Time Series Gap Auditor
A timestamp column can look continuous while hiding a missing batch, duplicate event or reversed row. This auditor sorts explicit-offset instants on a UTC timeline, compares adjacent records with your expected interval and shows the original CSV record numbers that need attention. Choose an IANA time zone to read the results in local time without doing interval arithmetic on ambiguous wall clocks.
Key features
- Distinguish duplicate instants from repeated-looking local clock times at a daylight-saving transition.
- Count missing expected slots using nearest-interval rounding, and report the exact observed duration for each pair.
- Flag rows that move backwards in the original CSV order without silently changing the downloaded source.
- View a colored interval chart and a scrollable table; export every interval as CSV and the full audit as JSON.
- Require complete ISO date-time strings with Z or a numeric offset, avoiding guesses about a bare local time.
How to use
- Paste or select a headed UTF-8 CSV/TSV containing an offset-aware timestamp column.
- Inspect the columns and choose the timestamp field, expected minutes and display time zone.
- Run the audit and compare missing slots, irregular intervals, duplicate instants and reversed input rows.
- Open the interval table to locate gaps and check the UTC values against local-time labels.
- Download the interval CSV or full JSON audit before making changes to the source.
Use cases
- Check whether a 30-minute sensor export skipped a sample while clocks moved forward.
- Identify repeated log records that use two different offsets for the same instant.
- Find late and missing hourly deliveries in a monitoring CSV.
- Compare a vendor's original row order with chronological order before importing events.
Frequently asked questions
Why must every timestamp include Z or an offset?
A bare local time can identify two instants when clocks move back or no instant when they move forward. Explicit offsets make the elapsed-time comparison unambiguous.
How are missing slots counted?
The tool rounds each observed duration to the nearest number of expected intervals, then subtracts one. A deviation below half an interval is shown as irregular but does not create a missing slot. This is a diagnostic convention, not proof that an event existed.
Does choosing a time zone change the gap result?
No. The zone changes display labels only. Durations and duplicate checks use UTC instants derived from the offsets in the CSV.
How is this different from the timestamp converter?
A timestamp converter transforms one value. This tool checks an entire CSV sequence for missing slots, duplicates, irregular intervals and reversed rows, with downloadable evidence.
Privacy
CSV parsing and audit run in this browser tab. The input is not automatically uploaded or stored. Downloaded CSV and JSON reports may contain timestamps and original cell values; inspect them before sharing.
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