entrymust

Entrymust is a term in data management and software design describing a constraint that requires entries to meet predefined criteria before they are accepted into a system.

Etymology and scope: The word combines 'entry' with 'must' to denote mandatory compliance. In practice, entrymust denotes any policy that an input or record must satisfy to be considered valid within the workflow.

Definition and criteria: A typical entrymust rule specifies mandatory fields, format validations, value ranges, cross-field dependencies, and uniqueness or referential integrity constraints. It can be enforced as hard constraints or as validation logic.

Implementation: Entrymust can be implemented at different layers. Database-level constraints such as NOT NULL or UNIQUE enforce some aspects. Application or API validation layers can implement more complex rules, often expressed via validation schemas (for example, JSON Schema) or ORM validators.

Examples: In user registration, entrymust may require a non-empty email address and a password meeting complexity rules. In product catalogs, an entrymust may require a unique SKU, a non-negative price, and a valid category reference.

Advantages and limitations: Enforcing entrymust improves data quality, reduces downstream errors, and simplifies data processing. However, overly strict or poorly maintained rules can hinder usability and complicate maintenance, potentially causing false negatives or rejected valid inputs.

Relation to other concepts: Entrymust is related to data validation, required fields, data integrity constraints, and input validation. It is often implemented alongside other governance practices such as data quality checks and error handling strategies.