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DMN Validator

The DMN Validator lets you validate one or more DMN files against the RONL DMN+ syntactic layers before publishing them to TriplyDB. It is accessible from the shield icon (🛡) in the sidebar.

Screenshot: DMN Validator showing two files loaded side-by-side, one valid with warnings, one with an Interaction Rules error expanded

DMN Validator showing two files loaded side-by-side, one valid with warnings, one with an Interaction Rules error expanded

Multi-file validation

You can drop any number of .dmn or .xml files onto the validator at once, or add files incrementally — the drop zone remains visible at the top of the panel whenever files are loaded. Files are validated independently and displayed side-by-side for easy comparison.

Each file card shows:

  • File name and size
  • A Validate button to trigger validation for that file individually
  • A Validate all button in the header to validate all loaded files at once
  • The validation result with a summary badge and collapsible layer sections
  • A remove (×) button to dismiss the file

Navigation state is preserved: switching to another view (SPARQL editor, chain builder, etc.) and returning does not clear the loaded files or their results.

Validation layers

Results are grouped into five layers. Each layer can be expanded to see individual issues. Issues carry a severity, a typed code, and a human-readable message.

Layer Badge Covers
Base DMN BASE-* XML well-formedness, namespace, root element, required attributes
Business Rules BIZ-* Hit policy, typeRef presence and correctness, rule entry counts, hit-policy overlap detection
Execution Rules EXEC-* CPRMV extension attributes, enum values, date formats, BWB IDs
Interaction Rules INT-* DRD wiring — href resolution, orphaned inputs (DRDs only), variable name consistency, missing inputData declarations (INT-007)
Content CON-* Metadata quality — descriptions, typeRef, text annotations

A file is valid when no layer produces an error. Warnings and informational messages are advisory; they highlight quality improvements recommended for RONL publishing but do not block use.

For the complete specification of every code and its rationale, see the DMN Validation Reference.

Severity levels

Icon Level Meaning
🔴 Error The DMN has a structural or semantic problem that will likely cause deployment or execution failure. Must be resolved.
🟡 Warning The DMN will work but deviates from RONL publishing standards. Should be resolved before publishing.
🔵 Info A quality suggestion. No functional impact.

Validation example

The screenshot below shows BIZ-008-009-test.dmn — a file deliberately authored with two hit-policy violations — loaded in the validator. The Business Rules layer reports one error and one warning.

Screenshot: BIZ-008-009-test.dmn in the DMN Validator showing Business Rules 1E 1W — BIZ-008 duplicate rows error and BIZ-009 catch-all shadow warning

BIZ-008-009-test.dmn in the DMN Validator showing Business Rules 1E 1W — BIZ-008 duplicate rows error and BIZ-009 catch-all shadow warning

Comparing files

Load multiple files to compare their validation profiles side-by-side. This is particularly useful when:

  • Reviewing a set of DMNs before a batch publish to TriplyDB
  • Comparing an updated version of a DMN against its predecessor
  • Checking that a vendor's DMN implementation meets the same standards as the reference model

Each card scrolls independently, so you can inspect the layer details of one file without losing your position in another.