Create and Edit Contracts

With Git-managed contracts, you define your expectations as code using YAML. This gives you full control over how your data is validated, and allows you to manage contracts just like any other code artifact: versioned, tested, and deployed via Git.

To learn all about the structure and supported features, refer to the full specification in the Contract Language Reference

The contract structure includes:

Dataset and column structure
Available check types (missing, invalid, duplicate, freshness, etc.)
Filters (dataset-level and check-level)
Threshold configuration
Use of variables
Scheduling
...and more

Run a dry test (Contract Validation)

Before publishing or verifying your contract, you can run a dry test to ensure the contract is correctly defined and points to a valid dataset.

soda contract test --data-source ds.yml --contract contract.yaml

This will:

Validate the YAML syntax
Confirm that the referenced dataset exists
Check for any issues with variables, filters, or structure

Run this as part of your development workflow or CI to catch errors early.

Publish the Contract

If you have Soda Cloud, once your contract is finalized and tested, you can publish it to Soda Cloud, making it the authoritative version for verification and scheduling.

This action requires the "Manage contract" permission on the dataset; the user is identified based on the API key provided in the Soda Cloud configuration.

Learn more about permissions here: Dataset Attributes & Responsibilities

soda contract publish --contract contract.yaml --soda-cloud sc.yml

Publishing:

Uploads the contract to Soda Cloud
Makes it available for manual, scheduled, or programmatic verifications
Enables visibility and collaboration through the UI

Once published, the contract becomes the source of truth for the dataset until a new version is published.

You’re now ready to start verifying your contract and monitoring your data.

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Run a dry test (Contract Validation)

Before publishing or verifying your contract, you can run a dry test to ensure the contract is correctly defined and points to a valid dataset.

soda contract test --data-source ds.yml --contract contract.yaml

This will:

Validate the YAML syntax

Confirm that the referenced dataset exists

Check for any issues with variables, filters, or structure

Run this as part of your development workflow or CI to catch errors early.

Publish the Contract

If you have Soda Cloud, once your contract is finalized and tested, you can publish it to Soda Cloud, making it the authoritative version for verification and scheduling.

This action requires the "Manage contract" permission on the dataset; the user is identified based on the API key provided in the Soda Cloud configuration.

Learn more about permissions here: Dataset Attributes & Responsibilities

soda contract publish --contract contract.yaml --soda-cloud sc.yml

Learn how to connect the CLI to Soda Cloud:

Publishing:

Uploads the contract to Soda Cloud

Makes it available for manual, scheduled, or programmatic verifications

Enables visibility and collaboration through the UI

Once published, the contract becomes the source of truth for the dataset until a new version is published.

You’re now ready to start verifying your contract and monitoring your data.