# Why do we have lots of restrictive validation rules?

**URL:** <https://community.dhis2.org/t/why-do-we-have-lots-of-restrictive-validation-rules/8547>\
**Category:** Support - Assistance technique\
**Created:** [6 August 2010 15:55 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/why-do-we-have-lots-of-restrictive-validation-rules/8547 "2010-08-06T15:55:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jason](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/community.dhis2.org/jason/32/32739_2.png) [@jason](https://community.dhis2.org/u/jason)\
**Post date:** [6 August 2010 15:55 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/why-do-we-have-lots-of-restrictive-validation-rules/8547/1 "2010-08-06T15:55:40Z")

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This is essentially the blueprint on configurable validation rules. I think hieu is working on it.

Regards  
JPP

> **···**
>
> Sent from my HTC
> 
> ----- Reply message -----  
> From: “Knut Staring” [knutst@gmail.com](mailto:knutst@gmail.com)  
> Date: Fri, Aug 6, 2010 14:35  
> Subject: [Dhis2-devs] Why do we have lots of restrictive validation rules?  
> To: “DHIS 2 developers” [dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net](mailto:dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net)
> 
> For datasets, I get the following validation error for the name of the dataset:  
> “The first character must be alphabetical.”
> 
> Why do need to be this restrictive? I see no reason we cannot start  
> the name with a number. Could someone explain all these seemingly  
> artificial limitations? And list all of them clearly in the  
> documentation?
> 
> KNut
> 
> * * *
> 
> Mailing list: [https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs](https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs)  
> Post to : [dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net](mailto:dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net)  
> Unsubscribe : [https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs](https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs)  
> More help : [https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp](https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp)

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**Author:** ![olatitle](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/community.dhis2.org/olatitle/32/45144_2.png) [@olatitle](https://community.dhis2.org/u/olatitle)\
**Post date:** [7 August 2010 19:19 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/why-do-we-have-lots-of-restrictive-validation-rules/8547/2 "2010-08-07T19:19:57Z")

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Yes, the configurable rules will be a great addition, but for now I don’t think we should keep these very restrictive and not always appropriate rules. I would like to disable many of these before we all agree on a minimum we can all use. And to do that we could start by lisiting (here on this forum) the current rules. There are very different approaches to e.g. data element and data set naming in different countries and these rules can be very annoying and work against their purpose in some cases.

> **···**
>
> * * *
> 
> Ola Hodne Titlestad (Mr)  
> HISP  
> Department of Informat  
> University of Oslo
> 
> Mobile: +47 48069736  
> Home address: Vetlandsvn. 95B, 0685 Oslo, Norway. [Googlemaps link](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Vetlandsvn.+95B,+0685+Oslo,+Norway)
> 
> On 6 August 2010 17:55, [jason.p.pickering@gmail.com](mailto:jason.p.pickering@gmail.com) [jason.p.pickering@gmail.com](mailto:jason.p.pickering@gmail.com) wrote:
> 
> > This is essentially the blueprint on configurable validation rules. I think hieu is working on it.
> > 
> > Regards  
> > JPP
> > 
> > Sent from my HTC
> > 
> > ----- Reply message -----  
> > From: “Knut Staring” [knutst@gmail.com](mailto:knutst@gmail.com)  
> > Date: Fri, Aug 6, 2010 14:35
> > 
> > Subject: [Dhis2-devs] Why do we have lots of restrictive validation rules?  
> > To: “DHIS 2 developers” [dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net](mailto:dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net)
> 
> > For datasets, I get the following validation error for the name of the dataset:  
> > “The first character must be alphabetical.”
> > 
> > Why do need to be this restrictive? I see no reason we cannot start
> > 
> > the name with a number. Could someone explain all these seemingly  
> > artificial limitations? And list all of them clearly in the  
> > documentation?
> > 
> > KNut
> > 
> > * * *
> > 
> > Mailing list: [https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs](https://launchpad.net/%7Edhis2-devs)
> > 
> > Post to : [dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net](mailto:dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net)  
> > Unsubscribe : [https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs](https://launchpad.net/%7Edhis2-devs)
> > 
> > More help : [https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp](https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp)
> 
> > * * *
> > 
> > Mailing list: [https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs](https://launchpad.net/%7Edhis2-devs)
> > 
> > Post to : [dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net](mailto:dhis2-devs@lists.launchpad.net)
> > 
> > Unsubscribe : [https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs](https://launchpad.net/%7Edhis2-devs)
> > 
> > More help : [https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp](https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp)