Free cXML validator, compliant with the official DTD.

How to use this cXML validator

1. Paste your cXML message into the field on the left, or import a .xml / .cxml file from your disk (500 KB cap).
2. Click Validate. The validator runs your message against the official cXML 1.2.069 DTD in a few milliseconds.
3. Read the result. If the message is valid, you get a 100% conformity score and the detected message type. Otherwise, every error appears with its line number and a plain-language explanation.

Most common cXML errors

Broken cXML messages almost always come from a slow drift between the buyer-side implementation (Ariba, Coupa, Oracle Procurement, etc.) and the official spec. Here are the errors this validator catches most often:

• Missing element in the Header. The DTD enforces a strict sequence of From, To, Sender. Skip any of them and the whole request fails.
• Missing payloadID or timestamp on the cXML root. Both are required attributes.
• Out-of-enum operation value on PunchOutSetupRequest. Only create, inspect, edit and source are accepted.
• Element not declared in the DTD. Often a custom attribute or proprietary extension that should be wrapped in an Extrinsic.
• Mismatched opening and closing tags. Typical of a partial copy-paste between Postman and a text editor.

Which cXML messages can you validate?

Every message defined by the official cXML 1.2.069 DTD. The most common in PunchOut and e-procurement integrations:

• PunchOutSetupRequest / PunchOutSetupResponse - the catalog session handshake.
• PunchOutOrderMessage - cart return to the buyer's ERP.
• OrderRequest / ConfirmationRequest - the order and its confirmation.
• ShipNoticeRequest - the advance ship notice (ASN).
• InvoiceDetailRequest - the electronic invoice.
• ProfileRequest / ProfileResponse - capability negotiation.
• QuoteRequest / QuoteMessage - quote request and response, etc.

cXML DTD 1.2.069 - what gets checked

Our validator runs against the official cXML 1.2.069 DTD published by cxml.org in strict mode. Specifically it checks:

• The structural grammar: elements present, in the right order, with the right cardinality (a single Header, exactly one of Request/Response/Message).
• Required attributes on each element (payloadID, timestamp, domain, operation, etc.).
• Enumerated values on typed attributes.
• Tag nesting (XML well-formedness).

What the validator does not check: business consistency (a negative price, a reused BuyerCookie, an Identity that doesn't match your supplier account, etc.). Those rules are domain-specific and belong to the outbound integration layer.

Learn more

• What is cXML? - Understand the protocol, its history, and its role in B2B e-procurement.
• cXML vs OCI - The differences between the two historic PunchOut standards.
• Setup Request vs cart return - The two key moments of a PunchOut session.
• Magento PunchOut planning checklist - What to plan on the supplier side.