The release file naming convention specified in this section applies to all starting with the January 2010 . The release package naming convention specified was added subsequently to provide additional clarity through a structured name applied to the folder (and zip archive name) containing a set of release files. This package naming convention first applied to releases by SNOMED International during 2017.

These naming specifications provides the following benefits:

• A consistent naming convention across the and each .

• Predictable file naming, providing a stable structure for naming over time between releases.

• A standard way to identify the source country and of the organization responsible for a .

• A consistent mechanism for representing version of release files and packages of release files.
• An human readable way to identify the content of a file, at a summary level.

• A mechanism for identifying the type of information stored in a (e.g. documentation, tooling, etc.).

• Guidance on file naming for in non-English .

• Assurance that file names will be unique across the and releases from individual centers and across separate releases from each center over time.

Quality Assurance checks, performed during the  process, ensure that this naming convention is enforced. Equivalent checks should also be performed as part of each release process.