THE OPERATION OF CHECKING INPUT DATA AGAINST SPECIFIED CRITERIA IS REFERRED TO AS

• A. data verification
• B. data validation ✓
• C. data cross check
• D. data control

The operation of checking input data against specified criteria is referred to as data validation. This process ensures that the data being entered or collected meets certain requirements and is accurate, reliable, and secure. Data validation can be performed in various ways, such as:

1. Format validation: This involves checking if the data follows a specific format, such as email addresses, phone numbers, or dates.
2. Range validation: This ensures that the data falls within a specific range of values. For example, a user’s age should be between 0 and 120.
3. Required field validation: This checks if a particular field has been filled out or not. If it is required, the user cannot proceed without entering a value.
4. Uniqueness validation: This ensures that the entered data is unique and not already present in the system. For instance, usernames or email addresses must be unique for each user in a database.
5. Type validation: This checks if the entered data is of the correct type, such as numeric, text, or date.

Data validation plays a crucial role in maintaining data quality and preventing errors or inconsistencies in databases and applications. It helps to ensure that downstream processes and systems can rely on accurate and consistent data for decision-making and analysis.