Skip to main content

Advisory: String Validation Divergence

Jun 24, 2024

Issue​

Ed-Fi ODS/API 7.1 rejects empty strings ("") for optional fields that are defined with minimum lengths of '1' in the Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model (UDM). This could impact vendor implementations that do not differentiate between an empty string and a null value, especially since previous versions of the ODS/API did not enforce minimum string length. This issue is particularly significant in the ODS/API 7.x implementation of Data Standard 4.0, considering these validations were not enforced in the ODS/API 6.x implementation of Data Standard 4.0.

Background​

The Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model (UDM) defines minimum and maximum length for string data types (example) and minimum and maximum values for integer (example) and decimal datatypes. In ODS / API implementations prior to v7.x, these validations were not enforced.  Recognizing this as a longstanding gap in the ODS/API implementation, a decision was made to address it in ODS/API version 7.x. Given the potential impact of rectifying this bug, it was communicated as a breaking change in the release notes to ensure stakeholders were adequately prepared for the transition.

Affected Versions​

 Affected ODS/API versions:

  • 7.1

Patch Releases​

To minimize the impact on integrations, Ed-Fi released patch to the ODS/API v7.1 that allow empty strings for optional fields.

Nuget Packages​

Source code releases​

Code Changes​

GitHub pull requests: