Data dates and freshness
What Connection Date, Most Recent Data, and Data QA each tell you about a channel, and the rule behind the warning for a source with no recent data.
The Channels tab shows three dates for each channel, and each date answers a different question. Connection Date says when the channel was first connected. Most Recent Data says how current the data is. Data QA says when a person approved the numbers. The status of the connection is a fourth, separate fact.
What does each date tell you?
Section titled “What does each date tell you?”| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Connection Date | The date when the channel first had a live connection. The date does not change when you reconnect the channel. |
| Most Recent Data | The latest date that Prescient holds data for the channel. The date is for the channel, so two connections of one channel show the same date. |
| Data QA | The date when each number of the channel was approved, with the approver. Flagged shows while a number is in dispute. |
Why can a connected channel have old data?
Section titled “Why can a connected channel have old data?”The status and the data date measure different things. Status is the state of the connection. Most Recent Data is the last day that has rows.
A source is the place where the data of a channel comes from: a platform, a sheet, a table, or a file location. With a source that you update by hand, such as a Google Sheet or a file location, the status can stay Connected after you stop adding rows, while the data gets older. For that reason, Data Center has a second signal for these sources.
When does the warning show?
Section titled “When does the warning show?”A badge shows next to Most Recent Data when a source of this kind has no new data for longer than its allowance.
| Subject | Rule |
|---|---|
| Sources that can show the warning | A live connection that is a source that you update by hand (Google Sheets, SFTP, Azure Blob Storage, or a file bucket), or a retail channel. |
| Allowance | 14 days without new data. 35 days for a retail channel. |
| Color of the warning | The badge is a warning at the allowance and turns to a failure color at two times the allowance. |
| New connections | No warning shows in the first 21 days after the first connection of a channel. |
| Sources with no data | No warning shows for a source that has no data at all. Most Recent Data shows a dash. |
The allowance is longer for a retail channel. A new channel shows no warning in the first 21 days after its first connection.
Who must act on the warning?
Section titled “Who must act on the warning?”| Subject | How the warning decides |
|---|---|
| Who must act | The warning says Action needed from you for a source that you update by hand and that is not a retail channel. For each other source, the warning says We're looking into it. |
When the fix is yours, the tooltip gives the date of the last data and asks for the latest file.
| Message | What the product says |
|---|---|
| Freshness warning | The most recent data we have for this source is from {date}, {N} days ago. Uploading the latest file will bring it up to date. |
A word in braces stands for a value from your account or your plan.
The message uses the word upload. Data Center has no upload control for data, so add the latest rows to your sheet or put the latest file in your file location.
What does Data QA mean?
Section titled “What does Data QA mean?”Data QA is the check of the numbers of a channel by a person. The column shows the date of the approval and the approver. Flagged means that a number is in dispute. A dash means that the channel is not part of Data QA. During onboarding, an Admin of your workspace does this check. See How do you verify your data.