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Coverage and limits

What is covered

Section titled “What is covered”

Every section and table of all 20 published parts can be searched with dicom_search and read with dicom_read. PS3.9 and PS3.13 are retired and not fetched.

These parts are also parsed into structured records:

Part Structured lookups Tools
PS3.3 IODs, modules, macros, attribute Types and conditions, value lists dicom_iod, dicom_module, dicom_element, dicom_values
PS3.4 SOP Classes and the IOD each one uses dicom_iod, dicom_read
PS3.5 Transfer syntax encoding facts, VR definitions dicom_read
PS3.6 Data elements (tag, keyword, VR, VM, retired) and UIDs dicom_element, dicom_read
PS3.16 Context groups, templates, coded concepts and Annex D definitions dicom_code, dicom_values

Only the edition NEMA currently publishes can be fetched. Builds of the 2026d edition hold 5,310 data elements, 492 UIDs, 192 IODs, 414 modules, 306 macros and 184 SOP Classes.

The gap log

Section titled “The gap log”

A build never stops on a gap in the source. It logs each one to <edition>.gaps.txt next to the database and prints the count per part. A 2026d build logs about 400:

  • About 396 are PS3.16 tables whose layout the structured parser skips, such as the TID parameter tables. Their content still reads as text through dicom_code and dicom_read.
  • A few are cross references whose target no part defines, which read as the reference without a target.

Storage and I/O errors do stop a build. A stopped build leaves the previous database in place.

Known limits

Section titled “Known limits”
  • Figures are not stored. Reading a figure returns the sections and tables around it as candidates.
  • Full checklists are still long. The CT Image checklist from dicom_iod with expand is six pages; with type = "required" it is two pages (about 3,700 tokens). General Series is one page as an outline and two in full. Use the Type, usage and module filters to keep an answer to what a task needs.
  • Search ranks by text match. Normative sections are ranked before informative annexes, but a table from another part can still rank above the section that defines a term.
  • Conformance. Answers show what the standard says; they do not certify that a product or dataset conforms.

Common errors

Section titled “Common errors”
Message Fix
no local DICOM KB found Run dicom-kb fetch and dicom-kb build, or pass --db.
SQLite KB does not exist: PATH Check --edition, --db and --cache-dir, or build that edition.
was built with schema N; this version reads schema M Rebuild with dicom-kb build --force.
SQLite KB already exists Pass --force to build to replace it.
That edition is already fetched Pass --force to fetch to download it again.
could not determine a single DICOM edition NEMA’s release listing changed or could not be read; try again later.
MCP support requires the optional dependency Reinstall with the [mcp] extra.
synthetic fixture files are unavailable Run build-fixture from a source checkout.