This is the first in a series of blog posts aimed at documenting the development of an XCRI-CAP 1.2 validator.  My aim is to post a new blog post every week until the development is complete, then at least once every month to document both the usage of the validator as well as any community-highlighted modifications or issues.

For those unaware of the validator project, the purpose of the validator is to aim to improve the validity and consistency of information contained within XCRI-CAP 1.2 feeds that are currently being produced, including those by institutions involved in the JISC "Course data: making the most of course information" call.

The validator will build upon a community-produced XCRI-CAP Online Validator, with the validation rules being driven by key individuals and groups involved in the XCRI community. Feeds that fail validation for any reason will be provided with guidance on the reasons for the test being made and recommendations on altering the feed to resolve the issue.

The key deliverables of the project are:

1. The production of an open-source validation library and rulebase, and
2. A version of the validation tool available online to anyone who wants to use it

Development of the validator started in December 2011 and  is expected to be complete at the end of February 2012. The online implementation of the library will remain available (at a minimum) through until March 2013.