raw_outlier_policy

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Axis raw_outlier_policy on sub-layer l1_c (layer l1).

Sub-layer

l1_c

Axis metadata

  • Default: 'preserve_raw_outliers'

  • Sweepable: False

  • Status: operational

Operational status summary

  • Operational: 6 option(s)

  • Future: 0 option(s)

Options

preserve_raw_outliers – operational

Pass raw outliers through to L2.C.

Default; relies on L2.C McCracken-Ng IQR detection and the configured outlier_action to handle extreme values.

When to use

Default; the canonical workflow.

References

  • macroforecast design Part 1, L1: ‘data definition is the recipe layer that pins source, target, geography, and horizon – everything downstream branches off these choices.’

Related options: winsorize_raw, iqr_clip_raw, mad_clip_raw, zscore_clip_raw, set_raw_outliers_to_missing

Last reviewed 2026-05-05 by macroforecast author.

winsorize_raw – operational

Winsorise raw series at quantile cutpoints (default p1 / p99).

Caps extreme values at the specified quantile before t-coding. Preserves observation count but compresses tails.

When to use

Heavy-tailed financial / macro series where extreme observations would dominate downstream estimates.

References

  • macroforecast design Part 1, L1: ‘data definition is the recipe layer that pins source, target, geography, and horizon – everything downstream branches off these choices.’

Related options: preserve_raw_outliers, iqr_clip_raw

Last reviewed 2026-05-05 by macroforecast author.

iqr_clip_raw – operational

Clip raw observations beyond k×IQR thresholds.

Clips values outside Q1 - k·IQR, Q3 + k·IQR (k typically 1.5 or 3). Robust to non-Gaussian distributions.

When to use

Robust outlier handling on non-normal series.

References

  • macroforecast design Part 1, L1: ‘data definition is the recipe layer that pins source, target, geography, and horizon – everything downstream branches off these choices.’

Related options: winsorize_raw, mad_clip_raw, zscore_clip_raw

Last reviewed 2026-05-05 by macroforecast author.

mad_clip_raw – operational

Clip raw observations beyond k×MAD thresholds.

Median Absolute Deviation -based clipping; even more robust than IQR. Default k = 3 maps to roughly 3σ for normal data.

When to use

Highly non-Gaussian series with sparse outliers.

References

  • macroforecast design Part 1, L1: ‘data definition is the recipe layer that pins source, target, geography, and horizon – everything downstream branches off these choices.’

Related options: iqr_clip_raw, zscore_clip_raw

Last reviewed 2026-05-05 by macroforecast author.

zscore_clip_raw – operational

Clip raw observations beyond k standard deviations.

Standard z-score rule (typically k = 3). Cheapest option but assumes approximate normality.

When to use

Approximately Gaussian series; quick baseline.

When NOT to use

Heavy-tailed series – use iqr_clip_raw or mad_clip_raw.

References

  • macroforecast design Part 1, L1: ‘data definition is the recipe layer that pins source, target, geography, and horizon – everything downstream branches off these choices.’

Related options: iqr_clip_raw, mad_clip_raw

Last reviewed 2026-05-05 by macroforecast author.

set_raw_outliers_to_missing – operational

Set raw outliers to NaN and defer to L2.D imputation.

Replaces flagged outliers with NaN. The L2.D imputation method then fills the resulting gaps; preserves observation count for downstream stages.

When to use

Pipelines where outliers should be re-imputed coherently with other missing data.

References

  • macroforecast design Part 1, L1: ‘data definition is the recipe layer that pins source, target, geography, and horizon – everything downstream branches off these choices.’

Related options: preserve_raw_outliers, winsorize_raw

Last reviewed 2026-05-05 by macroforecast author.