A Canonical document is a standardized representation that a document might assume while it is passing through the webMethods Integration Platform. A canonical document acts as the intermediary data format between resources. For example, in an implementation that accepts purchase orders from companies, one of the steps in the process converts the purchase order document to a company's standard purchase order format. This format is called the 'canonical' form of the purchase order document. The canonical document is published, delivered, and passed to services that process purchase orders.