Validata (http://hw-swel.github.io/Validata/) is an online web application for validating a dataset description expressed in RDF against a community profile expressed as a Shape Expression (ShEx). Additionally it provides an API for programmatic access to the validator. Validata is capable of being used for multiple community agreed standards, e.g. DCAT, the HCLS community profile, or the Open PHACTS guidelines, and there are currently deployments to support each of these. Validata can be easily repurposed for different deployments by providing it with a new ShEx schema. The Validata code is available from GitHub (https://github.com/HW-SWeL/Validata). Presentation given at SDSVoc https://www.w3.org/2016/11/sdsvoc

1. Validata: A tool for testing
profile conformance
Alasdair J G Gray
Heriot-Watt University
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
A.J.G.Gray@hw.ac.uk
@gray_alasdair
Andrew Beveridge
Jacob Baungard Hansen
Johnny Val
Leif Gehrmann
Roisin Farmer
Sunil Khutan
Tomas Robertson

2. HCLS Dataset Descriptions
https://www.w3.org/TR/hcls-dataset/
Dumontier M, Gray AJG, Marshall MS, et al. (2016) The health care
and life sciences community profile for dataset descriptions.
PeerJ 4:e2331 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2331
1 December 2016
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
2

3. Requirements
• Online tool
– Deployable on W3C
server
– GUI
– API
• Support multiple
constraints
– Properties
– Data values
– …
• Requirement levels
– Different levels of
user messages:
Error, Warning,
Information
• Configurable
– HCLS (Required)
– DCAT, Open
PHACTS, etc
(Optional)
1 December 2016
@gray_alasdair
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4. Example Constraint
1 December 2016 4
• Shape
• A Dataset
– MUST be declared to be of type dctype:Dataset
– MUST have a dcterms:title as a language typed
string
– MUST NOT have dcterms:created date
<Dataset> rdf:langString
.
✗
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
Dates are associated
with versions in HCLS

5. Example Validation
1 December 2016 5
<Dataset> rdf:langString
.
✗
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
• Shape
• Data

6. Example Validation
• Shape
• Data
1 December 2016 6
<Dataset> rdf:langString
.
✗
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33

7. Example Validation
1 December 2016 7
<Dataset> rdf:langString
.
✗
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
• Shape
• Data

8. <Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
Shape
1 December 2016 8
<Dataset> rdf:langString
.
✗
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
Shape Expressions (ShEx)

9. 1 December 2016 9
@gray_alasdair
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ShEx: Validation
<Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
<Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
<Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
<Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
<Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
<Dataset> {
rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
dct:title rdf:langString,
dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
!dct:created .
}
Validator can’t warn of
missing property
Example data

10. <Dataset> {
`MUST` rdf:type (dctypes:Dataset),
`MUST` dct:title rdf:langString,
`MAY` dct:alternative rdf:langString+,
`MUST` !dct:created .
}
Shape
1 December 2016 10
<Dataset> rdf:langString
.
✗
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
Requirement Levels
Validator can warn of
missing property

11. Implementation
Validata
• Web app front end
• Javascript + HTML
• Relies on ShEx-validator
– Validates documents
– Returns report
https://github.com/HW-
SWeL/Validata
ShEx-validator
• Validation system
• Validation API
• Javascript
– nodejs engine
• Reuses
– n3: RDF Library
– ShExParser
https://github.com/HW-
SWeL/ShEx-validator
1 December 2016
@gray_alasdair
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33
11

12. http://hw-swel.github.io/Validata/
VALIDATA DEMO

13. Validata
https://github.com/HW-SWeL/Validata
• RDF constraint validation tool
– Configurable to any profile
• Shape Expression (ShEx) constraints
• Open source javascript implementation
www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33/
A.J.G.Gray@hw.ac.uk
@gray_alasdair