shapes-ISSUE-188 (define validation): "Validation" needs to be defined

shapes-ISSUE-188 (define validation): "Validation" needs to be defined

http://www.w3.org/2014/data-shapes/track/issues/188

Raised by: Karen Coyle
On product: 

The term validation as used in SHACL needs to be defined. (The English language term is ambiguous.) The XML schema has a clear defiinition [1]. Based on that, I suggest the following as a definition of validation in SHACL:

[Definition:]   Validation is the process of determining whether a node in the data graph obeys the constraints expressed in a shapes graph. The validation result is true when the node in the data graph obeys the constraints, and false when it does not.

Note that XML allows for 3 validation results: true, false, and undetermined. I do not know if SHACL also follows this pattern, so my true/false declaration above may need adjustment if that is the case. Here is what XML schema says:

Note: As just defined, validation produces not a binary result, but a ternary one: if the information item is ·strictly assessed·, it will be either valid or invalid, but if no applicable declaration is found, its validity will be unknown (and its [validity] property will have the value notKnown). Whether in a particular application notKnown should be treated in the same way as invalid or differently is outside the scope of this specification; sometimes one choice is appropriate, sometimes the other.


[1] See: https://www.w3.org/TR/2012/REC-xmlschema11-1-20120405/#key-vn

Received on Sunday, 9 October 2016 02:51:30 UTC