Alphanumeric data quality
Article 3
1. When entering or modifying alphanumeric data in ECRIS-TCN the central authority of the convicting Member State shall use the data quality verification mechanism integrated into the ECRIS reference implementation. 2. The Member States that use their national ECRIS implementation software, as provided for in Article 4(4) to (7) of Regulation (EU) 2019/816, shall ensure that their national ECRIS implementation software allows for the same alphanumeric data quality verification as the mechanism referred to in paragraph 1. 3. The data quality verification process shall apply to entering or modifying all alphanumeric data, and ensure that as a minimum the following conditions are met: (a) all mandatory fields are filled in or hold the value ‘unknown’; (b) when a first name contains the value ‘unknown’, the surname shall not hold the value ‘unknown’, and vice versa, unless a pseudonym, first name or surname of alias, or fingerprints for the same person are available; (c) the data element ‘nationality or nationalities’ in the incoming message of the convicting Member State shall be verified against a predefined list of countries, but may contain one of the values ‘unknown’ or ‘stateless’. 4. A new data record shall not be created where a record containing identical alphanumeric data has already been created in ECRIS-TCN by the same Member State, in particular where the same Member State Reference Code from the same Member State already exists. When comparing the identicalness of the data records, only the alphanumeric data elements marked as relevant for such comparison in the data model set out in Section I of the Annex, shall be taken into account. Empty alphanumeric data elements in any of the data records compared shall not be taken into account for the purpose of this comparison. 5. Where a record contains any alphanumeric data which does not comply with the standards set out in paragraphs 3 and 4, that record shall be rejected by ECRIS-TCN in its entirety and shall not be stored nor processed.