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Data Type Check

The Data Type Check processor checks that the values in a String attribute conform to a consistent data type, and categorizes as invalid any records with values that are not of the expected data type.

Note that Number and Date attributes are by definition 100% consistent with regard to their data type, and so cannot be checked.

Use

The Data Type Check is a useful way of quickly finding values that have been entered into the wrong fields in a user application - typically numbers or dates that have been entered into fields that expect text values only.

Note that it is possible to 'expect' dates or numbers in a String attribute, and categorize as invalid any values that are not of the expected type. This is provided because dates and numbers are not always held in attributes with a controlled data type that can be read from the schema of the data source.

Configuration

Inputs

A single String attribute that you want to check for data type consistency.

Options

Option	Type	Purpose	Default Value
Expected Data Type	Selection (Text/Number/Date)	Specifies the expected (valid) data type for the input data. Any data found that is not of the expected type is categorized as invalid.	None
Interpret Nulls as Valid	Yes/No	Drives whether or not to interpret Null values as valid in the check	Yes
List of recognized date formats	Reference Data (Date Formatting Category)	Recognizes dates in a variety of different formats	*Date Formats (See Note below)

Note on Date Formats

The Date Formats Reference Data used by the Data Type Check must conform to the standard Java 1.5.0 or Java 1.6.0 SimpleDateFormat API.

To understand how to add Reference Data entries for the correct recognition of dates, see the online Java documentation here.

Outputs

Data attributes

None

Flags

Flag attribute	Purpose	Possible Values
DataTypeValid	Indicates which data passes the Data Type Check	Y/N

Publication to Dashboard

A Data Type Check's results may be published to the Dashboard. The following interpretation of results is used by default

Result	Dashboard Interpretation
Valid data type	Pass
Invalid data type	Alert

Execution

Execution Mode	Supported
Batch	Yes
Real time Monitoring	Yes
Real time Response	Yes

Results Browsing

The Data Type Check produces a summary view of its results, showing the following statistics:

Statistic	Meaning
Valid	Records with data of the expected data type in the input attribute
Invalid	Records with data not of the expected data type in the input attribute

Additional Information

Clicking on the Additional Information button will show the above statistics as percentages of the total number of records analyzed.

Output Filters

The Data Type Check produces the following output filters:

Valid records
Invalid records

Example

In this example, the Data Type Check is used to check that all values for a NAME attribute are in textual format.

In this case, null values are treated as invalid.

Summary View

Drilldown on Invalid values

In this case, a date value that was entered into the wrong field, and two Null Name values were found.