What is the primary purpose of the SchemaScanner when dealing with schema drift?

• A. Build drift-free workspaces.
• B. Invalidate data submissions and alert end-users.
• C. Create a visualization of the schema changes for troubleshooting.
• D. Compare schemas and then use other transformers to generate a report that highlights the differences in the schema, which can be used to update the schema or modify the data accordingly.

Answer: (A)

Schema drift is the challenge of changing data structures over time, and SchemaScanner is used to make workflows resilient to that drift. It inspects the schemas involved, detects differences between what the workspace expects and what the incoming data actually provides, and uses that insight to drive the workspace so it can adapt automatically. The end result is a drift-free workflow that continues to operate as schemas evolve, without manual reconfiguration.

This tool isn’t primarily about invalidating data or alerting users, nor is its main job to just visualize changes or produce a standalone report. While schema comparisons can inform what needs to change, the core value of SchemaScanner is enabling the pipeline to handle evolving schemas and stay robust across schema changes.