[Deprecated] XDS-SD Document validation

Warning: This documentation is out-dated, newest version of the documentation is available at https://gazelle.ihe.net/gazelle-documentation 

This page explains how to check that the PDF embedded in an XDS-SD document is a valid PDF/A document. The IT-Infrastructure technical framework requires that XDS-SD document embedding a PDF, that the PDF shall be conform to PDF/A ISO 19005-1b 

In order to validate the embedded PDF, first the PDF needs to be extracted from the CDA document. Then it needs to be validated.

Extract the PDF from the CDA

When validating CDA documents that contains embedded PDF documents, the EVS Client now proposes a link to validate the embedded PDF.

Use the HL7 -> Validate CDA tool , validate your CDA. If you click on the HTML tab to render the document. Then the embedded PDF will be displayed. You can then save it on your disk. Otherwize you can click on the link on the top of the document to access the PDF/A validation of the document. 

PDF/A document validation

Validation of PDF/A document is challenging topic and many tools are available to perform that task. More information about validation can be found in the following report :

Please find in that PDF/A Competence Center a list of PDF/A validation tool of interest. We are describing here how to perform the validation using two of the tool listed in the PDF/A Competence Center site :  pdfaPilot2 from Callas. The tool is available for windows and mac platform. You can ask for a 7 day evaluation license.

  • Start the callas pdfaPilot2 tool.
  • Drag the pdf in the application window
  • Generate the report

An alternative tool : http://www.validatepdfa.com/fr/ will to validate a PDF/A per email. The report is sent to your mailbox. 

You might as well use the JHOVE tool for the validation of your documents. See in the following example the output for a valid PDF/A-1 Level B document. 

~$ jhove -m PDF-hul Inconnu-16.pdf 
Jhove (Rel. 1.4, 2009-07-30) 
Date: 2011-03-28 23:10:58 CEST 
RepresentationInformation: Inconnu-16.pdf 
ReportingModule: PDF-hul, Rel. 1.8 (2009-05-22) 
LastModified: 2011-03-28 23:10:47 CEST 
Size: 284080 
Format: PDF Version: 1.3 
Status: Well-Formed and valid 
SignatureMatches: PDF-hul MIMEtype: application/pdf Profile: Linearized PDF, ISO PDF/A-1, Level B PDFMetadata: Objects: 37 FreeObjects: 1 IncrementalUpdates: 1 DocumentCatalog: PageLayout: SinglePage PageMode: UseNone Info: ...

Generate valid PDF/A 1b documents

Note that OpenOffice is able to generate valid PDF/A documents

Please see also the C# and Java use of iText to generate PDF/A documents : there