FTB-C000094 / Data quality concept

Sequence Gap

A sequence gap is a discontinuity in an expected ordered identifier sequence for a specified data stream.

Also known asmessage gapmissing sequence number

Intermediate 4 linked topicsPublished

Definitions

In plain terms

If messages 100 and 102 arrive without 101, the consumer may have missed data, received it out of order, or crossed a reset boundary.

Technical

Gap detection requires feed and channel scope, sequence domain, reset and rollover rules, duplicate handling, recovery protocol, and ordering boundary.

Scope

A numeric jump is not always loss; the feed specification defines valid resets and partitions.

Examples

  • A governed dataset records sequence gap explicitly and preserves the source context needed to interpret it.

Common misconceptions

  • Sequence Gap does not have one universal meaning or policy without its declared source, scope, and data contract.

Concept relationships

Prerequisites

Related

Where this concept is used

Tutorials planned

These catalogued topics use this concept, but their complete build has not shipped yet.

  • D01-F01-A02 Important
  • D01-F01-A07 Important
  • D01-F02-A05 Important
  • D01-F04-A02 Important

Evidence and governance

  1. FIX Latest Online Specification — Market Data FIX Trading Community · official standard

    Supports: preferred label, short definition, technical definition

    Limits: Implementations use negotiated profiles; FIX fields do not impose one universal feed, stale-data, deduplication, or reconciliation policy.

  2. Fintech Builder Glossary Definition Contract The Fintech Builder · internal governed contract

    Supports: variant distinction

    Limits: Defines governed platform behavior rather than claiming these policies are universally prescribed by external McClellan methodology.

Reviewed by
Last reviewed
2026-07-26
Next review
2027-07-26
Record status
published
Written by

Fintech engineer building market-data and financial systems, and the author of every article, glossary record, and reference implementation on The Fintech Builder.