FHIR Referential Integrity: Handling and Caveats in Cloud Healthcare API

Details

This article provides a detailed explanation of 'Referential Integrity' when managing FHIR data using the Cloud Healthcare API. Generally, the FHIR store enforces this integrity for references to other resources within the same store; operations containing invalid references will fail. However, exceptions exist, such as external URL references or logical references specified by merchant IDs, which are exempt from this constraint. Furthermore, certain API methods (e.g., Resource-purge) may bypass integrity checks, and the FHIR import method does not enforce it, requiring careful handling to maintain data consistency. The article also highlights a strict limitation on 'Containing Resources': every containing resource must be referenced somewhere within its contained resources, and all such references must be valid. Understanding these technical constraints is crucial for building stable FHIR systems.