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Set Validation Rules for Your Schema

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Validation Tab

The Validation tab allows you to manage schema validation rules for a collection.

Schema validation ensures that all documents in a collection follow a defined set of rules, such as conforming to a specific shape or only allowing a specified range of values in fields.

Validation view
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Validation Rules

The validation editor supports JSON Schema validation, and validation with query expressions using Validation using Query Operators.

JSON Schema Validation

The $jsonSchema operator supports various keywords to specify validation rules. For example:

  • The required array defines required fields in your document.

  • The properties object defines rules for specific document fields.

To generate a JSON schema by analyzing existing sample data, see Generate Validation Rules.

Example

Consider the following example validation:

{
   $jsonSchema: {
      bsonType: "object",
      required: [ "address", "borough", "name" ],
      properties: {
         address: {
            bsonType: "object",
            properties: {
               coord: {
                  bsonType: "array",
                  items: [
                     {
                        bsonType: "double",
                        minimum: -180,
                        maximum: 180,
                        exclusiveMaximum: false,
                        description: "must be a number in [ -180, 180 ]"
                     },
                     {
                        bsonType: "double",
                        minimum: -90,
                        maximum: 90,
                        exclusiveMaximum: false,
                        description: "must be a number in [ -90, 90 ]"
                     }
                  ]
               }
            },
            description: "must be an object"
         },
         borough: {
            bsonType: "string",
            enum: [ "Manhattan", "Brooklyn", "Queens", "Bronx", "Staten Island" ],
            description: "must be one of the enum strings"
         }
      }
   }
}

This validation specifies:

  • The list of required fields.

  • The bsonType for all required fields.

  • The minimum and maximum values in the address.coord array.

  • The acceptable values for the borough field, using enum.

For all available $jsonSchema keywords, refer to the $jsonSchema page in the MongoDB manual.

Validation using Query Operators

You can also specify validation using query operators, with the exception of the following query operators: $near, $nearSphere, $text, and $where.

{
   $or: [
      { name: { $type: "string" } },
      { borough: {
            bsonType: "string",
            enum: [ "Manhattan", "Brooklyn", "Queens", "Bronx", "Staten Island" ],
            description: "must be one of the enum strings"
      } }
   ]
}

Using this validation, one of the following must be true:

  • The name field must be BSON type string.

  • The borough field must be one of the enum strings.

Validation Actions and Levels

At the top, specify a Validation Action and Validation Level:

  • The validation action determines whether to warn but accept invalid documents, or error and reject invalid documents.

  • The validation level determines how strictly MongoDB applies validation rules to existing documents.

    • Strict validation applies your rules to all document inserts and updates.

    • Moderate validation only applies your rules to new documents and existing valid documents. Existing invalid documents are not affected.

For details on validation actions and levels, see Specify Validation Rules in the MongoDB manual.

Get Started

Limitations

The Validation tab is not available if you are connected to Atlas Data Federation.

Compass cannot validate a schema that has more than 1000 distinct fields. If you try to validate a schema with more than 1000 distinct fields, Compass returns an error.

In MongoDB Compass Readonly Edition, you can only view validation rules. Creating and editing validation rules is not permitted.

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