DACS Minimum Elements Compliance Checker

DACS single-level minimum-description presence audit under caller independently verified edition/context. Creator/domain applicability and exceptions require actual review; presence alone not DACS semantic compliance. Independently witnessed columns in order: reference code independently present, repository independently present, title independently present, date independently present, extent independently present, creator identification independently assessed, scope/content independently present, access conditions independently present, language information independently present. Known missing and unknown evidence stay distinct; not approval, compliance, readiness, authenticity or safety certification.

Description

DACS descriptive elements support identification, context and access information.

DACS descriptive elements support identification, context and access information.^{[1, 2]}

A checklist of observed elements does not by itself establish full standards compliance. Use this tool to record known present, known missing and unknown checklist evidence.

When to use DACS Minimum Elements Compliance Checker

Use this tool to record known present, known missing and unknown checklist evidence. Establish the institution, collection/material context, applicable standards or authority, reference date and measurement units.

How to use DACS Minimum Elements Compliance Checker and understand its results

Establish the institution, collection/material context, applicable standards or authority, reference date and measurement units.
Enter observedCriterionFlags, criterionKnownFlags, using the field meanings and rules below, then run the tool.
Read result.witnessedCriteria, result.knownMissingCriteria, result.unknownCriteria. Interpret each field using the units, signs and evidence rules below.
If input validation fails, correct the reported field and run again. Before applying a successful result, check the stated reference scope, units, assumptions and any retained unknown evidence.

Input field	Meaning	Value type	Requirement
observedCriterionFlags	Observed criterion flags; binary 0/1 in the order documented below	list of number	Required
criterionKnownFlags	Criterion known flags; 1 means known and 0 means unknown; keep the same item order	list of number	Required

Supply exactly 9 binary criterion flags and matched binary known flags in the listed order. Return witnessed labels where both flags are 1, known missing labels where known=1 and observed=0, and unknown labels wherever known=0, regardless of the placeholder observed flag. No overall diagnosis, pass or approval is inferred.

Zero-based column	Criterion
0	reference code independently present
1	repository independently present
2	title independently present
3	date independently present
4	extent independently present
5	creator identification independently assessed
6	scope/content independently present
7	access conditions independently present
8	language information independently present

witnessed={label_i:known_i=1 and observed_i=1}; missing={label_i:known_i=1 and observed_i=0}; unknown={label_i:known_i=0}

Apply the field units and exact ordering, boundary and evidence rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
result	Structured result containing the calculation or selected reference fields below	object
result.witnessedCriteria	Criterion labels observed present with known evidence	list of string
result.knownMissingCriteria	Criterion labels known to be absent	list of values
result.unknownCriteria	Criterion labels whose evidence is unknown	list of values

json

{
  "input": {
    "observedCriterionFlags": [
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1
    ],
    "criterionKnownFlags": [
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1,
      1
    ]
  },
  "output": {
    "result": {
      "witnessedCriteria": [
        "reference code independently present",
        "repository independently present",
        "title independently present",
        "date independently present",
        "extent independently present",
        "creator identification independently assessed",
        "scope/content independently present",
        "access conditions independently present",
        "language information independently present"
      ],
      "knownMissingCriteria": [],
      "unknownCriteria": []
    }
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

Feature and criterion flags are independent annotations. Unknown evidence remains unknown; matching rules do not establish a diagnosis, cause, prediction or approval.

Every listed input requires an explicit value. Unexpected fields, incorrect value types, nonfinite numbers and sparse numeric arrays fail validation; tool-specific bounds and alignment rules apply as described above. Extremely large inputs or outputs can also be rejected. An input error is distinct from a successful calculation that reports a false comparison or retains unknown evidence.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use ISAD(G) Required Field Presence Checker to examine a related aspect: ISAD(G) describes archival units using defined information elements.

Use Finding Aid EAD Tag Completeness Counter where its separate inputs and scope apply: EAD completeness depends on the adopted schema and required expanded element names.

References

DACS Minimum Elements Compliance Checker — tool.io
DACS: levels and requirements for description — Society of American Archivists

Similar or alternative tools

ISAD(G) Required Field Presence Checker
ISAD(G) describes archival units using defined information elements.
Finding Aid EAD Tag Completeness Counter
EAD completeness depends on the adopted schema and required expanded element names.