I'm working on a web application that is globalized. The development process is agile style, with several sprints already completed. Our globalization framework is good and localization efforts have been successful so far. However, we continue to run into questions during requirements development, particularly in data storage and validation requirements. I'm certain the questions we are wrestling with have been researched and solved many times and the answers are likely well known and documented somewhere. So far, I have been unable to find the compendium of information I'm looking for.
Here are some sample questions I'd like to find answers for:
- What are the best practices for input, validation, storage and display of address information for a global application?
- number of characters to store for address fields (Did you know there is a city name that contains 163 characters?)
- validation of address data
- What are the best practices for input, validation, storage and display of phone numbers for a global application?
- Same question for a person's name?
So far, our approach to these issues has been to allow ample storage for the various fields and to perform minimal input validation, relying on the user to get it right. This approach is working OK at this stage in the project, but the various project stakeholders are not satisfied using this approach for the long term. There is a strong desire for clean data, efficient storage and attractive data presentation for all locales.
Any recommendations out there for books, papers or websites that have a fairly complete handling of these and related topics?