Analysis
The process to initiate and complete the APIS validation project is defined below.

2.1 Gather detailed specifications and definitions

• Determine ALL fields that may be submitted, where they belong in the database, and if they are required (document)
• For each field determine what type of validation is necessary (document)
• Group the validations into types and design simple rules/algorithms to check them (based on db column type)
• Define which types of error can be fixed. For non fixable items, define how to display/track the errors (error reports). Define a process to go about getting the errors fixed by the submitter.

2.2 Programming Tools & Techniques

• Language: Perl
• OS: Solaris
• The application will be written in perl in a Solaris 8 (UNIX) environment. The Data files are plain text and will be parsed and validated using the perl scripts written.

2.3 Deliverables

• General Data Collection - Initial work flow diagrams, spreadsheet that describes the validations to be performed, error file specifications
• Diagram of the workflow for the validator application and its components
• Development code ready for QA
• Application code ready for production