About authority record validation

Validation checks the quality of bibliographic and authority records and prevents records with errors from being added to or replaced in WorldCat or the Library of Congress (LC) name and subject authority file.

Minimum authorization level: Validating records requires a Limited or higher authorization.

• Manual validation by command
  
  Use Edit > Validate to identify errors in the structure or data of records.
  • Validate a single record in the online or local save file.
    Or
  • Validate records selected in an online or local save file list.
     
• Automatic system validation for adding new records to WorldCat or to the LC authority file and for replacing WorldCat bibliographic or authority records
  
  When you take a final action interactively or via batch, the system automatically validates the record.
  • If interactive validation detects errors in a record, you must correct them and then try again to take the final action.
  • If batch actions on records fail validation, the client produces a batch action report that shows validation errors that you must correct before re-running the batch.
     
• Validation options for setting holdings for bibliographic records and for exporting bibliographic and authority records
  
  By default, existing records are validated only at the most basic level (option is set to Structure) when you take the following Holdings actions:
  By default, neither bibliographic nor authority records are automatically validated for Export (option is set to None).
  
  For these actions, you can set the level of automatic system validation.
  • Update Holdings
  • Produce and Update Holdings
  • Alternate Produce and Update
  • Replace and Update Holdings (however, full validation always occurs for the Replace part of this dual command)
     
• Validation does not generally correct or move data
  • If you enter an ISBN (field 020), CODEN (field 030), or ISSN (field 022) with errors, the system displays the validation errors. It does not move the number to ‡z (for the ISBN or CODEN) or to ‡y (for the ISSN). You must correct the numbers.
  • If you enter two fields with same tag for non-repeatable fields (for example, two 100, 110, or 245 fields) the system displays validation errors. It does not move the duplicate field to the corresponding 7xx or 245. You must make the corrections manually.
  • Validation does make some minor automatic corrections in records.
     
• Requirement for offline validation: Internet connection
  
  Even though you are not required to log on to do manual validation offline using Edit > Validate, you must have an Internet connection on your workstation. The client uses the Internet during its internal process.
   
• No validation for constant data
  
  You cannot manually validate constant data records using Edit > Validate, nor does Connexion run any automatic validation for constant data records.