Abstract: Data between two stations is often transmitted in the form of a parameter and the name or identifier of the parameter. The present invention divides the identifier into a prefix, an attribute, and a suffix. The actual parameters having a particular prefix or suffix are then transmitted along with the attributes. Then parameters having a different suffix but the same prefix are transmitted along with the respective attributes. This is repeated until all suffixes of the first prefix have been used. The process is then repeated for a different prefix. Indicators are used to indicate the start of a particular group having a particular suffix and a particular prefix. In this way the entire identifier for each parameter does not need to be transmitted each time a parameter is transmitted.