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Less Than Anomaly Reporting

How the Less Than check reports violations: the anomaly messages it produces, what the numbers mean, how the offending value appears in Source Records, and how to replace the default message with a value from your own data.

Anomaly Messages

On a scalar numeric field at 100% coverage, Less Than reports violating rows as Record Anomalies. Below 100% coverage, a failed coverage assertion produces one Shape Anomaly for the dataset. On a numeric field nested inside an array the rule is evaluated element-wise as a field-level check, which always reports a Shape Anomaly. The two templates are:

Record Anomaly

The field '<field_name>' has value <row_value>, which is not less than <value>

Shape Anomaly

For the field '<field_name>', X.XXX% of N records (K) are not less than <value>

When a filter is set, both Record and Shape Anomaly messages end with [filter: <expression>].

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

What the Numbers Mean

  • X.XXX%: the fraction of filtered rows that fail the comparison.
  • N: the total number of rows the check evaluated (after the filter, if any). Rows with NULL values count in this total because they pass the comparison.
  • K: the number of rows that fail the comparison.

Source Records Behavior

The offending cell is highlighted with an orange outline and an orange-tinted background in the Source Records view, mirroring the platform's standard violation rendering. Only the cell carrying the failing value is highlighted; the rest of the row renders normally.

Custom Anomaly Description

Less Than supports Custom Anomaly Description because it emits Record Anomalies. When anomaly_message_field (or the Custom Anomaly Description toggle in the UI) is set to another column on the same row, the Record Anomaly message becomes the value of that column for the violating row. When the referenced column is null, missing, or empty, the standard template is used instead.

Because the option only applies to Record Anomalies, it does not affect Shape Anomalies, which always use the fixed template.

See Also

  • How It Works

    The complete reference: definition, field scope, the threshold, inclusivity, the numeric comparator, NULL handling, filter behavior, and coverage.

    How It Works

  • Examples

    Three production scenarios with sample data, anomaly messages, and the SQL equivalent of what the check evaluates.

    Examples

  • Best Practices

    Guidelines for setting the threshold, using inclusivity and tolerance, and keeping the signal clean.

    Best Practices

  • Permissions

    The team permission each action needs: view, create, edit, archive, restore, and delete.

    Permissions