Abstract: An electronic document includes header, view, data, and signature sections. The data section provides data typically processed in transactions involving the electronic document. The view section includes presentation formatting for displays corresponding to the data. Linking elements identify corresponding main data values and view data values respectively used to populate the data section and display presentation formatting, and are accessible for determining whether the data in the display and data section, providing assurances that processed data matches that found in documents used by parties to a transaction. A digital signature section allows a digital signature to be provided, and used to wrap that data and view sections, to ensure authenticity. The header section provides document type, state and other information that is readily accessed without otherwise scanning the electronic document.

Abstract: Electronic documents are validated through application of a set of validation rules. One example of an electronic document to be validated has main data and view portions, wherein the main data portion can be parsed separately from the view portion, and the view portion includes presentation formatting for providing a display corresponding to the main data portion. There, the validation rules include comparison rules for determining whether a display provided by the view portion substantially matches the main data portion. Linking elements in the electronic document that point to corresponding information field in the view and main data portions can accommodate the matching comparison. Other types of validation rules include membership rules and reference identifier rules, and various document views corresponding to a given transaction can be separately validated.