Apply scheme-specific separator handling.
Initialising algorithm engine for Identifier Normalization Tool...
How Identifier Normalization Tool Works?
The Identifier Normalization Tool cleans up a code using the rules of its scheme. It can remove separators and prefixes, fix letter case and add leading zeros. Each step must preserve the code's meaning and required length.
- 1Select the scheme.
- 2Remove separators the scheme ignores (spaces, hyphens, dots).
- 3Convert letters to upper case where the scheme is case-insensitive.
- 4Strip prefixes such as URLs or labels.
- 5Pad with leading zeros when the scheme defines a fixed width.
Identifier Normalization Tool Formula
The normalization rule is canonical = pad(upper(strip(remove_separators(input)))), with steps chosen per scheme.
canonical = pad_n(upper(strip_prefix(remove(input, separators))))
pad_nleft-pads to length n when the scheme requires it.
Remove spaces → gb82west12345698765432 Upper case → GB82WEST12345698765432 Ready for validation
Identifier Normalization Tool Conversion Table
The normalization table shows raw inputs and their canonical forms for 8 schemes.
| Scheme | Raw input | Normalised | Rules applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBAN | gb82 west 1234 5698 7654 32 | GB82WEST12345698765432 | Remove spaces, upper case |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-306-40615-7 | 9780306406157 | Remove hyphens |
| ISBN-10 | 0-8044-2957-x | 080442957X | Remove hyphens, upper-case X |
| Card number | 4111 1111-1111 1111 | 4111111111111111 | Remove spaces and hyphens |
| ORCID | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097 | 0000000218250097 | Strip URL prefix and hyphens |
| UPC-A as GTIN-14 | 036000291452 | 00036000291452 | Left-pad with zeros to 14 |
| Container | cs qu 305438-3 | CSQU3054383 | Remove spaces/hyphen, upper case |
| MRZ | L898902C3 6 | L898902C36 | Remove spaces, keep < |
What is Identifier Normalization Tool?
An Identifier Normalization Tool is a tool that converts identifiers to their canonical form before validation or storage. Normalisation stops duplicates such as GB82 WEST… and gb82west… from counting as different values.
Each scheme has its own rules: GS1 keys are left-padded to 14 digits, while MRZ fields keep the < filler.
What are the uses of Identifier Normalization Tool?
There are 3 main uses of the Identifier Normalization Tool, including de-duplication, database keys, and validation prep.
- De-duplication: Data teams merge records stored in different formats.
- Database keys: Architects store 1 canonical form per identifier.
- Validation prep: Validators get clean input.