Aglet

Prioritize Import Field Length Defects

Field-length defects become more consequential when accepted text is silently shortened or when a late rejection forces users to repeat a long import. Prioritize the information and workflow affected. A clearly documented supported limit is different from inconsistent enforcement that allows a preview to promise acceptance the destination cannot provide.

Decide where the work belongs

  1. Identify information lost or blocked

    Compare controlled source and saved text, distinguishing silent truncation from explicit rejection and visual clipping. Determine what the field is used for and whether the removed content changes meaning. Keep observed loss separate from a display ellipsis that still allows users to retrieve the complete stored value through a supported view.

  2. Scope the relevant text population

    Group examples by field, producer, source length, and character representation where relevant. Compare values with similar character counts but different byte sizes if that boundary is implicated. Estimate reach from the affected field and format rather than all large files, since file size and individual value length are different constraints.

  3. Assess warning and correction effort

    Check whether preview reports the actual field limit with a usable source location. Try correcting a controlled value without losing necessary content. Include the cost of discovering the problem only after partial execution, and determine whether the complete original text remains available when an accepted result has already been truncated.

What to carry forward

Record priority with confirmed information loss, late-failure cost, affected input scope, and correction quality. Assign a trigger for silent truncation or inconsistent treatment across character representations. Keep the decision tied to a coherent field contract rather than assuming that raising a limit is always the appropriate or sufficient fix.

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.

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