Decide where the work belongs
Identify changed meaning and state
Compare controlled source representations with final values for the affected field. Record unintended clearing, insertion of defaults, or loss of the distinction between unknown and empty. Separate observed overwrites from hypothetical effects in fields whose import contract has not yet been checked or documented.
Group by operation and field
Distinguish new-record imports from updates and identify fields with different blank-value semantics. Estimate reach using relevant imports and representations. Avoid prioritizing a broad parser rewrite when evidence shows one destination assignment rule is collapsing values after the parser has correctly preserved their differences.
Assess preview and recovery limits
Check whether the preview communicates an empty value, null marker, or unchanged field clearly enough for users to correct it. Determine whether original values remain available for reconciliation. A workaround that requires remembering every previous value does not meaningfully reduce the risk of an unintended update.
What to carry forward
Record a queue decision with the affected contract, confirmed state change, recovery confidence, and owner. Escalate when blanks silently overwrite existing values or create false defaults. Revisit scope when another field or update mode uses a different interpretation that the current correction does not address.
Technical background: PostgreSQL documentation.
Keep the decision with the work.
Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.
Create an account See the product workflow