Performing Data Validation
Data validation is the process of verifying that run-time data conforms to a predefined structure and format. Data validation also verifies that run-time data is a specific data type and falls within a defined range of values.
By performing data validation, you can make sure that:
The pipeline, a document (IData object), or an XML document contains the data needed to execute subsequent services. For example, if a service processes a purchase order, you might want to verify that the purchase order contains a customer name and address.
The data is in the structure expected by subsequent services. For example, a service that processes a purchase order might expect the customer address to be a document field with the following fields:
name,
address,
city,
state, and
zip.
Data is of the type and within a value range expected by a service. For example, if a service processes a purchase order, you might want to make sure that the purchase order does not contain a negative quantity of an item (such as -5 shirts).
By using the data validation capabilities built into Integration Server, you can decide whether or not to execute a service based on the validity of data. The validation capabilities can also eliminate extra validation code from your services.