covers several general topics related to SNOMED CT release

files including:

distributed in RF1. However, a conversion tool to general RF1 style files from the RF2 release files

was made available during a transition period.

The key enhancements in

• More robust and consistent version representation;
• Inclusion of a moduleId and module dependency mechanism, which together enable modularization of releases while representing dependencies between modules;

• Gloss
  Space true t Reference sets

  to provide an extensible and versionable way to configure 

  Gloss
  Space true t SNOMED CT.

  Including support for subsets, maps, annotations, alternative hierarchies, etc.;

• Use of an added

  Gloss
  Space true t hierarchy

  to represent metadata about the structure of

  Gloss
  Space true t SNOMED CT

  itself.

In common with the earlier release format

• Represent the components of

  Gloss
  t SNOMED CT:

• (concepts, descriptions and relationships)

• Provide standard representations for subsets, language preferences and maps to other codes and classifications.

• Are distributed as tab-delimited text files - which represent character content in accordance with the  Unicode UTF-8 specification;

• Use

  Gloss
  Space true t SNOMED CT Identifiers

  as the permanent

  Gloss
  Space true t Identifier

  of released core components;

• Support

  Gloss
  Space true t extensions

  to the

  Gloss
  Space true t International Release

  using

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  Space true t namespaces

  allocated to licensees to denote the provenance of added components and to ensure

  Gloss
  Space true t Identifier

  uniqueness.