Validation rules help ensure data accuracy and consistency during data collection. Two types of validation rules are available, determined by the rule scope:

  • Regular – General validations applied to the data collected by a single reporting entity. Regular rules can validate relationships:

    • Within a single form template (intra-form) – Validate relationships between elements in the same form, such as ensuring that assets = liabilities + equity in a balance sheet
    • Between multiple form templates (inter-form) – Validate relationships across different forms, such as ensuring consistency between the balance sheet and P&L statement
  • Intercompany – Validations for balances between related reporting entities, such as subsidiaries or group companies. Intercompany rules compare aggregated values across entity pairs using group or transaction currency.

Validation rules are applied at the individual reporting entity level during data collection.

To create a validation rule:

1

Navigate to Data Collection | Validation rules.

2

Click Create validation rule in the top right. The Create Validation Rule dialog is displayed.

The 'Create Validation Rule' dialog is displayed.
'Create Validation Rule' dialog
3

Enter a unique Name for your validation rule.

4

Click Create. You can now configure the newly created validation rule (see the following section).

After creating a validation rule as described in the previous section, the validation rule detail view opens. The first step is to select a rule scope: Regular or Intercompany. The options available for configuration depend on the selected scope and are described below.

Changing the rule scope after you have already configured fields permanently removes all configurations for the current scope. This action cannot be undone.

Regular validation rules apply to the data collected by a single reporting entity.

The Detail view of a regular validation rule is displayed.
Detail view of a regular validation rule

The following options are available:

FieldDescription
ConfigurationText area for building the validation rule by combining elements and operators. The system provides autocomplete with available elements grouped by form template. Elements are referenced using their business names (for example, BalanceSheet.Assets.EndingBalance). You can select both lowest-level rows and superordinate rows as operands — a superordinate row reference resolves to its aggregated value at evaluation time, using the aggregation method defined for that row in the template. The supported operators are:
Comparison operators=, !=, >, <, >=, <=
Arithmetic operators+, -, *, /
Logical operatorsAND, OR, NOT
Validation typeDefines the behavior when the validation fails. Available values:
Blocking — data collectors cannot submit if the validation fails
Warning — shows a warning but allows data collectors to continue and submit
TagsTags help organize validation rules and let you filter the rules list. They are optional and have no effect on rule evaluation. The Add tag option assigns an existing tag to this rule or creates a new one. The Manage tags option opens the Manage Tags dialog for renaming or deleting tags (Data Collection administrators only). For assigning or removing tags on multiple rules at once, see Bulk Assigning and Removing Tags.
DescriptionOptional text field to explain the purpose of the validation rule. Helps other administrators understand the business logic behind the rule.

Intercompany validation rules compare values between related reporting entities, such as subsidiaries or group companies.

The Detail view of an intercompany validation rule is displayed.
Detail view of an intercompany validation rule

The following options are available:

FieldDescription
Select items and/or accountsMulti-select drop-down list for choosing one or more items and/or accounts to be reconciled. Items or accounts are organized in a hierarchical tree by form template and table. Only form templates and pivot tables eligible for intercompany validation can be selected — pivot tables without CFP-based partner rows or columns and without per-partner drill-down are not displayed in the drop-down list. Both lowest-level and superordinate rows can be selected. Selecting a superordinate row automatically selects all of its eligible subordinate rows — the check box is activated when all eligible subordinate rows are selected, indeterminate when only some are selected, and deactivated when none are selected.
Select columnColumn to be used for reconciliation. This field appears only when one or more items and/or accounts are selected and the form template configuration requires a column to be specified.
Reconciliation configurationCurrency mode used for reconciliation. Available values: Reconcile aggregated values in group currency (converts values to group currency first) and Reconcile aggregated values in transaction currency (uses the original transaction currency without conversion).
Exchange rate typeExchange rate type used when converting values to group currency. Available values:
Average exchange rate
Closing exchange rate
Year-to-date exchange rate
The applied rate is displayed in the Exchange rate column of the intercompany validation results.
ThresholdsOptional tolerance configuration per currency. Add one entry per relevant currency and specify:
Absolute threshold — a fixed amount the difference must not exceed.
Percentage threshold — applied to the larger of the two counterparties' aggregated values.
Both — the rule passes if the difference falls within either threshold.
If no thresholds are configured, the rule requires an exact match.
Validation typePre-configured as Warning for intercompany validation rules. Shows a warning when a discrepancy is detected but allows data collectors to continue.
TagsTags help organize validation rules and let you filter the rules list. They are optional and have no effect on rule evaluation. The Add tag option assigns an existing tag to this rule or creates a new one. The Manage tags option opens the Manage Tags dialog for renaming or deleting tags (Data Collection administrators only). For assigning or removing tags on multiple rules at once, see Bulk Assigning and Removing Tags.
DescriptionOptional text field to explain the purpose of the validation rule. Helps other administrators understand the business logic behind the rule.

Once you have finished configuring the validation rule, it must be Published before it can be applied to data collection processes. For more information, see Publishing a Validation Rule.

Inter-form regular validation rules that reference multiple form templates are evaluated based on whether all referenced form templates are included in the reporting package used to start the data collection process:

  • All referenced form templates are in the reporting package — the rule is evaluated normally.
  • One or more referenced form templates are not in the reporting package — the rule is silently skipped. The rule does not appear in the collector's validation results and no message is displayed.

The system derives the applicable rules automatically from the reporting package configuration. This means the same inter-form validation rule can apply in some reporting packages and be skipped in others, depending on which form templates each reporting package includes.

You can assign or remove tags on multiple validation rules at once, directly from the validation rules list.

To bulk assign or remove tags:

1

In the validation rules list, select the validation rules you want to update.

2

Click Assign tags or Remove tags in the top right. The Assign Tags or Remove Tags dialog is displayed:

The 'Assign Tags' dialog is displayed.
'Assign Tags' dialog
3

Select the tags you want to assign or remove.

4

Click Assign or Remove to apply the change to all selected rules.

Assigning or removing tags never changes a rule's state — whether you change tags on a single rule or in bulk, and whether the rule is in Draft or Published state. Rules in any mix of states can be selected together for a bulk operation.

The validation rules list displays all configured rules with the following information:

The Validation rules list is displayed.
Validation rules list
ColumnDescription
Validation rule nameName of the validation rule
StateCurrent state of the validation rule: Draft, Published, or Invalid
Rule scopeScope of the rule: Regular or Intercompany
TagsTags assigned to the rule
Created onCreation date
Last modified onDate of the most recent modification

To edit an existing validation rule, click the three-dot menu at the end of the row and select Edit.

When first created, a validation rule is automatically in Draft state. While in this state, it can undergo any number of modifications. Once its configuration is finalized, the validation rule must be Published before it can be applied to ongoing or future data collection processes.

To publish a validation rule, click Publish in the top right of the validation rule detail view.

You can edit a published validation rule at any time. Editing a published validation rule automatically brings it back to Draft state. Changes apply to new data collection processes only — active processes continue using the rule state that was snapshotted when they started.

A validation rule moves to Invalid status automatically when a form template element it references is deleted. Invalid rules are not executed in new data collection processes — they are silently skipped. Existing processes continue to execute the rule using the snapshot version captured when those processes started.

To fix a rule in Invalid status:

1

Open the invalid rule and update the formula to remove or replace the broken reference.

2

Click Publish. The system checks that all formula references are resolved. If they are, the rule transitions back to Published.

If the formula still contains broken references, the system surfaces the specific issues and the rule remains in Invalid status until they are corrected. You can also click Edit to move the rule back to Draft state and rework it from scratch.

To delete a validation rule, click the three-dot menu at the end of the row and select Delete. In the confirmation dialog, click Yes, delete.

Validation rules that apply to forms linked to ongoing data collection processes cannot be deleted.