> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cognite.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SuboptimalRequiresConstraint validation rule

> Recommends removing requires constraints that are not optimal for querying. Identifies redundant or unnecessary constraints that can be safely removed.

This rule identifies existing requires constraints that are not optimal for querying purposes,
as they are either redundant or create unnecessary ingestion dependencies when all
other optimal constraints are applied. These constraints can be safely removed
without affecting query performance.

## Why it matters

Unnecessary requires constraints can:

* Create unnecessary ingestion dependencies
* Cause invalid requires constraint cycles if optimal constraints are applied

## Example

Container `Tag` has a `requires` constraint to `Pump`, but NEAT determined that
`Pump → Tag` is more optimal. The existing `Tag → Pump` constraint should then
be removed when applying all optimal constraints.

## Further reading

* [Validation rules](/cdf/deploy/neat/validation/index)