Delivery Manifest

A delivery manifest describes the files belonging to one declared delivery. It can name the source, dataset, business period, revision, exact file or object versions, byte sizes, row counts, and checksums. The producer publishes it through an agreed completion protocol so consumers know which input set to validate.

If a manifest lists three immutable files, accept that revision only after all three are available and validated. A partial directory listing or an old manifest next to an overwritten file is not the same evidence. Keep the checked bytes or exact versions for publication rather than reading a potentially changed path again.

A matching checksum verifies a relationship between bytes and the declared digest. It does not show that all intended business records were exported. A count calculated from the same incomplete export can agree too. Use independent source controls when available, and distinguish the producer’s manifest from the consumer’s load ledger.

Reference: Worked API and file ingestion lab.