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Validation Errors

Common DDEX validation errors and how to resolve them.

Common Validation Errors​

Missing Required Fields​

Error: Required field 'title' is missing

Solution: Ensure all required fields are present

const releaseData = {
  id: "R123",
  title: "Album Title",     // Required
  artist: "Artist Name",    // Required
  release_date: "2023-01-01" // Required for most partners
};

Invalid ISRC Format​

Error: Invalid ISRC format: ABC123456789

Solution: Use proper ISRC format (2 country letters + 3 registrant code + 7 digits)

# Correct ISRC format
track_data = {
    "isrc": "USRC17607839"  # US-RC1-76-07839
}

Territory Code Issues​

Error: Invalid territory code: USA

Solution: Use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes

const territoryMapping = {
  "USA": "US",
  "United Kingdom": "GB", 
  "Germany": "DE"
};

Date Format Errors​

Error: Invalid date format: 01/01/2023

Solution: Use ISO 8601 date format

# Correct date formats
release_data = {
    "release_date": "2023-01-01",           # Date only
    "created_at": "2023-01-01T10:30:00Z"    # Full datetime
}

Validation Error Categories​

Schema Errors​

  • Missing required elements
  • Invalid element structure
  • Namespace issues
  • Version incompatibilities

Data Type Errors​

  • String instead of number
  • Invalid date formats
  • Boolean format issues
  • Array vs single value

Business Rule Violations​

  • Invalid duration ranges
  • Missing ISRCs for commercial releases
  • Territory restrictions
  • Content rating inconsistencies

Error Resolution Strategies​

1. Use Validation Before Building​

const builder = new DDEXBuilder();

// Validate first
const validation = await builder.validate(data);
if (!validation.isValid) {
  console.log("Validation errors:", validation.errors);
  // Fix errors before building
}

const xml = await builder.build(data);

2. Implement Data Sanitization​

def sanitize_release_data(data):
    """Clean and validate release data"""
    
    # Ensure required fields
    if not data.get('title'):
        raise ValueError("Release title is required")
    
    # Clean ISRC format
    if 'tracks' in data:
        for track in data['tracks']:
            if 'isrc' in track and track['isrc']:
                track['isrc'] = clean_isrc(track['isrc'])
    
    # Normalize territory codes
    if 'territory_codes' in data:
        data['territory_codes'] = [
            normalize_territory_code(code) 
            for code in data['territory_codes']
        ]
    
    return data

3. Validation Patterns​

// Common validation patterns
const validators = {
  isrc: /^[A-Z]{2}[A-Z0-9]{3}[0-9]{7}$/,
  upc: /^[0-9]{12}$/,
  territory: /^[A-Z]{2}$/,
  duration: (ms: number) => ms >= 1000 && ms <= 3600000
};

Partner-Specific Validation​

Spotify Requirements​

def validate_for_spotify(release_data):
    """Validate data for Spotify submission"""
    
    errors = []
    
    # Spotify requires UPC for releases
    if not release_data.get('upc'):
        errors.append("Spotify requires UPC for all releases")
    
    # Track duration requirements
    for track in release_data.get('tracks', []):
        duration_ms = track.get('duration_ms', 0)
        
        if duration_ms < 30000:  # 30 seconds minimum
            errors.append(f"Track '{track['title']}' too short for Spotify")
        
        if not track.get('isrc'):
            errors.append(f"Track '{track['title']}' missing ISRC")
    
    return errors

Best Practices​

  1. Validate Early: Check data before processing
  2. Use Partner Presets: Leverage built-in partner validation
  3. Sanitize Input: Clean data before validation
  4. Provide Context: Include meaningful error messages
  5. Log Validation Issues: Track common validation problems
  6. Document Requirements: Maintain validation requirement docs