Not Empty Check FAQ
Answers to common questions about what counts as empty, how NULLs and arrays behave, and how anomalies are reported, grouped by topic.
Behavior
What counts as empty?
On a text field, an empty string or a value made only of spaces. Only the space character is stripped before the value is judged, so a run of spaces fails exactly like '', while a value made of tabs or newlines passes.
How are NULL values treated?
NULLs pass. Not Empty only judges values that are present. Pair it with Not Null when the column must also be filled in.
What is the difference from Not Null?
Not Null asks whether a value exists; Not Empty asks whether the value that exists says anything. Neither implies the other, so a column that must be both present and meaningful needs both checks.
How does it behave on an array field?
It asserts the array holds at least one element, without inspecting the elements. An array of empty strings therefore passes; use Min Length with Array Element Context enabled when the elements must carry content.
Can I use it on a number or a boolean?
No. The field picker lists text and array fields only. A 0 or a false is a complete value; state the real constraint with Positive or Between.
Anomaly Reporting
What kind of anomaly does the check produce?
On a text field, Record Anomalies at 100% coverage and a Shape Anomaly below it. On an array field, a Shape Anomaly, because the rule evaluates the column as a whole.
Why do I see no per-row detail on an array field?
The rule asserts a property of the column there rather than diagnosing each record, so there is no per-row breakdown to show.
Can I customize the anomaly message?
On a text field yes, through Custom Anomaly Description, because the rule emits Record Anomalies. It has no effect on an array field, where only a Shape Anomaly is produced.
What happens if a large number of rows are blank?
Scan settings can group many Record Anomalies into one rolled-up Shape Anomaly. See Maximum Record Anomalies per Check.
Configuration
Can I lower the coverage on a Not Empty 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.
Do I need to configure anything on a text field?
No. Select the field and save. The only property applies to array fields.
What permission do I need to create or edit a Not Empty 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.
Should I create one check or two?
Two, whenever the column is mandatory: Not Empty for meaningfulness and Not Null for presence. Each anomaly then tells you which of the two problems the data has.