Statistical vs deterministic

Probabilistic monitoring is not proof

Data observability and anomaly-detection tools use machine learning to flag when a table looks unusual — freshness slipping, volume spiking, schema drifting. That's genuinely useful for catching surprises across a warehouse. But it's probabilistic: it raises a suspicion, not a verdict.

Reconciliation asks a harder, more concrete question: does the target match the source, exactly? DataRecs compares the actual values, row by row and column by column, and returns the precise rows and columns that differ. Not a confidence score — the evidence.

Two different jobs

Both have their place. Here's how they differ.

Data observability compared with deterministic reconciliation
 Data observabilityDataRecs reconciliation
Detection methodML anomaly detection (probabilistic)Value-level comparison (deterministic)
Answer you get“This table looks unusual”“These 47 rows and 3 columns differ, here they are”
Defensible to an auditorHard to explain a model's confidence scoreExact, reproducible evidence
Best forBroad monitoring of a warehouseProving two systems agree
Cross-systemUsually within one warehouseAcross different database engines (Postgres, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, MySQL)

Where reconciliation is the right tool

When "probably fine" isn't good enough and you have to prove it.

Post-ETL validation

Confirm that what landed in the target matches what left the source after every pipeline run.

Migration cutover

Prove parity before you switch systems off — down to the exact mismatched values.

Cross-system financial reconciliation

Show that ledgers, sub-ledgers, and downstream systems agree, with auditable evidence.

Regulatory reporting

When you must prove the numbers agree, produce exact, reproducible evidence.

You still get the monitoring

Choosing certainty doesn't mean giving up the operational surface. DataRecs runs on a schedule, alerts you when something breaks, and lets you drill into exactly what changed — without the false confidence of a black-box model.

  • Scheduled reconciliation runs
  • Email and HMAC-signed webhook alerts
  • Drill-down discrepancy reports
  • A full audit trail of every run

Stop guessing. Start proving.

Connect a source and a target and watch DataRecs surface the exact rows and columns that differ — on your own data.