fullstendighets

Fullstendighets is a term used to describe the attribute of being complete, thorough, and exhaustive within a defined scope. It refers to the degree to which a domain, set, document, or system includes all relevant elements, conditions, or possibilities. The concept is widely used in Scandinavian languages (for example fullständighet in Swedish and fullstendighet in Norwegian) and is often translated as completeness or exhaustiveness in English.

In information and data contexts, fullstendighets denotes data completeness: absence of missing values, full coverage of the intended population, and alignment with a defined schema or specification. In documentation and reporting, it implies that all required sections or items are present and accurate.

In logic and mathematics, completeness describes the relationship between a system and its truths. A complete theory proves every truth expressible in its language; a semantically complete logic ensures every valid statement is provable in a given system. In software and systems engineering, completeness can refer to feature or requirement coverage during design and testing, balancing against time, cost, and usability.

Measuring fullstendighets often involves metrics for coverage, conformance, and data quality, but precise measurement depends on defined scope. Critics note that absolute completeness can be unattainable or undesirable if it hinders progress or leads to over-specification.

See also: completeness, exhaustiveness, data quality, semantic completeness, syntactic completeness.