---
title: 'v7.12.0: Regex Validation Rules'
description: Define regex patterns once and have every value checked automatically - with hard rules that block bad data and soft rules to flag it for a second look.
date: '2026-07-28 15:00:00'
author: 'Data Controller'
authorLink: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/data-controller-for-sas
tags:
  - Announcements
---

# v7.12.0: Regex Validation Rules

🚀 A new Data Controller release is out - now featuring **regex validation rules**.

Regex (short for "regular expression") is a way of describing a pattern that text should match - think "must look like an email address" or "must be a valid UK postcode". Instead of writing code to check every entry, you simply define the pattern once, and every value entered into that column is automatically checked against it. It's a technique trusted by developers and data teams for decades, now available to your rule authors in a simple, declarative way.

This release gives you two levels of enforcement:

- **Hard rules** (`HARDREGEX`) block submission entirely - an invalid email address simply can't be saved, and the cell turns red so the problem is obvious at a glance.
- **Soft rules** (`SOFTREGEX`) show a gentle yellow warning instead, letting the submission through while flagging that something might need a second look. Perfect for checks that are important but not deal-breakers.

Rules are checked the moment they're created. Every pattern is run through SAS's own `PRXPARSE` engine when it's saved, so a broken or invalid regex is rejected immediately - with a clear message showing exactly which column it affects. There's no risk of a typo'd pattern silently failing on your users later.

The value? Cleaner data at the point of entry, with no manual review needed. Mistakes are caught the moment they're typed - not weeks later in a report - and your team decides exactly which rules are strict and which are advisory.

Full details in the [validation rules documentation](https://docs.datacontroller.io/dcc-validations/).

## Also in this release

🔒 Incompatible security settings are now caught before they cause problems

🔧 Table filters no longer leak between views

🛡️ Dependencies fully updated - zero known vulnerabilities, fully offline/on-prem capable

See the [v7.12.0 release notes](https://git.datacontroller.io/dc/dc/releases/tag/v7.12.0) for the complete changelog.
