What is Data Validation?
Data Validation is a new feature on Patika's shift creation page. This feature checks for inconsistencies between your configuration, staff information, and requests (leave, off-day, work-day) before creating the shift plan. This way, you can identify potential issues before they occur during schedule generation.
Where to Find It?
The Data Validation button is located on the final step of the Shift Settings page, next to the "Generate Schedule" button. After completing your configuration, you can run the checks by clicking the "Data Validation" button right before creating the schedule.
What Checks Are Performed?
Data Validation runs three different consistency checks:
1. Staff Cannot Be Assigned Any Shift (Error)
This check identifies staff who cannot be assigned to any shift type for the selected month.
When does it occur?
When a staff member's excluded shift hours list (global or date-specific) conflicts with all shift hours available that month (8h, 24h, etc.). For example:
- Only 24-hour shifts exist in the system
- The staff member has excluded 24-hour shifts
- Result: This staff cannot be assigned any shift that month
What should you do?
Review the staff's excluded hours list or add a shift type to the configuration that this staff can work.
2. Work Day Demand Exceeds Capacity (Warning)
This check detects mismatches between the number of work day requests and the number of shift slots for each day of the month.
When does it occur?
When more staff have requested to work on a specific day than there are slots available for that day. For example:
- 5 staff have created work day requests for March 19
- That day only has 3 slots (e.g. weekend rules or special day)
- Result: Only 3 of the 5 requests can be fulfilled
What should you do?
Reduce requests, increase that day's shift capacity, or update slot count via special day settings.
3. Staff Who Work Only on Requested Days Has No Requests (Warning)
This check verifies whether staff in "Only work on requested days" mode have entered any request (leave, off-day, or work-day) for the selected month.
When does it occur?
When a staff member is in "only requested days" mode but has no leave, off-day, or work-day requests for that month. In this case, the system cannot determine how to include this staff in the schedule.
What should you do?
Ensure the staff enters at least one request (leave, off-day, or work-day) for that month.
How Are Results Displayed?
When you click the Data Validation button, a modal window opens:
- Errors (red): Serious inconsistencies that need to be fixed
- Warnings (yellow): Potential issues to be aware of
- All checks passed: Data looks consistent; you can proceed to create the schedule
When Should You Use It?
- Right before creating a schedule, especially for the first time or after major changes
- When staff count, requests, or configuration have changed
- If you experienced issues in previous schedule generation attempts
Tips
- Data Validation does not block schedule creation. You can still click "Generate Schedule" even with warnings or errors. However, fixing issues beforehand leads to better results.
- Weekend-equivalent days and special days affect slot calculations. If you see "3 slots" for a day, check whether that day is subject to weekend or special day rules.
- Data Validation becomes active after configuration and staff data are loaded. The button stays disabled if the staff list is empty or configuration has not loaded.
Conclusion
The Data Validation feature makes your shift planning more reliable and predictable. By running these checks before creating a schedule, you can detect and fix potential issues early. Discover how easy shift planning can be with Patika!