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Validity

The state of an assertion, representation, or semantic construct conforming to its governing rules at a point in time ; a time-bounded, evaluable property distinct from truth.

Semantic Identity

semantic_id: wsf:Validity
preferred_name: Validity
aliases: [Valid State, Conformance Status]
status: Baseline
version: 0.1.0
classification: Tier 2 (Supporting Construct)
parent: wsf:State
defined_by: ADR-WSF-13, ADR-WSF-22
authority: WSF

Definition

Validity is the state of an assertion, representation, or semantic construct conforming to its governing rules at a point in time. Validity is a time-bounded, evaluable property; it can change as rules change or as the construct evolves. Validity is distinct from truth per ADR-WSF-22.

Validity is NOT:

  • Truth (an assertion can be valid but false, or invalid but true) ;
  • Permanence (validity has a temporal scope) ;
  • Correctness in all senses (validity is rule-specific) ;
  • Currency (a valid construct may be outdated).

Validity vs Truth

The distinction is critical:

  • Truth : correspondence to reality (does the assertion match what is) ;
  • Validity : conformance to rules (does the assertion follow the specified form and constraints) ;

A WSF assertion can be:

Validity Truth Status
Valid True Currently accepted claim
Valid False Erroneous claim requiring investigation
Invalid True True claim with structural defect
Invalid False Defective erroneous claim

Validity is necessary but not sufficient for acceptance; truth verification is separate.

Validity Scope

Validity applies to:

  • Assertions (per ADR-WSF-12) ;
  • Representations (per ADR-WSF-23) ;
  • Concept definitions (per ADR-WSF-20) ;
  • Relationships (per ADR-WSF-19) ;
  • Identifiers (per ADR-WSF-18).

Validity Levels

Validity can be assessed at multiple levels:

Syntactic Validity

  • Encoding parses per format specification ;
  • No malformed structure ;
  • Required fields present.

Structural Validity

  • Conforms to concept definition ;
  • Required relationships present ;
  • Cardinality constraints satisfied ;
  • Type assertions correct.

Semantic Validity

  • Conforms to SHACL/ShEx shapes (per ADR-WSF-23) ;
  • Inheritance rules respected (per ADR-WSF-04) ;
  • Cross-references resolvable ;
  • Constraint constraints satisfied.

Contextual Validity

  • Valid in the asserted context (per ADR-WSF-14) ;
  • Authority appropriate for context ;
  • Time-bounded validity respected.

Validity States

Validity is a state that can change:

Valid

The construct currently conforms to all applicable rules.

Invalid

The construct currently fails one or more applicable rules:

  • Validation errors recorded ;
  • Reason for invalidity documented ;
  • Remediation path identified.

Indeterminate

Validity cannot be determined at this time:

  • Required information missing ;
  • Validation tools unavailable ;
  • Conflict between rules under resolution.

Void

The construct has no validity status:

  • Deprecated and superseded ;
  • Explicitly withdrawn ;
  • Outside applicable scope.

Validity Evaluation

Validity is evaluated through:

Automated Validation

  • SHACL validators ;
  • ShEx validators ;
  • Custom validators ;
  • Continuous validation in pipelines.

Manual Validation

  • Domain expert review ;
  • Peer review ;
  • Editorial review.

Periodic Revalidation

  • Time-triggered re-evaluation ;
  • Rule change triggers re-evaluation ;
  • Reference change triggers re-evaluation.

Validity Time-Bounding

Validity has temporal scope:

Valid From

The earliest time the construct became valid.

Valid Until

The latest time the construct remains valid (if bounded).

Re-evaluation Period

How often validity is re-checked.

Validity Expiry

When validity lapses if not renewed.

Time-bounding enables confidence in long-lived constructs.

Validity Evidence

Validity claims require evidence:

  • Validation report (from automated validator) ;
  • Review record (from manual review) ;
  • Test case coverage (from test suite) ;
  • Audit trail (from system activity).

Evidence links validity claims to validation actions.

Validity Reporting

Validity status is reported through:

  • Concept metadata (status field) ;
  • Assertion metadata (validity field) ;
  • API responses (with validity info) ;
  • Dashboards (with validity trends).

Validity vs Lifecycle Status

Validity is distinct from lifecycle status:

Aspect Validity Lifecycle Status
Purpose Rule conformance Stage in lifecycle
Evaluated by Validation engine Governance process
Affects Trust in construct Use of construct
Example Invalid (fails rule) Deprecated (withdrawn)

A construct can be valid but deprecated, or invalid but active.

Canonical Examples

# Valid assertion
- assertion:
    subject: wsf-ex:OTCHERE-Inc
    predicate: wsf-rel:possesses
    object: wsf:Capability
    validity: Valid
    evidence: validation-report-12345

# Invalid assertion (with reason)
- assertion:
    subject: wsf-ex:UnknownEntity
    predicate: wsf-rel:possesses
    object: wsf:Capability
    validity: Invalid
    invalidity_reason: subject_identifier_not_registered

# Time-bounded validity
- assertion:
    subject: wsf-ex:OTCHERE-Inc
    predicate: wsf-rel:registeredIn
    object: jurisdiction:US-DE
    validity: Valid
    valid_from: 2026-01-01
    valid_until: 2026-12-31

Cross-References

  • ADR-WSF-13 : Semantic Constraints and Validation
  • ADR-WSF-22 : Assertion and Provenance Model (truth vs validity distinction)
  • wsf:State : the parent construct
  • wsf:Evidence : supports validity claims

Validity is a Tier 2 supporting construct. Status: Baseline.