Aglet

Verify Top N and Other Report Totals

Top-N verification tests whether a reader can tell what is displayed and what has been grouped away. Exercise clear ranks, a boundary tie, a null category, and a filter that changes membership. Compare full population totals with displayed members and Other so a chart remains honest at the cutoff.

Check whether the outcome improved

  1. Define ranking assertions

    Write expected measure, direction, N, category grain, tie behavior, null rule, displayed members, Other members, and total for each fixture. State whether ties expand or remain grouped. A pass requires the chart or companion explanation to name the aggregation boundary.

  2. Exercise cutoff cases

    Run clear ranking, tie, below-cutoff, null, empty, and filtered fixtures through chart, table, card, legend, and export views. Compare members, values, colors, and totals. Record whether a changed filter recomputes ranking or preserves a prior category set.

  3. Review hidden membership

    Ask a reviewer to explain which categories are in Other and whether the displayed total reconciles with the full population. Preserve source rows, filter state, report revision, and evidence. Record a bounded result when membership is correct but cannot be inspected from the report.

What to carry forward

Verification passes when top-N members, tie behavior, Other membership, labels, and totals agree across reviewed surfaces. Report a bounded pass for unsupported null or tie rules. Keep verification inconclusive when a reader cannot tell whether Other is a bucket, omission, or filtered-out data.

Technical background: Google Cloud 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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