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Validation

Ignixa provides a three-tier validation system that balances performance with conformance checking.

Validation Features​

The server provides validation via the $validate operation endpoint. Validation checks FHIR resource structure and conformance rules.

Validation Checks​

Ignixa performs the following validation checks:

  • JSON structure validity
  • Required field presence
  • Basic type checking
  • Value domain validation
  • Reference format checking
  • CodeableConcept structure
  • Cardinality constraints
  • StructureDefinition constraints (if profiles are loaded)
  • Extension validation
  • Invariant (FHIRPath) evaluation

Note: Detailed configuration of validation levels is managed through installed FHIR packages and StructureDefinitions. For custom validation behavior, use invariants in StructureDefinitions.

Validation Flow​

Resource Input
     │
     ▼
┌─────────────┐
│    Fast     │ Structure, required fields
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│    Spec     │ FHIR specification rules
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│   Profile   │ Custom profiles, invariants
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       ▼
OperationOutcome

Using $validate​

Validate resources without storing:

Basic Validation (Tenant-Explicit)​

POST /tenant/{tenantId}/Patient/$validate
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Patient",
  "name": [{ "family": "Smith" }]
}

Or single-tenant mode:

POST /Patient/$validate
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Patient",
  "name": [{ "family": "Smith" }]
}

Validate Against a Specific Profile​

Use a Parameters resource with the profile parameter:

POST /tenant/{tenantId}/Patient/$validate
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  "parameter": [
    {
      "name": "profile",
      "valueUri": "http://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/StructureDefinition/us-core-patient"
    },
    {
      "name": "resource",
      "resource": {
        "resourceType": "Patient",
        "name": [{ "family": "Smith" }]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Validation Modes​

Specify validation mode (create, update, delete) in the Parameters resource:

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  "parameter": [
    {
      "name": "mode",
      "valueCode": "create"
    },
    {
      "name": "resource",
      "resource": { ... }
    }
  ]
}

Supported modes:

  • create - Validate as if creating a new resource
  • update - Validate as if updating an existing resource
  • delete - Validate deletion constraints

OperationOutcome​

Validation results are returned as OperationOutcome:

{
  "resourceType": "OperationOutcome",
  "issue": [
    {
      "severity": "error",
      "code": "required",
      "diagnostics": "Patient.name: minimum required = 1, but only found 0",
      "location": ["Patient.name"]
    },
    {
      "severity": "warning",
      "code": "business-rule",
      "diagnostics": "Patient.gender: value is missing",
      "location": ["Patient.gender"]
    }
  ]
}

Severity Levels​

SeverityDescriptionResult
fatalProcessing cannot continueRejected
errorViolates FHIR rulesRejected
warningDoesn't conform to best practiceAccepted
informationInformational messageAccepted

Validation Configuration​

The server validates resources during create and update operations. Validation behavior is controlled by installed FHIR packages and their StructureDefinitions.

To control which profiles validate resources:

  1. Install FHIR packages using the package management endpoints
  2. Configure StructureDefinitions with validation rules and invariants
  3. Resources will automatically be validated against installed profiles

Custom Validation Rules​

Add custom validation via invariants in StructureDefinitions:

{
  "resourceType": "StructureDefinition",
  "constraint": [{
    "key": "us-core-8",
    "severity": "error",
    "human": "Patient.name.family or Patient.name.given SHALL be present",
    "expression": "family.exists() or given.exists()"
  }]
}

Terminology Validation​

Terminology validation checks coded values against ValueSets defined in installed FHIR packages. The server uses the Ignixa Terminology Service to expand and validate value sets.

To enable terminology validation:

  1. Install FHIR packages that contain ValueSet definitions
  2. Configure StructureDefinitions with binding constraints
  3. The server will validate coded elements against their bound ValueSets during validation

See Operations for $expand, $translate, and $subsumes operations.

Best Practices​

  1. Use $validate endpoint before creating resources - Test conformance without storing invalid data
  2. Profile validation via StructureDefinitions - Install the appropriate FHIR packages for your domain (e.g., US Core, AU Base)
  3. Custom invariants - Add FHIRPath expressions in StructureDefinitions for business rule validation
  4. Error handling - Check OperationOutcome severity levels to determine whether validation failures should be treated as fatal