Data validation ensures that information in a program or database is standard and clean. There are different standards based on programming language and type of information. Validation can be simple or complex, and various tests can be used. Validation also protects against hackers by preventing corruption and malfunction.
Data validation is the process of checking a program or database to ensure that information is standard and clean. There are different standards, based on the programming language used or the type of information collected and stored in the database. The process can be simple or very complex. A variety of tests can be used to ensure validation. If data isn’t validated regularly, this can lead to security problems, because hackers will have less trouble cracking unorganized and non-standard code.
There is no universal standard for data validation; rather, the standard depends on what information is validated. For example, some programming languages allow you to use underscores instead of spaces to connect multiple words, while other programming languages don’t allow underscores. These kinds of differences mean that all data validation must be specific to the data; otherwise, it can cause problems and inconsistencies with data standards.
Performing data validation can be simple or complex. A simple validation procedure would be to check a database of phone numbers and ensure that non-standard letters and symbols, such as the percent sign or dollar sign, are not included. More complex validation procedures check that programs are referencing the correct files and that there is no corrupted code in the program.
To ensure data validation, many tests can be used, most of which are handled by a validation program. For example, a consistency check will ensure that all records are consistent; if a record is supposed to have a name followed by a phone number, a consistency check will ensure that all records follow this order. Limit and range checks will look at the numbers in your program or database and make sure the numbers are not too high or out of range. For databases and programs that cannot have redundant data, a uniqueness check will ensure that each record is unique.
In addition to improving data functioning and ensuring coding or standard inputs, data validation also helps protect against hackers. When data is disorganized or non-standard, it has a high potential for corruption and malfunction. This means that a hacker can break into the system easier than if all the data were valid. For example, when code becomes corrupted, it will be subject to change; this means that a hacker can infiltrate the system and change the encryption to open holes or steal information without being easily detected.
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