliance checks.

It allows for geographic analysis of payment volumes and processing delays.

Why it matters

Key dimension for compliance risk analysis and regional performance.

Where to get

Derived from the Sender BIC (Country Code characters 5-6).

Examples
USGBDEFR
Rejection Reason
RejectionReason
Text description explaining why a payment was rejected.
Description

Contains the narrative or code description when a payment fails, typically found in SWIFT Field 72 (Sender to Receiver Information) or return messages. This supports the 'Beneficiary Rejection Root Cause' analysis.

It allows analysts to perform text mining to find common themes in rejections (e.g., 'Invalid Account', 'Beneficiary Name Mismatch').

Why it matters

Provides qualitative context for process failures.

Where to get

SWIFT Field 72 or 79 in return messages (MT103 Return).

Examples
Beneficiary Account ClosedInvalid IBANRegulatory Compliance FailBank Identifier Unknown
Sanctions Screening Duration
SanctionsScreeningDuration
Time spent in the sanctions screening phase.
Description

Calculates the duration between 'Payment Details Validated' and 'Payment Approved'. This directly populates the 'Sanctions Screening Lead Time' dashboard.

It highlights specific transactions that get stuck in compliance queues, impacting the overall throughput.

Why it matters

Direct measure of compliance efficiency and impact on customer SLAs.

Where to get

Calculated difference between timestamps of specific activities.

Examples
1200005003600000
Required Recommended Optional

Payments Processing Activities

These are the key process steps and milestones to capture in your event log for accurate process discovery and bottleneck identification.
6 Recommended 6 Optional
Activity Description
Payment Approved
The final authorization action by a designated officer or automated rule for high-value transfers. Captured explicitly when the approval workflow flag is set to true.
Why it matters

Key for the 'High Value Transfer Approval Cycles' dashboard. Identifies delays in manual sign-offs for large liquidity movements.

Where to get

Audit trail of the approval workflow engine.

Capture

Logged when approval action executed

Event type explicit
Payment Instruction Sent
The transmission of the formatted message (MT103 or ISO 20022 pacs.008) to the SWIFT Gateway. Captured explicitly when the message payload is generated and handed off to the network interface.
Why it matters

Used to calculate 'SWIFT Cut-off Adherence Rate'. Marks the transition from internal processing to network processing.

Where to get

SWIFT Alliance Access (SAA) logs or Gateway transmission logs.

Capture

Logged when message output occurs

Event type explicit
Payment Reconciled
The matching of the payment transaction against the Nostro/Vostro account ledger statement. Inferred when the reconciliation system links the transaction ID to a statement line item.
Why it matters

Closes the financial loop. Delays here impact cash visibility and auditability.

Where to get

Reconciliation System logs or 'Matched' status in the Core Banking System.

Capture

Compare reconciliation status

Event type inferred
Payment Request Created
The initial generation of the payment instruction within the internal banking system or ERP. This is captured explicitly when a unique transaction reference (TRN or UETR) is first assigned to the payment order.
Why it matters

Establishes the start time for the entire payment lifecycle. Essential for calculating end-to-end processing times and identifying upstream delays before the SWIFT network is engaged.

Where to get

Transaction table creation timestamp in the Core Banking System (CBS) or Payment Hub.

Capture

Logged when transaction record created

Event type explicit
Payment Settled
The confirmation that funds have been credited to the beneficiary's account (often gpi status ACSC). Captured explicitly via tracker updates or confirmation messages.
Why it matters

Represents the successful functional end of the payment chain. Key for calculating 'Settlement to Reconciliation Gap'.

Where to get

SWIFT gpi Tracker (ACSC status) or MT900/910 confirmations.

Capture

Logged when settlement confirmed

Event type explicit
Sanctions Screening Passed
The timestamp when the payment instruction successfully clears the OFAC/Sanctions list screening process. Captured explicitly from compliance system logs or inferred when a 'Screening Hold' status is released.
Why it matters

Critical for the 'Sanctions Screening Lead Time' dashboard. Delays here represent compliance bottlenecks rather than operational inefficiencies.

Where to get

Compliance Filtering System logs or Payment Hub compliance status flags.

Capture

Logged when screening status updates

Event type explicit
Payment Details Validated
The successful completion of syntax and format checks (e.g., IBAN format, BIC validity) on the payment instruction. This is often inferred when the transaction status moves from 'Draft' to 'Validated' or 'Ready for Auth'.
Why it matters

High failure rates here indicate poor data quality at the source. Measures the 'Validation First-Pass Yield' KPI.

Where to get

Payment Engine status logs or validation history tables.

Capture

Compare status field before/after

Event type inferred
Payment Error Identified
The event where a transaction is flagged for repair due to validation failures, NACKs, or rejection messages. Inferred when the transaction enters a 'Repair', 'Correction', or 'Exception' queue.
Why it matters

Tracks the 'Error Resolution Rework Rate'. High frequency here destroys Straight-Through Processing (STP) ratios.

Where to get

Payment Hub status columns or exception queue logs.

Capture

Compare status field to Error/Repair

Event type inferred
Payment Error Resolved
The successful modification and resubmission of a transaction that was previously in error. Inferred when a transaction moves from a 'Repair' queue back to a 'Processing' or 'Ready' state.
Why it matters

Measures the efficiency of the manual rework team. Long durations here indicate training gaps or complex error codes.

Where to get

Payment Hub status logs showing exit from exception queues.

Capture

Compare status field exit Repair

Event type inferred
Payment Rejected
The receipt of a rejection message (MT103 Return or gpi RJCT status) from a beneficiary or intermediary bank. Captured explicitly from incoming SWIFT messages.
Why it matters

Critical for 'Beneficiary Rejection Root Cause' dashboard. Identifies external blockers like closed accounts or incorrect routing data.

Where to get

Incoming SWIFT messages (MT103 RET, pacs.004) or gpi status RJCT.

Capture

Logged when rejection msg received

Event type explicit
Payment Transferred
An intermediate status update (often gpi status ACSP) indicating the payment is being processed by an intermediary bank. Captured via SWIFT gpi Tracker updates or status messages.
Why it matters

Provides visibility into the 'black box' of correspondent banking. Essential for analyzing the total end-to-end journey.

Where to get

SWIFT gpi Tracker data feeds or MT199/trck messages.

Capture

Logged when tracker update received

Event type explicit
SWIFT ACK Received
The receipt of a technical Acknowledgment (ACK) from the SWIFT network, confirming the message was accepted for processing. Captured explicitly from the network interface logs.
Why it matters

Confirms the message successfully entered the global network. Differentiates between internal failures and actual network propagation.

Where to get

SWIFT Gateway logs (looking for ACK vs NACK signals).

Capture

Logged when network ACK received

Event type explicit
Recommended Optional

Extraction Guides

How to get your data from SWIFT