Field Status Lifecycle

Every field in Qualytics follows a lifecycle defined by its status transitions. Understanding these transitions helps you predict how the platform will behave as your data evolves.

User-Driven Transitions

These transitions are triggered by manual user actions — masking, unmasking, excluding, and restoring fields.

flowchart LR
    Active -- User masks the field --> Masked
    Masked -- User unmasks the field --> Active

    Active -- User excludes the field --> Excluded
    Masked -- User excludes the field --> Excluded
    Excluded -- User restores the field --> Active

    style Active fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff,stroke:#388E3C
    style Masked fill:#FFA726,color:#fff,stroke:#F57C00
    style Excluded fill:#EF5350,color:#fff,stroke:#C62828

Automatic Transitions

These transitions happen automatically based on profile operations and field discovery.

flowchart LR
    Start(( )) -- Field discovered during first profile --> Active

    Active -- Field not found in profile results --> Missing
    Missing -- Field reappears in profile results --> Active

    Missing -- Permanently delete --> End(( ))

    style Active fill:#4CAF50,color:#fff,stroke:#388E3C
    style Missing fill:#FFEE58,color:#000,stroke:#F9A825
    style Start fill:#333,stroke:#333
    style End fill:#333,stroke:#333

Transition Details

Transition	Trigger	Automatic?	Side Effects
New → Active	Field discovered during initial profile	Yes	None — this is the default state
Active → Masked	User masks the field	No	Values hidden across the platform; no impact on quality checks
Active → Missing	Field not found in subsequent profile	Yes	Dependent computed fields also marked as Missing; container identifiers referencing this field are cleared
Active → Excluded	User manually excludes the field	No	Quality checks archived (except Expected Schema); dependent computed fields excluded recursively
Masked → Active	User unmasks the field	No	Values become visible again across the platform
Masked → Excluded	User manually excludes the field	No	Same as Active → Excluded
Missing → Active	Field reappears in profile results	Yes	Field resumes normal operations
Excluded → Active	User restores the field	No	Field becomes available for profiling and scanning; archived checks are not auto-restored
Missing → Deleted	User permanently deletes the field	No	Field permanently removed (only if no checks have ever referenced it)

Note

Only missing fields and computed fields can be permanently deleted. Active, masked, and excluded fields cannot be removed this way.

Note

A Missing field cannot be manually restored by a user. It can only return to Active automatically when it reappears in the source data during a subsequent profile operation.