Analytics·5 min read
Understanding Anomaly Detection
What an anomaly is, what it is not, and how to act on one.
Draft article — pending editorial review.
An anomaly is simply an observation that differs from what was expected. Whether it matters depends entirely on context — which is why anomaly detection should start conversations, not end them.
Simple statistical baselines are often a strong starting point and are easier to explain than complex models.
The best systems pair each flagged anomaly with the data behind it so a person can quickly judge whether it is real.