Are you working with data and not sure how to validate it? Data validation checks for errors in the data entry, such as missing values, invalid characters, and duplicate entries. Data validation rules ensure the accuracy and consistency of your data. Read on to learn about the rules of data validation.
What Is Data Validation?
Data validation is the process of checking the accuracy and completeness of data before it’s entered into a database or other information system. This usually involves verifying that the data meets certain predefined requirements, called a validation rule or validation schema, and taking action if it doesn’t.
There are several reasons why data validation is important. First, inaccurate or incomplete data can lead to wrong decisions or incorrect results. Second, incorrect data can cause problems if it’s used to make decisions or if it’s passed on to other systems. Finally, data validation can help protect against malicious attacks, such as structured query language (SQL) injection attacks.
Data Type
Data type is a critical rule of data validation. This rule ensures the data being entered has the correct data type as required by the field. For example, text data should be entered in a text field, and numbers should be entered in a number field. If any other data value is entered, it should be rejected by the system.
This is an important rule to follow because it helps ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data. By properly entering data into the correct field, the data will be easier to analyze and use. Additionally, data that’s entered into the incorrect field will likely be inaccurate, which can lead to incorrect results.
Following the data type rule is an essential part of data validation and helps ensure the accuracy of your data.
Code Check
A code check is a data validation rule that checks whether the value is from a list of accepted values. This can be used to ensure that the input is correct and to avoid typos. For example, you might use a code check to ensure that the input is a valid zip code for a certain location.
There are several types of code checks that you can use, depending on the type of data you’re validating. One common type of code check is a regular expression. This checks the input against a specific pattern and will return an error if the input doesn’t match the pattern.
Another common type of code check is a list check. This checks whether the input is one of a list of accepted values. This can be useful for validating input data that’s coming from a list or database. You can also use code checks to validate dates and numbers. This can be useful for ensuring that input is in the correct format, or for preventing invalid values from being entered into your system.
Code checks are a valuable tool for ensuring the accuracy of your data. By using code checks to validate your input data, you can avoid errors and ensure that your data is correct.
Range
Range is a great data validation rule to have in your arsenal because it can help ensure that the data entered into your system is of the proper format and falls within the range you specify. This can be helpful in ensuring data accuracy and can help to prevent data entry errors.
For example, if you’re asking for someone’s age, you can set the range to be between 0 and 100 years old, and any value outside of that range will be invalid and not accepted by the system. This can help to ensure that no one enters an incorrect age, which could lead to mistakes in your data.
Range is a versatile data validation rule, and can be used in many different ways to help keep your data accurate. So, next time you are working on building your data validation schemas, be sure to add range to the list.
Utilizing Data Validation
Altogether, data validation is important because it helps ensure that data is accurate and consistent. These are only a few common rules for data validation that you can use to ensure the accuracy of your validation. Keep in mind that you can create other rules for data validation that are more suited to your unique business needs.
