The Monotonic Sequence rule checks whether numeric values in a dataset are ordered consistently in either ascending or descending order.
This rule is commonly used to:
- Validate time series data or version numbers for logical progression.
- Detect data entry errors where numbers break expected order patterns.
Example Usage:
Ensure customer transaction numbers always increase in order of transaction date, or product prices decrease progressively in a markdown list.
Configuration Fields
Rule-Specific Configuration
| Field Name | Description | Required | Data Type / Options |
|---|
| Order Type | The direction of the expected sequence | Yes | Ascending, Descending |
| Strict | Whether the sequence should be strictly monotonic (no equal consecutive values allowed) | Yes | true / false |
Success Criteria Configuration
This section defines how the rule’s outcome is measured against expected thresholds.
| Field Name | Description | Required | Options / Format |
|---|
| Operator | Comparison operation for the result count | Yes | GreaterThan, LessThan, EqualTo, Between |
| Threshold Value | Value for comparison (for GreaterThan, LessThan, EqualTo) | Conditional | Number |
| Threshold Min | Minimum value (for Between operator) | Conditional | Number |
| Threshold Max | Maximum value (for Between operator) | Conditional | Number |
| Is Percentage | Whether the threshold represents a percentage or an absolute count | No | true / false (default: false) |
| Allow Nulls | Whether null values are considered valid | No | true / false (default: false) |
| Check For Match | When false, validates for negation of the condition | No | true / false (default: true) |
| ID | Customer | Number |
|---|
| 1 | Aubrey | 83457 |
| 2 | Fallon | 23455 |
| 3 | FranklynFryer | 46573 |
| 4 | Kathleen | 96784 |
| 5 | JudieGreen | |
Sample Configurations
Example 1: Ascending Monotonic Check (Strict)
| Configuration Field | Value |
|---|
| Column | Number |
| Order Type | Ascending |
| Strict | true |
| Operator | LessThan |
| Threshold Value | 50 |
| Is Percentage | false |
| Allow Nulls | false |
Explanation:
Validates that the sequence of values in the Number column follows a strictly increasing order, and no more than 50 records can fail this check.
Example 2: Descending Non-Strict Monotonic Check
| Configuration Field | Value |
|---|
| Column | Number |
| Order Type | Descending |
| Strict | false |
| Operator | GreaterThan |
| Threshold Value | 80 |
| Is Percentage | true |
| Allow Nulls | true |
| Check For Match | true |
Explanation:
Validates that at least 80% of values in the Number column follow a descending order, allowing equal consecutive values.
Sample Output
| Column Name | Rule Name | Success Count | Failure Count | Null Count | Within Threshold |
|---|
| Number | Monotonic Sequence Check | 4 | 1 | 0 | No |
| Customer | Monotonic Sequence Check | 2 | 3 | 1 | Yes |
