Start with validation evidence
Provide the failed checks, dataset definitions, freshness expectations, and ownership map. Include timestamps and the environment where each check ran. A red status without its rule and input is not enough to determine impact.
Ask Nema to group failures that share a likely source while keeping the evidence for each check visible.
Prepare the exception packet
Nema can identify affected datasets, recent schema changes, downstream reports listed in the supplied lineage, and missing owners. It can distinguish a stale source from a failed calculation.
The packet should say what is known and what still needs investigation. It should not claim that every downstream use is broken unless the records show that scope.
Include the first and most recent failure times when available. A single failed run and a week-long issue require different responses. Nema can organize that history without deciding business impact.
Triage in Slack
Post the packet in the analytics channel. Dataset owners can confirm freshness, reject an incorrect dependency, or add an affected report. The analyst then chooses severity and assignment.
Nema can draft an issue or update after review. It should not mutate warehouse data as part of triage.
A practical example
Three checks fail after a source column changes type. Nema links the failures to the change record and lists two dashboards from the supplied lineage. A fourth freshness alert has a separate cause, so it remains its own exception.
The analytics lead verifies the affected dashboards and approves the issue draft. The data owner decides how to repair the pipeline.
Improve future reports
Keep dataset owners, expected refresh times, and definitions current. Teach the channel how to separate production failures from test-environment noise. Better metadata produces a shorter, more accurate packet.
When the issue closes, add the confirmed cause and affected scope to the record. Future triage can use that history to suggest related incidents while keeping each new failure open to a different explanation.
If a validation rule itself changed, record the old and new rule. This separates a real data shift from a check that became stricter.
Common questions
Can Nema fix the data?
This workflow prepares triage. Remediation belongs to the data owner and any authorized operational process.
Can Nema infer lineage?
It can use supplied or connected lineage records. Do not treat a guessed dependency as confirmed impact.
Who sets severity?
An analyst or designated data owner should assess business impact and choose severity.