> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.decube.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.decube.io/data-quality-v2/glossary-of-terminologies.md).

# Glossary of Terminologies

A page of monitor terminologies used in the Data Quality V2 guides.

## Monitors

* **Aggregate monitor** — a monitor that produces a single computed value per run (for example, the data's age, a row count, or an average). Evaluated with a threshold, never a tolerance.
* **Case** — a group of related incidents, used for triage and resolution. A case stays open until someone closes it; any new incidents after closure start a new case.
* **Custom attribute** — a user-defined tag or key/value pair on a monitor (for example, severity, domain, or owning team), also visible on the incidents and cases it produces, and usable to route alerts.
* **Destructive change** — a configuration change significant enough that it creates a brand-new version of the monitor rather than editing the existing one in place, so run history isn't blended across two different definitions of "pass."
* **Detection Method** — how a Freshness or Volume monitor figures out when data last changed, or how many rows exist: either by asking the data source's own metadata, or by reading a specific timestamp column you select.
* **DQ dimension** — a label (Accuracy, Completeness, Uniqueness, Validity, Timeliness, Consistency, Granularity, or Others) assigned to a monitor to categorize which aspect of data quality its score contributes to, for reporting purposes only.
* **Incident** — created automatically when a monitor's evaluation fails. Carries full context about what failed and why.
* **Row-level monitor** — a monitor that checks every individual row and counts how many fail. Evaluated with a tolerance, never a threshold.
* **Scan Method** — how much of a table a Field Health monitor reads each run: the whole table (Full Table Scan) or only the newly arrived slice (Incremental Scan).
* **Scheduled time vs. actual run time** — a monitor is scheduled to run at a specific time, but the actual run may kick off a little later depending on system load. This small gap is normal and generally shouldn't cause a check to fail because of it.
* **Threshold** — the acceptable boundary for a monitor's single computed value (for example, "no more than 30 minutes old," or "between 20 and 200"). Applies to monitors that produce one number per run: Freshness, Volume, and the Field Health checks Average, Minimum, Maximum, and Sum.
* **Tolerance** — how many, or what percentage of, individual failing rows are allowed before an incident is raised. Applies to monitors that check every row: Numerical Range, String Length, Null, Unique, Zero, Is Before, Is After, Regex Match, Regex Not Match, Value In, Value Not In, and Custom SQL.

## Alerts

* **Action** — a destination a rule notifies when it matches: Slack channel, Email, Webhook, or MS Teams.
* **Alert rule** — the unit of configuration on the Alerts page: a name, a scope, optional filters, and one or more actions.
* **Custom attribute** — a user-defined tag or key/value pair set on a monitor (for example, `severity`, `domain`, `team`), usable as a filter condition when routing alerts.
* **Enabled / disabled** — whether a saved rule is currently being evaluated. A disabled rule keeps its full configuration but never fires.
* **Filter** — a condition (monitor type, custom attribute, or monitor name) used to narrow an All-monitors rule down to the incidents you actually want.
* **Muted case** — a case marked to suppress alert delivery. A muted case's incidents still get evaluated against rules, but matching deliveries are suppressed rather than sent.
* **Scope** — whether a rule applies to All monitors (then narrowed by filters) or to a hand-picked list of Specific monitors.
* **Test send** — a hardcoded test message sent through a configured action's real destination, used to confirm it's wired up correctly. It doesn't evaluate rules or use real incident data.
* **Trigger** — the event that causes rules to be evaluated. In Phase 1, the only trigger is a new incident being created.