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A Daily Lexicon of Trustworthy Data

005·76

validity

/vəˈlɪd.ɪ.ti/ - n.

1 [colloq.] Proof that a value followed the rules, and no proof at all that the rules described anything true.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. The degree to which a value conforms to its defined format, type, range, or domain of allowed values.

Evidence

Seen in the wild · 4

OpenTelemetry standardized the labels. The business meaning still lives outside the trace.Metric Theater
Everyone Agreed on the YAML. Nobody Agreed on the Owner.Definition Drift
The Build Checks the Shape. It Will Not Enforce the Promise.Owner Missing
New AI rules ask you to govern data you never classified. The bill comes due first.Business Sense Required

See also

accuracyAgreement with the source system, which everyone has quietly agreed to call reality.
data quality ruleA test that fires, raises a ticket, and waits to learn whether anyone meant it.
validationConfirming the data is the right shape, and inferring nothing about whether it is true.