col_avg_lt()
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col() object referencing another column whose average will be used for comparison, (3) a ref() object referencing a column in reference data (when `Validate(reference=)` has been set), or (4) `None` to automatically compare against the same column in reference data (shorthand for `ref(column_name)` when reference data is set).
`tol: Tolerance = ``0`
A tolerance value for the comparison. The default is `0`, meaning exact comparison. When set to a positive value, the comparison becomes more lenient. For example, with `tol=0.5`, a average that differs from the target by up to `0.5` will still pass. The `tol=` parameter expands the acceptable range for the comparison. For [col_avg_lt()](Validate.col_avg_lt.md#pointblank.Validate.col_avg_lt), a tolerance of `tol=0.5` would mean the average can be within `0.5` of the target value and still pass validation.
`thresholds: float | bool | tuple | dict | Thresholds | None = None`
Failure threshold levels so that the validation step can react accordingly when failing test units are level. Since this is an aggregation-based validation with only one test unit, threshold values typically should be set as absolute counts (e.g., `1`) to indicate pass/fail, or as proportions where any value less than `1.0` means failure is acceptable.
`brief: str | bool = ``False`
An optional brief description of the validation step that will be displayed in the reporting table. You can use the templating elements like `"{step}"` to insert the step number, or `"{auto}"` to include an automatically generated brief. If `True` the entire brief will be automatically generated. If `None` (the default) then there won't be a brief.
`actions: Actions | None = None`
Optional actions to take when the validation step meets or exceeds any set threshold levels. If provided, the Actions class should be used to define the actions.
`active: bool | Callable = ``True`
A boolean value or callable that determines whether the validation step should be active. Using `False` will make the validation step inactive (still reporting its presence and keeping indexes for the steps unchanged). A callable can also be provided; it will receive the data table as its single argument and must return a boolean value. The callable is evaluated *before* any `pre=` processing. Inspection functions like has_columns() and has_rows() can be used here to conditionally activate a step based on properties of the target table.
## Returns
`Validate`
The [Validate](Validate.md#pointblank.Validate) object with the added validation step.
## Using Reference Data
The [col_avg_lt()](Validate.col_avg_lt.md#pointblank.Validate.col_avg_lt) method supports comparing column aggregations against reference data. This is useful for validating that statistical properties remain consistent across different versions of a dataset, or for comparing current data against historical baselines.
To use reference data, set the `reference=` parameter when creating the [Validate](Validate.md#pointblank.Validate) object:
``` python
validation = (
pb.Validate(data=current_data, reference=baseline_data)
.col_avg_lt(columns="revenue") # Compares sum(current.revenue) vs sum(baseline.revenue)
.interrogate()
)
```
When `value=None` and reference data is set, the method automatically compares against the same column in the reference data. You can also explicitly specify reference columns using the [ref()](ref.md#pointblank.ref) helper:
``` python
.col_avg_lt(columns="revenue", value=pb.ref("baseline_revenue"))
```
## Understanding Tolerance
The `tol=` parameter allows for fuzzy comparisons, which is especially important for floating-point aggregations where exact equality is often unreliable.
The `tol=` parameter expands the acceptable range for the comparison. For [col_avg_lt()](Validate.col_avg_lt.md#pointblank.Validate.col_avg_lt), a tolerance of `tol=0.5` would mean the average can be within `0.5` of the target value and still pass validation.
For equality comparisons (`col_*_eq`), the tolerance creates a range `[value - tol, value + tol]` within which the aggregation is considered valid. For inequality comparisons, the tolerance shifts the comparison boundary.
## Thresholds
The `thresholds=` parameter is used to set the failure-condition levels for the validation step. If they are set here at the step level, these thresholds will override any thresholds set at the global level in `Validate(thresholds=...)`.
There are three threshold levels: 'warning', 'error', and 'critical'. Since aggregation validations operate on a single test unit (the aggregated value), threshold values are typically set as absolute counts:
- `thresholds=1` means any failure triggers a 'warning'
- `thresholds=(1, 1, 1)` means any failure triggers all three levels
Thresholds can be defined using one of these input schemes:
1. use the Thresholds class (the most direct way to create thresholds)
2. provide a tuple of 1-3 values, where position `0` is the 'warning' level, position `1` is the 'error' level, and position `2` is the 'critical' level
3. create a dictionary of 1-3 value entries; the valid keys: are 'warning', 'error', and 'critical'
4. a single integer/float value denoting absolute number or fraction of failing test units for the 'warning' level only
## Examples
For the examples, we'll use a simple Polars DataFrame with numeric columns. The table is shown below:
``` python
import pointblank as pb
import polars as pl
tbl = pl.DataFrame(
{
"a": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5],
"b": [2, 2, 2, 2, 2],
}
)
pb.preview(tbl)
```
a
Int64
|
b
Int64
|
|
|---|---|---|
| STEP | COLUMNS | VALUES | TBL | EVAL | UNITS | PASS | FAIL | W | E | C | EXT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4CA64C66 | 1 |
col_avg_lt()
|
|
✓ | 1 | 0 0.00 |
1 1.00 |
-- | -- | -- | -- |
| STEP | COLUMNS | VALUES | TBL | EVAL | UNITS | PASS | FAIL | W | E | C | EXT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4CA64C66 | 1 |
col_avg_lt()
|
|
✓ | 1 | 0 0.00 |
1 1.00 |
-- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| #4CA64C | 2 |
col_avg_lt()
|
|
✓ | 1 | 1 1.00 |
0 0.00 |
-- | -- | -- | -- |
| STEP | COLUMNS | VALUES | TBL | EVAL | UNITS | PASS | FAIL | W | E | C | EXT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4CA64C | 1 |
col_avg_lt()
|
|
✓ | 1 | 1 1.00 |
0 0.00 |
-- | -- | -- | -- |