Data Rule

Defines a data manipulation rule which applies to a Data Model, Data Section, or a Data Table.

Remarks

DataRule objects define automated data manipulation logic that can be applied to extracted document data for normalization or preparation for downstream processes.

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Overview

Data Rules allow you to:

• Normalize extracted data after the extraction process, keeping extractors focused on data location rather than transformation.
• Apply logic to Data Model, Data Section, or Data Table elements, depending on the configured scope.
• Chain and nest rules for complex, hierarchical data processing.

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How Data Rules Work

• At runtime, a Data Rule is applied to each instance of its associated Data Element.

  • If the Scope is a Data Section, the rule executes on each Section Instance.
  • If the Scope is a Data Table, the rule executes on each Table Row Instance.
  • If the Scope is a Data Model, the rule executes on the root Document Instance.

• Data Rules can include a Trigger expression (optional):

  • If the trigger evaluates to true, the True Action and all child Data Rules are executed.
  • If the trigger evaluates to false, the False Action (if specified) is executed, and child rules are skipped.

• Data Rules may be nested, allowing recursive application of logic to the data hierarchy.

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Key Properties

• Scope: The Data Element this rule applies to.
• Trigger: A code expression (boolean) that determines if the rule executes.
• TrueAction: The Data Action to execute when the trigger is true.
• FalseAction: The Data Action to execute when the trigger is false.
• RequiredElements: (Obsolete) Elements that must be present when the trigger is true.
• ShortcutKeys: Optional shortcut for use in the Data Viewer tab.

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Example Usage

Suppose you have a Data Table of invoice line items and want to ensure each row has a non-empty "Amount" field:

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Related Concepts

• Data Action: Defines the operation performed by the rule.
• Data Model, Data Section, Data Table: Types of data elements that can be targeted.
• Document Instance, Section Instance, Table Row Instance: Data instances affected by rules.

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Notes

• Data Rules are typically used to enforce business rules, perform data cleanup, or trigger additional processing steps.
• Use the Trigger property to conditionally execute rules based on data values.
• For complex scenarios, nest Data Rules to build multi-step logic.

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For more information, see the documentation for Data Action, Data Model, and related data extraction objects.

Premium Feature

Data Rule is premium feature which requires separate licensing. To view your current licensing entitlements, select the Root on the Design page, then select the Licensing tab. Contact your BIS account representative to inquire about premium features.

Properties

Name	Type		Description
Scope	Data Field Container	►	Specifies the Data Element to which this rule applies. EditorScope Editor Requiredtrue The Scope determines the context in which the Data Rule executes. It can be set to a Data Model, Data Section, or Data Table. The rule will be applied to each instance of the selected scope element. Example: If Scope is set to a Data Table, the rule will execute for each row in that table.
Trigger	String	►	Specifies the conditions required for this rule to execute. EditorTrigger Editor The Trigger is a code expression that must evaluate to true or false. If the result is true, the TrueAction and all child rules will be executed. If the result is false, only the FalseAction (if specified) will be executed, and child rules will be skipped. If no value is specified, the rule will always execute (default is true). Example: Amount > 0 && Status == "Active"
True Action	Data Action	►	Specifies the action to be taken when the trigger expression evaluates to true. EditorObject Properties Editor ConverterType Selector Can be one of the following types: Value Description Action List Executes a sequence of Data Actions. Clear Item Clears the value of a data element. Append Appends one or more elements to a collection. Copy Copies or moves data from one data element to another. Execute Rule Executes a Data Rule. Data Lookup Performs a lookup operation to validate and/or populate field values within a data extraction process. Extract From Sets a field value by running an extractor on another field. Parse Value Parses a field value into substrings using a regular expression and assigns them to sibling fields. Concat Combines adjacent records in a collection based on a configurable trigger expression. Remove Conditionally removes records from a collection such as a Data Section or Data Table. Require Value Requires that one or more data elements have a value set. Raise Issue Adds an issue to the issue log. Calculate Value Calculates the value of a field using an expression. Fill Executes a selected Data Fill Method on the current Data Model, Section, or Table. The TrueAction is executed on each instance of the scope element when the trigger condition is met. This is where you define the main data manipulation or validation logic for the rule. Tip: Use Data Actions such as value assignment, normalization, or custom logic.
False Action	Data Action	►	Specifies the action to be taken when the trigger expression evaluates to false. EditorObject Properties Editor ConverterType Selector Can be one of the following types: Value Description Action List Executes a sequence of Data Actions. Clear Item Clears the value of a data element. Append Appends one or more elements to a collection. Copy Copies or moves data from one data element to another. Execute Rule Executes a Data Rule. Data Lookup Performs a lookup operation to validate and/or populate field values within a data extraction process. Extract From Sets a field value by running an extractor on another field. Parse Value Parses a field value into substrings using a regular expression and assigns them to sibling fields. Concat Combines adjacent records in a collection based on a configurable trigger expression. Remove Conditionally removes records from a collection such as a Data Section or Data Table. Require Value Requires that one or more data elements have a value set. Raise Issue Adds an issue to the issue log. Calculate Value Calculates the value of a field using an expression. Fill Executes a selected Data Fill Method on the current Data Model, Section, or Table. The FalseAction is executed on each instance of the scope element when the trigger condition is not met. Use this to handle alternate logic, such as clearing values, setting errors, or skipping processing. If not set, no action is taken when the trigger is false.
Required Elements	Data Element[]	►	(Obsolete) Indicates elements which must be present when the trigger evaluates to true. EditorRequired Elements Editor ConverterCollection Converter This property is retained for backward compatibility. Prefer using a Require Value action in the rule logic instead. If any required element is missing or empty, a validation issue will be reported.
Shortcut Keys	Keys	►	An optional shortcut key to use for this rule when using the Data Viewer tab on the Review Page. DefaultNone A combination of the following flags: Name Value Description None 0 LButton 1 RButton 2 Cancel 3 MButton 4 XButton1 5 XButton2 6 Back 8 Tab 9 LineFeed 10 Clear 12 Return 13 Return 13 ShiftKey 16 ControlKey 17 Menu 18 Pause 19 Capital 20 Capital 20 KanaMode 21 KanaMode 21 KanaMode 21 JunjaMode 23 FinalMode 24 HanjaMode 25 HanjaMode 25 Escape 27 IMEConvert 28 IMENonconvert 29 IMEAceept 30 IMEAceept 30 IMEModeChange 31 Space 32 PageUp 33 PageUp 33 Next 34 Next 34 End 35 Home 36 Left 37 Up 38 Right 39 Down 40 Select 41 Print 42 Execute 43 PrintScreen 44 PrintScreen 44 Insert 45 Delete 46 Help 47 D0 48 D1 49 D2 50 D3 51 D4 52 D5 53 D6 54 D7 55 D8 56 D9 57 A 65 B 66 C 67 D 68 E 69 F 70 G 71 H 72 I 73 J 74 K 75 L 76 M 77 N 78 O 79 P 80 Q 81 R 82 S 83 T 84 U 85 V 86 W 87 X 88 Y 89 Z 90 LWin 91 RWin 92 Apps 93 Sleep 95 NumPad0 96 NumPad1 97 NumPad2 98 NumPad3 99 NumPad4 100 NumPad5 101 NumPad6 102 NumPad7 103 NumPad8 104 NumPad9 105 Multiply 106 Add 107 Separator 108 Subtract 109 Decimal 110 Divide 111 F1 112 F2 113 F3 114 F4 115 F5 116 F6 117 F7 118 F8 119 F9 120 F10 121 F11 122 F12 123 F13 124 F14 125 F15 126 F16 127 F17 128 F18 129 F19 130 F20 131 F21 132 F22 133 F23 134 F24 135 NumLock 144 Scroll 145 LShiftKey 160 RShiftKey 161 LControlKey 162 RControlKey 163 LMenu 164 RMenu 165 BrowserBack 166 BrowserForward 167 BrowserRefresh 168 BrowserStop 169 BrowserSearch 170 BrowserFavorites 171 BrowserHome 172 VolumeMute 173 VolumeDown 174 VolumeUp 175 MediaNextTrack 176 MediaPreviousTrack 177 MediaStop 178 MediaPlayPause 179 LaunchMail 180 SelectMedia 181 LaunchApplication1 182 LaunchApplication2 183 Oem1 186 Oem1 186 Oemplus 187 Oemcomma 188 OemMinus 189 OemPeriod 190 OemQuestion 191 OemQuestion 191 Oemtilde 192 Oemtilde 192 OemOpenBrackets 219 OemOpenBrackets 219 Oem5 220 Oem5 220 Oem6 221 Oem6 221 Oem7 222 Oem7 222 Oem8 223 OemBackslash 226 OemBackslash 226 ProcessKey 229 Packet 231 Attn 246 Crsel 247 Exsel 248 EraseEof 249 Play 250 Zoom 251 NoName 252 Pa1 253 OemClear 254 KeyCode 65535 Shift 65536 Control 131072 Alt 262144 Modifiers -65536 Assign a keyboard shortcut to quickly apply or navigate to this rule in the Data Viewer. Useful for streamlining data review and correction workflows.
Description	String	►	Specifies a description for the item. EditorNode Description Editor

Design Tabs

General	View or edit properties of a node.
Reports	View reports for a node.
Tester	Test the rule against documents in a test batch.
Advanced	View or edit advanced details about a node.

Child Types

Data Rule

See Also

Data ModelData SectionData TableData ActionData ColumnData Field

Used By

Execute RuleData ModelData SectionData TableConvert DataApply RulesFill DataDispose BatchExtract