Vocabulary · Free lesson
Missing is not zero: describe a data-quality issue
In this fictional feed, 0 means a confirmed count of no orders. A blank count means the number is unknown. Tuesday has 0; Wednesday has a blank count.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
A missing value gives no recorded amount. A zero value records the number 0. Do not say “no orders” when the order count is unknown. Check how the source defines missing information.
Report the missing information without replacing it with a result.
Say “Tuesday’s order count is zero” and “Wednesday’s order count is missing.” Both rows exist; one value is absent. “Wednesday’s row is missing” would mean the entire record is absent, which is a different problem.
Two different states
Tuesday’s order count is zero.
Wednesday’s order-count value is missing; the count is unknown.
A missing value, a blank display and a database NULL are not interchangeable in every system. Use the source’s definition.
Write a useful issue report
Locate the field
The order-count field for Wednesday is blank.
Explain the meaning
In this feed, blank means unknown, not zero.
Try it now
Describe the field accurately
Read all answers and explanations
Definition: blank means unknown. Wednesday’s order count is blank. Which sentence fits?
Wednesday’s order count is missing.The amount is unknown. Neither zero nor ten is supported.
Definition: 0 means a confirmed count of none. Tuesday’s value is 0. Which report is accurate?
Tuesday’s recorded order count is zero.A recorded zero is a value. It is not missing under the definition given.
Wednesday’s row exists, but its order-count field is blank. Which sentence preserves that distinction?
The row is present, but the order-count value is missing.The row and the value are different levels. The problem is one missing field value.
Put it into practice
Repair a misleading data note
Friday’s row exists. Its delivery-count field is blank, and the feed defines blank as unknown. Choose a faithful note.
There were no deliveries on Friday because Friday’s row is missing.
See a model answer
Friday’s row is present, but the delivery-count value is missing. The number of deliveries is unknown.
Other wording works if it keeps the source definition and does not invent a count.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does every blank mean unknown?
No. It could mean not applicable, unavailable, an empty string or something else in that source. Check the data definition and state what is missing precisely.
What does a blank value mean in this feed?
How do I distinguish a missing row from a missing value?
A missing row means the record is absent; a missing value means a specific field in a record has no usable value under that source’s definition. Name the record or field so the team knows what to check.
Take it into your day
Unknown is information about your knowledge; zero is a number.
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