New IATI Validator launched for public testing

  • Nov. 12, 2019

IATI’s new Validator is launched for a month of public testing between 12 November and 11 December.

The new IATI Validator is an online tool for checking whether data complies with the rules and guidance of the IATI Standard. The tool aims to improve the quality of IATI data to ensure it is accessible and useful to anyone working with data on development and humanitarian resources and results.

We are calling on publishers and users of IATI data to test the new tool and provide feedback to Data4Development and the IATI Technical Team who are building the new Validator.

Visit new IATI Validator

The new IATI Validator is an online tool for checking whether data complies with the rules and guidance of the IATI Standard. The tool aims to improve the quality of IATI data to ensure it is accessible and useful to anyone working with data on development and humanitarian resources and results.

About the new IATI Validator

The new IATI Validator will replace the existing IATI public validator to offer a more robust service. The tool checks data against all rules in the IATI Standard and is technically more robust and easier to maintain.

The new IATI Validator will play an essential role in improving the quality of IATI data, which is a key objective in the IATI Strategic Plan 2020-2025. It will enable the IATI Secretariat and Technical Team to identify and offer targeted support to publishers, and over time will raise the quality, accuracy and reliability of IATI data.

Testing the new IATI Validator

To test the new Validator, please check the quality of IATI data files and provide feedback on your experience. Specifically:

  • publishers are requested to check their own data by uploading unpublished IATI files to understand if the content complies with the IATI Standard;
  • publishers should also test the Public Data Viewer to check the IATI files that they have already published;
  • all data users can test the Public Data Viewer to find information about the quality of any publishers’ IATI data files.

Please provide your feedback by using the Validator Feedback form on the tool or on Github. Users who are unable to access Github or use the Validator Feedback form are welcome to share their feedback by emailing [email protected].

Support using the new IATI Validator

Users can access the following support to use the new tool:

  • Q&A: New IATI Validator launch (testing phase)
  • IATI Standard Guidance documents, signposted to by the IATI Validator
  • IATI Technical Team helpdesk [email protected]
  • Webinar on how to use the IATI Validator - Wednesday 27 November 2019, 3pm UK time. You can register for the webinar this link. Additional webinars to be provided if demand requires.
  • One-to-one calls with the Technical Team if required.

More checks, more errors - but no cause for alarm

The new IATI Validator checks data against all rules of the IATI Standard. We anticipate that by using the new tool, publishers will discover many more errors than were previously picked up with the old tool. Therefore, they may have many corrections to make to their data. These may take some time to address, and it is important to keep in mind that publishers are not expected to correct their data immediately. Using the tool will help publishers understand where there are errors and make appropriate corrections to ensure their data is of the highest quality. Do contact the IATI Technical Team for help or questions about making corrections to your data.

Using the tool will help publishers understand where there are errors and make appropriate corrections to ensure their data is of the highest quality.

Do contact the IATI Technical Team for help or questions about making corrections to your data.

What will happen after the Validator testing phase?

After the testing period is over, the Technical Team will review all feedback and suggestions for changes that were not addressed during the testing phase. The Team will post a summary of responses on IATI Discuss and let users know how they will be addressed in the future, and plans for phasing out the older IATI public validator.

Thanks in advance to IATI’s dedicated community who are able to support the testing phase of the new IATI Validator. For any questions please email: [email protected].