Date-format warning versus an inferred date — Small Data Clinic

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Sample:
shipment_id,ship_date
S1,2026-09-01
S2,09/02/2026
S3,
Required columns shipment_id,ship_date; identifier shipment_id. IDs are distinct and one date is blank. The slash date needs a source convention: it could mean February 9 or September 2. Structural checks cannot supply that convention. Preserve raw_ship_date, document the parsing convention and put normalized dates in a separate field.

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