Data Validation: Theory

1. Schema Validation in MongoDB Schema validation in MongoDB is a mechanism to enforce data

2. Validation Rules

• Required Fields: Ensure certain fields are always present.

• Data Types: Specify the data type for fields (e.g., string, number, date).

• Value Ranges: Enforce value constraints (e.g., minimum, maximum).

• Pattern Matching: Validate fields using regular expressions.

• Array Validations: Validate items in arrays for type, length, etc.

3. Validation Levels

• Strict: Reject documents that do not comply with the schema.

• Moderate: Accept documents without validation but warn during insertion.

4. Key Use Cases

• Data Integrity: Prevent invalid data from entering the database.

• Consistency: Enforce consistent structures across documents.

• Error Prevention: Identify issues early by validating user input.

Practical Implementation: Schema Validation in MongoDB

Setup Steps:

1. Use MongoDB Compass or the Mongo Shell.

2. Enable schema validation on a collection using $jsonSchema.

Example 1: User Registration

Scenario: Ensure every user document has username, email, and password. The email must be
unique and valid.

Schema:

json

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"$jsonSchema": {

"bsonType": "object",
 "required": ["username", "email", "password"],

"properties": {

"username": {

"bsonType": "string",

"description": "must be a string and is required"

},

"email": {

"bsonType": "string",

"pattern": "^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$",

"description": "must be a valid email address and is required"

},

"password": {

"bsonType": "string",

"minLength": 8,

"description": "must be at least 8 characters long"

Create Collection:

javascript

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db.createCollection("users", {

validator: {

$jsonSchema: {

bsonType: "object",

required: ["username", "email", "password"],

properties: {

username: { bsonType: "string", description: "must be a string" },

email: {

bsonType: "string",
 pattern: "^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$",

description: "must be a valid email"

},

password: { bsonType: "string", minLength: 8, description: "min 8 chars" }

});

Example 2: E-commerce Product Catalog

Scenario: Ensure all products have a name, price, stock, and optional tags. Price must be positive,
and stock cannot be negative.

Schema:

json

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"$jsonSchema": {

"bsonType": "object",

"required": ["name", "price", "stock"],

"properties": {

"name": {

"bsonType": "string",

"description": "Product name is required"

},

"price": {

"bsonType": "double",

"minimum": 0,

"description": "Price must be a positive number"

},

"stock": {

"bsonType": "int",
 "minimum": 0,

"description": "Stock cannot be negative"

},

"tags": {

"bsonType": "array",

"items": { "bsonType": "string" },

"description": "Optional tags"

Example 3: Employee Management

Scenario: Track employees with name, age, department, and hireDate. The age must be between 18
and 65, and hireDate must be a valid date.

Schema:

json

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"$jsonSchema": {

"bsonType": "object",

"required": ["name", "age", "department", "hireDate"],

"properties": {

"name": {

"bsonType": "string",

"description": "Name is required"

},

"age": {

"bsonType": "int",

"minimum": 18,

"maximum": 65,
 "description": "Age must be between 18 and 65"

},

"department": {

"bsonType": "string",

"description": "Department is required"

},

"hireDate": {

"bsonType": "date",

"description": "Hire date must be a valid date"

Example 4: Customer Feedback

Scenario: Store feedback with a rating, comments, and submittedAt. Rating must be between 1 and
5.

Schema:

json

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"$jsonSchema": {

"bsonType": "object",

"required": ["rating", "comments", "submittedAt"],

"properties": {

"rating": {

"bsonType": "int",

"minimum": 1,

"maximum": 5,

"description": "Rating must be between 1 and 5"

},
 "comments": {

"bsonType": "string",

"description": "Comments are required"

},

"submittedAt": {

"bsonType": "date",

"description": "Submission date is required"

Example 5: IoT Sensor Data

Scenario: Record sensor data with a sensorId, temperature, humidity, and timestamp. Temperature
must be within -50 to 150.

Schema:

json

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"$jsonSchema": {

"bsonType": "object",

"required": ["sensorId", "temperature", "humidity", "timestamp"],

"properties": {

"sensorId": {

"bsonType": "string",

"description": "Sensor ID is required"

},

"temperature": {

"bsonType": "double",

"minimum": -50,

"maximum": 150,
 "description": "Temperature must be between -50 and 150"

},

"humidity": {

"bsonType": "double",

"minimum": 0,

"maximum": 100,

"description": "Humidity must be between 0 and 100"

},

"timestamp": {

"bsonType": "date",

"description": "Timestamp is required"

Validation in Action

To test validation:

1. Insert Valid Data:

javascript

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db.users.insertOne({

username: "john_doe",

email: "john@example.com",

password: "password123"

});

This will succeed.

2. Insert Invalid Data:

javascript

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db.users.insertOne({
 username: "jane_doe",

email: "jane_at_example.com", // Invalid email

password: "123" // Too short

});

This will fail with a validation error.

Real-World Benefits

1. User Registration: Avoid duplicate accounts and enforce strong passwords.

2. E-commerce: Ensure products have valid prices and sufficient stock.

3. Employee Management: Maintain age and hire date consistency.

4. Feedback Analysis: Collect valid ratings for actionable insights.

5. IoT Systems: Prevent invalid sensor readings from corrupting analytics.