Aglet

Verify Missing and Zero Report Semantics

Value-state verification checks semantics at the point a reader interprets a number. Exercise no observation, explicit zero, positive value, and unavailable calculation cases. Compare source membership, aggregate result, chart point, card text, table cell, and export value, then record which states remain outside the report contract.

Check whether the outcome improved

  1. Define state assertions

    Write expected output and explanatory text for each state, including whether a period with no row is shown, omitted, or labeled. State how filters, period comparisons, and totals treat each state. A pass requires the report contract to distinguish blank from zero wherever the decision depends on it.

  2. Exercise alternate views

    Apply the fixture to cards, tables, charts, exports, and a filtered period. Compare rows, points, labels, totals, and serialized values. Include adjacent periods so a missing point cannot be mistaken for a zero trend or a chart interpolation choice.

  3. Review reader interpretation

    Ask a reviewer to explain whether each displayed state means no observation, zero, or unavailable using the report alone. Preserve source revision, filter state, and evidence. Record a bounded result when a surface intentionally uses a shorthand that needs a nearby definition.

What to carry forward

Verification passes when each supported state has the documented value and explanation across reviewed surfaces. Report a bounded pass for uncovered measures. Keep verification inconclusive if a blank and explicit zero render identically where a decision relies on the distinction.

Technical background: Metabase 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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