07-design-validation

You can validate Gold layer design artifacts by cross-checking YAML schemas against ERD diagrams and column lineage CSVs to identify missing columns, incorrect foreign key references, and non-compliant table properties before implementation begins.

Checking foreign key integrity involves validating that all foreign key references correctly point to primary keys in other tables within your ERD diagrams and YAML schemas to prevent potential runtime errors during implementation.

Column lineage verification works by ensuring every Gold layer column has a documented lineage path in the CSV files, confirming that all data transformations are accurately tracked and aligned with the defined schema.

Yes, automated cross-artifact validation compares YAML schemas directly against ERD diagrams to catch missing or extra columns and tables, ensuring all design elements are aligned before development begins.

Mandatory field checks confirm that all YAML schemas adhere to required properties and constraints, verifying specific configurations like clustering and primary key nullability to mitigate design drift risks.

Design drift occurs when documentation and schemas become misaligned over time; you prevent it by running a complete design validation suite to ensure ERDs accurately reflect YAML schemas and lineage before engineering handoff.