diff --git a/datacube/index/hl.py b/datacube/index/hl.py
index 3271c9628b..8c8e483529 100644
--- a/datacube/index/hl.py
+++ b/datacube/index/hl.py
@@ -116,27 +116,35 @@ def check_dataset_consistent(dataset: Dataset) -> tuple[bool, str | None]:
     """
     :return: (Is consistent, [error message|None])
     """
-    product_measurements = set(dataset.product.measurements.keys())
+    product_measurements = dataset.product.measurements
 
     if len(product_measurements) == 0:
         return True, None
 
-    if dataset.measurements is None:
-        return False, "No measurements defined for a dataset"
-
-    # It the type expects measurements, ensure our dataset contains them all.
-    if not product_measurements.issubset(dataset.measurements.keys()):
-        # Exclude 3D measurements since it's just a mapping to 2D measurements
-        not_measured = {
-            m
-            for m in product_measurements - set(dataset.measurements.keys())
-            if "extra_dim" not in dataset.product.measurements.get(m, [])
-        }
-
-        if not_measured:
-            msg = "The dataset is not specifying all of the measurements in this product.\n"
-            msg += "Missing fields are;\n" + str(not_measured)
-            return False, msg
+    req_measurements, cond_measurements = set(), set()
+    for name, measurement in product_measurements.items():
+        if (
+            "extra_dim" in measurement
+        ):  # Exclude 3D measurements since it's just a mapping to 2D measurements
+            continue
+        if (opt := measurement.get("optional", "no")) == "no":
+            req_measurements.add(name)
+        if opt == "maybe":
+            cond_measurements.add(name)
+
+    if len(req_measurements) != 0 and dataset.measurements is None:
+        return False, "The dataset does not define any of the required measurements."
+    if not req_measurements.issubset(dataset.measurements.keys()):
+        not_measured = req_measurements - set(dataset.measurements.keys())
+        return (
+            False,
+            f"The dataset does not specify the following required measurements: {', '.join(not_measured)}",
+        )
+    if not any(m in dataset.measurements for m in cond_measurements):
+        return (
+            False,
+            f"The dataset must define at least one of the following measurements: {', '.join(cond_measurements)}",
+        )
 
     return True, None
 
diff --git a/datacube/model/__init__.py b/datacube/model/__init__.py
index 498401d3c8..6700ff695c 100644
--- a/datacube/model/__init__.py
+++ b/datacube/model/__init__.py
@@ -485,6 +485,7 @@ class Measurement:
         "add_offset",
         "extra_dim",
         "dims",
+        "optional",
     )
     ATTR_SKIP = [
         "name",
@@ -495,6 +496,7 @@ class Measurement:
         "extra_dim",
         "dims",
         "extra_dim_index",
+        "optional",
     ]
 
     def __init__(self, canonical_name: str | None = None, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
diff --git a/datacube/model/schema/dataset-type-schema.yaml b/datacube/model/schema/dataset-type-schema.yaml
index 2a436276ff..0586a367f9 100644
--- a/datacube/model/schema/dataset-type-schema.yaml
+++ b/datacube/model/schema/dataset-type-schema.yaml
@@ -145,6 +145,8 @@ definitions:
                 description: Captures information about extra dimensions, e.g. `[y, x, wavelength]`
                 items:
                     type: string
+            optional:
+                enum: ["yes", "no", "maybe"]
 
         required:
           - name
diff --git a/integration_tests/conftest.py b/integration_tests/conftest.py
index 1f48eff0de..24b44f1caf 100644
--- a/integration_tests/conftest.py
+++ b/integration_tests/conftest.py
@@ -252,6 +252,11 @@ def s1_product_doc() -> dict:
     return get_eo3_test_data_doc("ga_s1_vertical_dualpol.odc-product.yaml")
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def s1_full_product_doc() -> dict:
+    return get_eo3_test_data_doc("ga_s1_full.odc-product.yaml")
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def final_dataset_doc() -> tuple[dict, str]:
     return (
@@ -384,6 +389,15 @@ def ga_s1_product(index: Index, eo3_s1_metadata_type, s1_product_doc) -> Product
     return p
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def ga_s1_full_product(
+    index: Index, eo3_s1_metadata_type, s1_full_product_doc
+) -> Product:
+    p = index.products.add_document(s1_full_product_doc)
+    assert p is not None
+    return p
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def eo3_products(
     index: Index,
diff --git a/integration_tests/data/eo3/ga_s1_full.odc-product.yaml b/integration_tests/data/eo3/ga_s1_full.odc-product.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9bf199201f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration_tests/data/eo3/ga_s1_full.odc-product.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+name: ga_s1_full
+description: > 
+  Radiometric Terrain Corrected (RTC) Backscatter for Sentinel-1 generated from the COMPASS-ISCE3 pipeline. 
+  This product contains scenes with all combinations of measurements (VV, VH, HH, HV).
+  This product uses the gamma_0 linear backscatter measurement convention.
+metadata_type: eo3_s1_ard
+
+metadata:
+  product:
+    name: ga_s1_full
+
+measurements:
+  - name: VV
+    aliases:
+      - vv
+    dtype: float32
+    nodata: NaN
+    units: '1'
+    optional: maybe
+  - name: VH
+    aliases:
+      - vh
+    dtype: float32
+    nodata: NaN
+    units: '1'
+    optional: yes
+  - name: HH
+    aliases:
+      - hh
+    dtype: float32
+    nodata: NaN
+    units: '1'
+    optional: maybe
+  - name: HV
+    aliases:
+      - hv
+    dtype: float32
+    nodata: NaN
+    units: '1'
+    optional: yes
+  - name: mask
+    dtype: uint8
+    nodata: 255
+    units: '1'
+    flags_definition:
+      mask:
+        bits: [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
+        values:
+          1: shadow
+          2: layover
+          3: shadow and layover
+        description: shadow layover data mask
diff --git a/integration_tests/test_dataset_add.py b/integration_tests/test_dataset_add.py
index 57c0b7d593..b751606eae 100644
--- a/integration_tests/test_dataset_add.py
+++ b/integration_tests/test_dataset_add.py
@@ -218,6 +218,34 @@ def test_dataset_add_not_eo3(index: Index, ls8_eo3_product, eo3_wo_dataset_doc)
     assert isinstance(_err, BadMatch)
 
 
+def test_dataset_opt_measurements(
+    index: Index, s1_dataset_doc, ga_s1_full_product
+) -> None:
+    doc, uri = s1_dataset_doc
+    doc["product"]["name"] = ga_s1_full_product.name
+
+    doc2ds = Doc2Dataset(index)
+    _ds, _err = doc2ds(doc, uri)
+    assert _ds is not None
+    # remove optional measurement
+    doc["measurements"].pop("VH")
+    _ds, _err = doc2ds(doc, uri)
+    assert _ds is not None
+    # remove conditional measurement
+    vv = doc["measurements"].pop("VV")
+    _ds, _err = doc2ds(doc, uri)
+    assert "The dataset must define at least one of the following measurements" in _err
+    assert "VV" in _err  # order of these two isn't consistent
+    assert "HH" in _err
+    # remove required measurement
+    doc["measurements"]["VV"] = vv
+    doc["measurements"].pop("mask")
+    _ds, _err = doc2ds(doc, uri)
+    assert (
+        _err == "The dataset does not specify the following required measurements: mask"
+    )
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("datacube_env_name", ("datacube", "datacube3"))
 def test_dataset_eo3_no_schema(
     dataset_add_configs, index_empty, clirunner, caplog