Available with Data Reviewer license.
Summary
The Regular Expression check searches for text strings listed for each string field in a feature class or table and returns strings that don't match the format or values specified.
Overview
String fields use alphanumeric strings as their values. They include fields that contain the feature's name, measurements (height, length, width, and area), z-values, and metadata such as a feature's creation date.
When a string is found that does not match the format or values specified, the table row is returned as an error. For example, to find records that have an incorrect Social Security number (SSN) format, you can type \b[0-9][0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]\b in the SSN field. The check returns features or rows that have incorrect SSN field values, such as 123456789, 123-ab-4567, 1123-34-12345, or 123-4567.
When you are searching multiple fields, you need to create multiple expressions. With multiple expressions, one result is returned for one or more fields that do not match the corresponding expressions. For example, if you choose two string fields and only one matches your expression, a result is returned referencing the one field that does not match. If neither field matches the two expressions, one result is returned for the two unmatched expressions.
You can run the Regular Expression check on an entire feature class, a subtype, or a set of features selected using an SQL query.
Supported workflows
ArcGIS Data Reviewer checks support multiple methods for implementing automated review of data. The following table identifies the supported implementation methods for this check:
| Validation | Constraint | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Reviewer batch job | Reviewer map rule | Attribute (validation) rule | No |
Yes | No | Yes (ArcGIS Pro 2.9 or later) | |
Syntax
| Parameter | Required | Description | Workflow |
|---|---|---|---|
Subtype | No | The subtype to which the rule is applied. | Validation |
Attribute | No | A query that identifies the features to which the rule is applied. | Validation |
Search Goal | Yes | The attribute fields and the regular expression conditions that are evaluated by the rule. | Validation |
Name | Yes | A unique name for the rule. This information is used to support data quality requirement traceability, automated reporting, and corrective workflows. | Validation |
Description | No | A description you define of the error when a noncompliant feature is found. This information is used to provide guidance to facilitate corrective workflows. | Validation |
Severity | Yes | The severity of the error assigned when a noncompliant feature is found. This value indicates the importance of the error relative to other errors. Values range from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest priority and 5 being the lowest. | Validation |
Tags | No | The tag property of the rule. This information is used in rule authoring and management workflows to support traceability and reporting of data quality requirements. | Validation |
Notes
Keep the following in mind when using the check:
- This check only appears in the Ready to Use Rules gallery when string fields that are not system generated are present in the feature class or table.
- You can author this check for read-only string fields.
- Only input features with a validation status of 2 (No calculation required, validation required, no error), 3 (No calculation required, validation required, has error(s)), 6 (Calculation required, validation required, no error), or 7 (Calculation required, validation required, has error(s)) are considered during rule evaluation.
- The Attribute filter parameter is limited to comparison (=, <>, >, <, >=, <=) and logical (AND/OR, IN/NOT IN, LIKE/NOT LIKE, IS NULL) operators.