Data Source Mode / Frequency

Parent: Layer 1: Data Source, Target y, Predictor x
Current group: Data Source Mode / Frequency

This group starts the Layer 1 hierarchy. Choose the data source mode first: FRED data only, custom data only, or FRED data plus custom data. Then close the analysis frequency. A FRED source-panel choice is shown only when the selected mode uses FRED data.

Custom files are not FRED panels. If the study uses a custom file, provide leaf_config.custom_source_path. The parser is inferred from the file extension. The schema is inferred from the file frequency and source mode; the user should not have to choose a fake FRED-MD/FRED-QD route for custom-only data.

frequency is the final calendar frequency of the Layer 1 source frame. It is derived for FRED-MD, FRED-QD, and composite FRED panels. It is required for standalone FRED-SD and custom-only data.

For the current FRED-MD, FRED-QD, and FRED-SD column dictionaries, use 5. FRED-Dataset. This page only defines which source route Layer 1 loads.

Axis	Choices	Default / rule
`custom_source_policy`	`official_only`, `custom_panel_only`, `official_plus_custom`	Default is `official_only`. First source choice: FRED data only, custom data only, or FRED data plus custom data.
`dataset`	`fred_md`, `fred_qd`, `fred_sd`, `fred_md+fred_sd`, `fred_qd+fred_sd`	FRED source-panel choice. Active only when source mode uses FRED data.
`frequency`	`monthly`, `quarterly`	Derived for FRED-MD/QD/composites. Required for standalone FRED-SD and custom-only data.

Contracts:

fred_md and fred_md+fred_sd are monthly.
fred_qd and fred_qd+fred_sd are quarterly.
standalone fred_sd must choose monthly or quarterly because the source contains mixed native frequencies.
custom_source_policy: official_only means FRED data only. It requires no leaf_config.custom_source_path; dataset selects the FRED loader.
custom_source_policy: custom_panel_only means custom data only. It loads a custom file as the source panel. The UI should ask for file path and frequency, not for a FRED source panel.
custom_source_policy: official_plus_custom loads the selected FRED panel and appends custom columns. It can be used with single or composite FRED panel routes.
User-supplied files are configured with custom_source_policy plus leaf_config.custom_source_path, not as dataset values.
custom sources require leaf_config.custom_source_path. The compiler infers csv from .csv and parquet from .parquet/.pq. Legacy recipes may still set fixed_axes.custom_source_format when a path has no extension.
Custom CSV/Parquet schema contract:
- first column, or Parquet index, is a parseable date index;
- remaining columns are numeric series;
- for custom_panel_only, the target y column must exist in the file;
- predictor x columns are all non-target numeric columns unless the recipe supplies explicit custom x lists in leaf_config;
- appended custom columns may use new names, but duplicate names are renamed with a __custom suffix at runtime.
In practical terms, a custom file is acceptable if its date index, column shape, and row frequency already match the selected Layer 1 frequency. Monthly routes expect monthly rows. Quarterly routes expect quarterly rows.
Data revision/vintage status is selected later by 4.1.2 Forecast-Time Information, not by the source mode itself.
FRED metadata axes are hidden by default for custom-only studies: dataset, information_set_type, release_lag_rule, variable_universe, official_transform_policy, and official_transform_scope. The same-period predictor rule remains visible because custom files can still define nowcasting-style contemporaneous x availability.
variable_universe, official_transform_policy, and official_transform_scope are also hidden by default for standalone FRED-SD, because those axes are FRED-MD/QD metadata controls. FRED-SD uses the dedicated state and series scope controls in 4.1.4 FRED-SD Predictor Scope.

Warning: Custom files are user-supplied source data. The Navigator can enforce the route contract, but it cannot prove that the file’s date index, frequency, column naming, vintage discipline, or T-code handling is correct. Check this page before running custom-source recipes.

Custom file shape by selected Layer 1 frequency:

Selected `frequency`	Expected file shape	Internal loader label
`monthly`	Monthly date index, numeric series columns. Column names may be FRED IDs or study-specific IDs.	Generic monthly custom panel.
`quarterly`	Quarterly date index, numeric series columns. Column names may be FRED IDs or study-specific IDs.	Generic quarterly custom panel.

Additional custom-source fields:

Field	Where	Required when	Meaning
`custom_source_path`	`leaf_config`	`custom_source_policy != official_only`	Local file path. This is not an enum axis because it is study-specific.

Compatibility fields:

Field	Status	Meaning
`custom_source_format`	hidden legacy fixed axis	Optional override for extensionless files; otherwise inferred from `custom_source_path`.
`custom_source_schema`	hidden legacy fixed axis	Optional override for older recipes; otherwise inferred from source mode and `frequency`.

Minimal YAML:

path:
  1_data_task:
    fixed_axes:
      dataset: fred_md
      custom_source_policy: official_only
      information_set_type: final_revised_data
    leaf_config:
      target: INDPRO
      horizons: [1, 3, 6]
      sample_start_date: "1980-01"
      sample_end_date: "2019-12"

Replace FRED-MD with a custom CSV:

path:
  1_data_task:
    fixed_axes:
      custom_source_policy: custom_panel_only
      frequency: monthly
      information_set_type: final_revised_data
    leaf_config:
      target: INDPRO
      horizons: [1]
      custom_source_path: /path/to/panel.csv

Append custom state-level columns to FRED-MD:

path:
  1_data_task:
    fixed_axes:
      dataset: fred_md
      custom_source_policy: official_plus_custom
      frequency: monthly
      information_set_type: final_revised_data
    leaf_config:
      target: INDPRO
      horizons: [1, 3, 6]
      custom_source_path: /path/to/custom_state_panel.parquet