Is Address Check FAQ

Answers to common questions about how the Is Address check parses an address, which parts it can require, and how anomalies are reported, grouped by topic.

Behavior

Which parts can I require?

road, city, state, country, and post code. Select the ones your downstream process depends on: every extra part makes the rule stricter.

Does the check verify that the address exists?

No. It confirms that the required parts are present in the text. Whether the address is real or deliverable is a question for an address verification service outside the platform.

Why are addresses from one country all flagged?

Most likely a required part does not exist in that country's convention, such as a state. Scope the check with a filter on the country, or drop that part from the required list.

How are NULL values treated?

NULLs pass. An empty string does not: it is a present value with no parts. Pair with Not Null when absence should also be reported.

Does the filter run before or after the parsing?

Before. The platform applies the filter first and then evaluates only the rows that pass the filter. Filtered-out rows cannot trigger an anomaly and are not counted in the totals.

Anomaly Reporting

What do the anomaly messages look like?

Record Anomaly: <field> has the value <value>, which is not a recognisable address

Shape Anomaly: <field> values are not a recognisable address, affecting N of M asserted records

When a filter is set, the message names it at the end of its first sentence, as (applied to records where <expression>). Record and Shape Anomaly messages both carry it.

Does Is Address produce Record Anomalies, Shape Anomalies, or both?

At 100% coverage (the default), violating rows are reported as Record Anomalies. Below 100% coverage, a failed coverage assertion produces one Shape Anomaly for the dataset.

Scan settings can group a large number of Record Anomalies into one rolled-up Shape Anomaly, which carries the Shape Anomaly message. This behavior applies across rule types and is documented under Maximum Record Anomalies per Check.

Does Custom Anomaly Description work for Is Address?

Yes. Is Address emits Record Anomalies, so the anomaly_message_field payload field (and the Custom Anomaly Description toggle in the UI) applies.

When the option points at another column on the same row, the Record Anomaly message becomes that column's value for the violating row, shown as written. When the column is null, missing, or empty, the message falls back to the rule's standard wording, and when the column is masked the message reads <masked>. Shape Anomaly messages are unaffected.

Does the message say which part is missing?

No. It names the field and the value; compare it against the required parts to see which one could not be found.

Configuration

Can I lower the coverage on an Is Address check?

Yes. Coverage at 1.0 (100%) means every row must pass. Lowering coverage to 0.995 allows up to 0.5% of rows to fail without raising an anomaly; once the failing fraction goes past that, the check reports a Shape Anomaly. Use lower coverage with care: a real regression that happens to fall just under the threshold will not raise an alert at all.

Can I change the required parts on an existing check?

Yes. In the UI, open the check, change Required Labels, and click Update; see Edit a Check for the full steps. Through the API, a PUT to /api/quality-checks/{id} updates properties.required_labels. The rule type, the target container, and the associated Check Template stay immutable; see the API page for the editable/immutable matrix.

What permission do I need to create or edit an Is Address check?

The Drafter team permission on the datastore covers Draft work (creating a check as Draft or editing it while it stays Draft). Anything that puts the check into evaluation, such as creating or editing an Active check, archiving, or deleting, requires the Author team permission (or above). Viewing only requires Reporter. See Permissions for the full matrix.