IEC TS 61968-2:2003

Application integration at electric utilities - System interfaces for distribution management - Part 2: Glossary

Identifies and explains terms and abbreviations used in the remaining parts of the IEC 61968 series.
This publication is of core relevance for Smart Grid.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 27-Nov-2003
• ICS: 33.200 - Telecontrol. Telemetering
• Technical Committee: TC 57 - Power systems management and associated information exchange
• Drafting Committee: WG 14 - TC 57/WG 14
• Current Stage: DELPUB - Deleted Publication
• Start Date: 30-Mar-2011
• Completion Date: 26-Oct-2025

Relations

• Revised: IEC TS 61968-2:2011 - Application integration at electric utilities - System interfaces for distribution management - Part 2: Glossary
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Overview

IEC TS 61968-2:2003 - part of the IEC 61968 series - is the glossary for Application Integration at Electric Utilities: System Interfaces for Distribution Management. This Technical Specification identifies and explains the terms and abbreviations used across the IEC 61968 suite, providing a consistent vocabulary for Distribution Management Systems (DMS), middleware-based application integration, and Smart Grid interoperability.

Why it matters: IEC 61968-2 establishes the common language required for consistent implementation of system interfaces, messaging brokers, adapters and other integration artifacts used by utilities, vendors and integrators.

Key topics and requirements

• Definitions and scope
  • Clear definitions of DMS concepts such as application component, abstract component, component adapter, broker, and connectivity model.
  • Terms bridging electrical distribution management and information & communication technology (ICT).
• Integration and middleware vocabulary
  • Terms related to message brokering, communication services, CORBA compliance, adapters and wrappers used to connect heterogeneous applications.
• Operational and domain-specific terms
  • Distribution operational concepts such as breaker control, cold load pickup, busbar voltage control, contingency analysis, crew dispatch and automated mapping/geofacilities.
• Data and audit concepts
  • Definitions for attributes, audit trail, configuration data exchange and common facilities used across interface parts.
• Abbreviations
  • A consolidated glossary of abbreviations specific to the IEC 61968 series to avoid ambiguity in subsequent parts.

Note: IEC TS 61968-2 does not define protocol implementations; it standardizes terminology used by the other IEC 61968 parts that define interfaces and messages.

Practical applications and users

IEC 61968-2 is foundational for any project that implements IEC 61968 interface specifications or integrates distribution management applications. Typical users include:

• Utility architects and IT teams - to align internal terminology when integrating SCADA, outage management, AMI and asset/records systems.
• System integrators and middleware vendors - to design component adapters, brokers and interface mappings consistent with the IEC 61968 series.
• Software vendors - to ensure product terminology matches standards for interoperability with other DMS components.
• Standards engineers and Smart Grid program managers - as a reference to reduce semantic mismatches during specification, procurement and deployment.

Related standards

• IEC 61968 (series) - Part 1 (interface architecture), Part 3 (network operations), Part 4 (records and asset management) and other parts that define specific interfaces and messages.
• Works in the context of IEC TC 57 power system control and associated communications and complements middleware and messaging standards referenced in other IEC/ISO documents.

By standardizing vocabulary, IEC TS 61968-2:2003 helps utilities and vendors achieve consistent, interoperable distribution management system integrations - a core enabler of Smart Grid deployment and scalable application integration.

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL IEC
SPECIFICATION TS 61968-2
First edition
2003-11
Application integration
at electric utilities –
System interfaces for distribution
management –
Part 2:
Glossary
Reference number
IEC/TS 61968-2:2003(E)
Publication numbering
As from 1 January 1997 all IEC publications are issued with a designation in the
60000 series. For example, IEC 34-1 is now referred to as IEC 60034-1.
Consolidated editions
The IEC is now publishing consolidated versions of its publications. For example,
edition numbers 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 refer, respectively, to the base publication, the
base publication incorporating amendment 1 and the base publication incorporating
amendments 1 and 2.
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TECHNICAL IEC
SPECIFICATION TS 61968-2
First edition
2003-11
Application integration
at electric utilities –
System interfaces for distribution
management –
Part 2:
Glossary
 IEC 2003  Copyright - all rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from the publisher.
International Electrotechnical Commission, 3, rue de Varembé, PO Box 131, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Telephone: [phone] Telefax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Web: www.iec.ch
PRICE CODE
Commission Electrotechnique Internationale T

International Electrotechnical Commission
МеждународнаяЭлектротехническаяКомиссия
For price, see current catalogue

– 2 – TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3
INTRODUCTION.5

1 Scope.6
2 Terms and definitions .6
3 Glossary of abbreviations in the IEC 61968 series.20

Bibliography.23

TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
APPLICATION INTEGRATION AT ELECTRIC UTILITIES –
SYSTEM INTERFACES FOR DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT –

Part 2: Glossary
FOREWORD
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The main task of IEC technical committees is to prepare International Standards. In
exceptional circumstances, a technical committee may propose the publication of a technical
specification when
• the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard,
despite repeated efforts, or
• the subject is still under technical development or where, for any other reason, there is the
future but no immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard.
Technical specifications are subject to review within three years of publication to decide
whether they can be transformed into International Standards.
IEC 61968-2, which is a technical specification, has been prepared by IEC technical
committee 57: Power system control and associated communications.

– 4 – TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E)
The text of this technical specification is based on the following documents:
Enquiry draft Report on voting
57/547/CDV 57/633/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this technical specification can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
IEC 61968 consists of the following parts under the general title Application integration at
electric utilities – System interfaces for distribution management:
Part 1: Interface architecture and general requirements
Part 2: Glossary
Part 3: Interface standard for network operations
Part 4: Interface standard for records and asset management
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
2004. At this date, the publication will be
• transformed into an International standard;
• reconfirmed;
• withdrawn;
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

———————
Under consideration.
TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E) – 5 –
INTRODUCTION
The IEC 61968 series is intended to facilitate inter-application integration, as opposed to
intra-application integration, of the various distributed software application systems supporting
the management of utility electrical distribution networks. Intra-application integration is aimed
at programs in the same application system, usually communicating with each other using
middleware that is embedded in their underlying runtime environment, and tends to be
optimized for close, real-time, synchronous connections and interactive request/reply or
conversation communication models. IEC 61968, by contrast, is intended to support the inter-
application integration of a utility enterprise that needs to connect disparate applications that
are already built or new (legacy or purchased applications), each supported by dissimilar
runtime environments. Therefore, IEC 61968 is relevant to loosely coupled applications with
more heterogeneity in languages, operating systems, protocols and management tools.
IEC 61968 is intended to support applications that need to exchange data on an event driven
basis. IEC 61968 is intended to be implemented with middleware services that broker
messages among applications, and will complement, but not replace utility data warehouses,
database gateways, and operational stores.
The series of standards will be using a lot of definitions, terms and abbreviations from the
area of distribution management as well as from the area of Information and Communication
Technology. This glossary part defines the terms and abbreviations as they are used in the
context of this series of standards.
The contents of this part 2 contains the following clauses.
Table 1 – Document overview for IEC 61968-2
Clause Title Purpose
The scope, purpose, aim, and organization of IEC 61968 are
1 Scope
described.
Definition of terms that are specific to this series of standards
2 Terms and definitions or may have different interpretations when not defined
explicitly.
Definitions of abbreviations that are specific to this series of
3 Glossary of abbreviations
standards.
– 6 – TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E)
APPLICATION INTEGRATION AT ELECTRIC UTILITIES –
SYSTEM INTERFACES FOR DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT –

Part 2: Glossary
1 Scope
This glossary, accompanying the IEC 61968 series, is the second part in the series that, taken
as a whole, define interfaces for the major elements of an interface architecture for
Distribution Management Systems (DMS). This part of IEC 61968, referred to as Part 2,
identifies and explains terms and abbreviations used in the remaining parts of IEC 61968.
As used in IEC 61968, a DMS consists of various distributed application components for the
utility to manage electrical distribution networks. These capabilities include monitoring and
control of equipment for power delivery, management processes to ensure system reliability,
voltage management, demand-side management, outage management, work management,
automated mapping and facilities management.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of the IEC 61968 series, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
abstract component
smallest logical block of software considered in the IEC 61968 interface reference model.
Abstract components have interfaces that will be defined in future parts 3 to 10 of the
IEC 61968 series. It is expected that different vendors will supply physical Application
Components that support the interfaces for one or more abstract components
2.2
adapter
layer of software that connects one component, for example an application, to another
component, for example an interface implementation or a middleware implementation
NOTE Same as object adapter.
2.3
address/network connection
linkage of customer to premise to electrical feeder
2.4
application component
block of software with specific functions and interfaces. A distribution management system is
considered to be a set of one or more applications. Each application consists of one or more
application components
2.5
attribute
identifiable association between an object and a value. An attribute is a property of an object
2.6
audit trail
information saved in a sequential form so that an event can be traced back to its origin

TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E) – 7 –
2.7
automated mapping/geofacilities
geospatial management system utilizing computer graphics technology to enter, store, and
update graphic and non-graphic information. Automated mapping reduces the cost and effort
in map creation and maintenance and facility record keeping. An automated mapping/
geospatial system processes geographic depictions and related non-graphic data elements for
each entity stored in a digital database. The graphic representations are referenced using a
coordinate system that relates to locations on the surface of the earth. Information in the
database can be queried and displayed based upon either the graphic or non-graphic
attributes of the entities. The system provides the utility a single, continuous electronic map of
the service territory
2.8
automatic generation control
controls generation such that average hourly generation control follows predispatch schedule.
Generation levels may be changed based on improving economic operation, emergency
conditions, or other improved conditions
2.9
billing system
electronic billing, customer account inquiries
2.10
breaker control
operator or manual opening or closing of a circuit breaker to isolate a fault or change the
network configuration
2.11
broker
middleware component that provides a means for communication between distributed
application components
2.12
busbar voltage control
regulates the voltage on the distribution substation busbar by controlling transformer load tap
changing. Includes control of either single or paralleled substation transformers
2.13
business functions
functions that form part of a business process. The functions may be performed manually
and/or by one or more software applications
2.14
cartographic map
map, which displays planimetric and/or topographic information and which, may be used as a
base for a thematic layer. Features, which may be included on a base map, are roads, rivers,
major structures (buildings), contours, etc. Feature presentation will, however, be map scale
dependent. A cartographic feature is a term applied to the natural or cultural objects shown on
a map or chart
2.15
circuit
normal or actual configuration of a specific distribution circuit originating at a substation and
extending to either normally open switches of other distribution circuits or simply terminating
at different end points
NOTE Same as feeder.
– 8 – TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E)
2.16
class
definition of the attribute and methods for a type of object (see object)
2.17
clearance
special authority given a person or persons working on de-energized cables, wires or
equipment
NOTE Also known as safety permit.
2.18
client
requester of either or both services or resources, i.e. the code or process that invokes an
operation on an object
2.19
cold load pickup
restores service to a distribution feeder or feeders after a prolonged outage (minutes or more)
without causing feeder and substation protective relays to operate due to high inrush currents.
2.20
common facilities
sets of programs and documents used by applications through a common interface
2.21
communication services
to connect multiple components, an integration system must reconcile network and protocol
differences transparently to the components. The IEC specifies therefore a basic set of
appropriate communication services
2.22
component
set of services with a well-defined interface. A component can be as large as a complete
(legacy) application which implements multiple services or as small as a tiny widget which
implements only one service. Components are independent software entities, which
encapsulate (private) data the component needs to know to perform its business function. For
example, it can perform any function that is required for distribution management. Typical
categories of functions are showed in the interface reference model
2.23
component adapter
piece of software that has the role of making non compliant components compliant with the
IEC 61968 series. As such, the component adapter only goes as far as necessary to make the
component conformant to one or more specific IEC interface specifications. A component
adapter is a type of wrapper
2.24
configuration data exchange
inter-substation computer communications to transfer control/monitoring (SCADA) of devices
to an adjacent substation due to reconfiguration or outage
2.25
connectivity model
complete description of the electrical connections between lines, cables, switches, isolators
and other network components
TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E) – 9 –
2.26
contingency analysis
study of the effect of unexpected failure or outage of a system component. In distribution
systems it generally involves the study of how to restore power to customers when the normal
supply path is unavailable.
Also an operating application which computes the potential effect of contingencies involving
the loss of generation and transmission facilities. A specific set of predefined contingencies is
analyzed on a cyclic basis. It simulates a contingency and calculates the changes in busbar
voltages and power flows resulting from the contingency. The base conditions for this
calculation are the Busbar voltages or power flows obtained from the load flow program
2.27
CORBA compliance
the minimum required for a CORBA compliant system is adherence to the specifications in the
CORBA core and one mapping. Interoperability and inter-working are separate compliance
points
2.28
crew dispatch schedule
dynamically created schedule in which the work order for a specific crew is described. The
schedule is based on the planned work or unplanned service interruptions in the infrastructure
known at the moment the schedule was created
2.29
crew management
tracking of crew details schedules, crewmembers and all general activities related to outage
and general operational investigations.
2.30
crew scheduling
dispatch of service people for customer service calls and distribution construction, and the
recording and monitoring of time spent on each call
2.31
crew tracking reports
dynamic information about the location, and progress of field crews in dealing with the work
assigned to the current control
2.32
current control
manages circulating current in a parallel transformer configuration at the distribution
substation. Reduces substation transformer load losses and minimizes transformer overloads
by balancing loading between transformers in the same or adjacent distribution substations
2.33
customer
resident who is supplied with power and is calling in because he/she has no power
2.34
customer outage analysis
up-to-date information on the number of customers affected by a specific network incident
2.35
data type
categorization of values operation arguments, typically covering both behavior and
representation (i.e., the traditional non-OO programming language notion of type)

– 10 – TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E)
2.36
data model
data model is a collection of descriptions of data structures and their contained fields,
together with the operations or functions that manipulate them
2.37
data warehouse
repository of data
2.38
database management/security
provides the required maintenance of data elements and controls the data requirements of
other subsystems. Security management encompasses access control authorization facilities
and partitioning the network. Security management may also include support for encryption
and maintenance of security logs
2.39
deferred synchronous request
request where the client does not wait for completion of the request, but does intend to accept
results later. Contrast with synchronous request and one-way request
2.40
demand-side management
functions that enable the utility to manage the demand curve in an emergency or planned
mode and to determine the customer load curve. Demand-side management functions include
load control and load survey.
2.41
department
business function, for example handling outages, repairs on meters and repairs on the
distribution network, or customer care
2.42
device operation history
data concerning the operation of electrical devices, often used in condition-based
maintenance schemes
2.43
dispatcher
person responsible for the controls at the master station
2.44
Distributed COM
DCOM
object protocol that enables ActiveX components to communicate directly with each other
across a network including Internet and Intranet. DCOM is language neutral, so any language
that produces ActiveX components can also produce DCOM applications
DCOM is based on the most widely-used component technology today. DCOM is simply “COM
with a longer wire” a low level extension of the component object model, the core object
technology within Microsoft
2.45
distributed load control
distributed control is performed with both utility commands from a remote location like direct
load control and a local controller that responds to local conditions. The utility has the ability
to activate the control action, but the customer retains the option to override or modify the
utility direct load control command

TS 61968-2  IEC:2003(E) – 11 –
2.46
distribution automation
those actions to carry out automation of the distribution networks to enable automatic or
remote operation. It may include retrofitting switchgear with actuator
...