Data Resource Validation Tool

This tool for ArcGIS Desktop verifies folder structure, xml document structure, and metadata content.

Download Data Resource Validation Tool
Note: download also includes Data Resource Editor add-in.

Install Validation Tool
Unzip download file to local computer and double-click (DataResourceValidation_addin.esriaddin) file. To add toobar to ArcMap simply open ArcMap and choose customize > Toolbars > DataResourceValidationToolbar. If ArcMap is open at the time of install, you may need to close and reopen ArcMap to enable the tools. 

Using the Tool

The Data Resource Validation Tool looks like this:

This tool has two functions:

• Data Resource Validation:  Launches Toolbox Tool which allows users to validate dataResources (and appResources), including metadata. Most users will probably only need this button.
• MGMG Metadata Validation (only):  To validate metadata before you have a full resource to validate, use this tool. It validates any MGMG metadata XML file for compliance with Commons requirements. It is not necessary to run this on the metadata.xml file after you have used the MGC Resource Editor to create a data resource. Just run full validation at that point, which includes the metadata.

Please note that if you use the MGC Resource Editor tool to create a data resource or app resource, it should create the data resource and subresource folders and dataResource.xml correctly. Typically you only need to use the validation tool if you create or amend the data resource manually. Also note that the Validation Tool and the Data Resource Editor follow the specifications used in the GDRS / Geobroker validation process. This enables you to find errors before the resource is copied to your GDRS publishing location (either your agency GDRS or the inbound FTP site), so that the publishing process proceeds more quickly and smoothly.

Data Resource Validation

Click on the Data Resource Validation Icon.  A window opens that directs you to browse to the data resource directory that you want to validate and click it so that it appears in the “Name” window.  Now select “Validate” button.  

The tool performs the following checks:

• Metadata check: checks to see that the metadata.xml file is successfully validated (i.e., has the correct MGMG metadata xml tag structure, with contents in the metadata elements required by the Commons).
• Data Resource check: checks to see that the data resource can be validated, including:
  • The dataResource.xml file can be validated, including the correct xml tag structure, and the required tags filled in.  
  • The Subdirectory structure under the dataResource xml is valid, and that the dataResource.xml file reflects the directory structure. For instance, if there is a data subresource directory, then there needs to be a set of data subresource tags in the dataResource.xml reflecting that subresource.
  • Data Resource Name checks: ensures that the dataResource name is valid (32 characters or less, underbars, prefixed with a valid ISO theme, etc), and that the dataResource name in the resource directory and the dataResource name in the dataResource.xml match.

Valid Results look like this:

App Resource Validation

Despite the name of the tool, you can also use it to point to an AppResource folder and validate:

Since the directory structure for an AppResource is much simpler, this merely verifies that the appResource.xml can be validated, including the correct xml tag structure and contents in the required tags. It also verifies that the appResource directory name and the appResource name in the appResource.xml match. 

MGMG Metadata Validation 

As previously noted, this button is most useful if you want to validate metadata before you use the Resource Editor to create a data resource. This process validates a metadata xml file, checking that the xml data element tag structure is correct and that all fields required by the Commons are filled in. An idiosyncrasy of the tool is that it can validate against any named metadata xml file (dataname.xml), but will not find and validate a record called “metadata.xml”. Therefore publishers can only use this button to check ancillary metadata files not named metadata.xml or to verify metadata validity before the metadata is renamed as “metadata.xml” – in a temporary or staging area, not in the gdrs. To validate a metadata file after it is renamed, simply validate the full resource using the other button.

Click on the Metadata Validation Icon.  A window opens that directs you to browse first to the data resource directory that contains the metadata you want to validate ...

... and then to the metadata directory and the metadata record that you want to validate. Click on the  metadata record that you want to validate to enter it into the Name field, then click on the Validate button to perform the process.

The results are as follows: