Schema Setup

Overview of how to prepare schemas for identity resolution.

Overview

In order to make the resolution process scalable across agencies, a standardized identity resolution schema is used to canonicalize data fields across systems. Attest's identity resolution API defines a canonical identity schema for use across agencies.In order to meet the requirements of this identity resolution schema, each participating agency MUST define a schema mapping file for its existing system of record.

Mapping schema files ensures the identity resolution API is able to:

  1. Understand the naming conventions of specific fields across agencies

  2. Use a single standard field name and definition for consistent matching results.

This process ensures field-level consistency in a scenario where Agency A uses the field nameGender whereas Agency B uses the field name Sex.

Constructing Schemas

Schema field objects are made up of the following structure:

"referenceIdentifier": {
    "field": "DOB"
    "format": "%Y/%M/%D"
}
...

// Object structure
"[resolver_field_name]": {
    "field": "[field_name_in_import_file]",
    "format": "[date_format_in_import_file]"
},
...

Schema files MUST use conventional JSON file structure and syntax standards. Schema files MUST contain the following fields in order to process the import file.

Schema Field Requirements

Field

Description

Format

name

string

Name of the agency or organization

None

referenceIdentifier

integer

Agency/organization-specific reference identifier, unique per individual

None

firstName

string

First name of the individual

None

middleName *

string

Middle name of the individual

None

lastName

string

Last name of the individual

None

gender*

string

Gender of the individual

Variety of formats are accepted F/ Female

dateOfBirth

string

Date of birth of the individual

MUST match the import file format including use of "/" or "-"

%M/%D/%Y or

%Y-%M-%D

Example Schema Files

Schema/CSV Naming Conventions

The JSON file and corresponding agency CSV must be named exactly the same so the mapping can occur effectively, for example:

Not using the same naming convention for the two will return the following error:

The sandbox environment used for testing purposes can be easily reset, however, a lightweight naming/versioning process when creating the schema file SHOULD be used. An example naming convention could be the agency_abbrevation plus the date of the upload/testing:

Validating JSON Schema Files

Prior to executing the adapter locally, to check for any JSON formatting or JSON schema errors. Implementors SHOULD use a JSON schema validator tool to validate the structure of the schema file. A variety of schema validators are available online including the following:

Using the examples below, a valid JSON schema file constructed for an agency should return a valid result when compared to the schema definition file.

Troubleshooting Invalid JSON Schemas

In the event that a schema file created does not conform to the JSON schema file specification listed above, the adapter will return the following error:

If this error is returned be sure to complete the step labeled Validating JSON Schema Files.

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