Patent ID: 7613632

Claim:
A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instructions, which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform: receiving, from a merchant point of sale (POS) system via a network, a message to be evaluated, wherein the message is a test message not associated with an actual financial transaction request; reading header information in the message; determining, based at least in part on the header information, a plurality of fields represented in the message; evaluating the plurality of fields using a plurality of subroutines, wherein each one of the plurality of subroutines is distinct from each other one of the plurality of subroutines and is associated with one of the plurality of fields, respectively, wherein each of the plurality of subroutines is coded with a plurality of pre-defined validation rules defining types of characters and an arrangement of characters permissible for one of the plurality of fields, respectively, and wherein each of the plurality of subroutines is modular, allowing at least one distinct one of the plurality of subroutines to be edited while another distinct one of the plurality of subroutines evaluates one of the plurality of fields; sending an evaluation-result notification after the evaluating is complete, wherein, when the evaluating detects no error in the message, the evaluation-result notification reports that the message is error-free and that, upon certifying the message, the merchant POS system may use the message for completing one or more financial transaction requests; receiving, from the merchant POS system, after the evaluating detects no error in the message, a request for certification of the message; certifying the message, wherein the certifying is required in order for the merchant POS system to use the message for completing the one or more financial transaction requests; receiving, from the merchant POS system after the certifying, a financial transaction request using the message; and processing the financial transaction request.