In early 2004, the near real-time data processor of ENVISAT SCIAMACHY (SCI_NL) was upgraded to version 5.01. Based on the correlative measurements acquired and collected during the commissioning phase of the satellite in 2002, a preliminary validation was organised to verify the improvement and assess the geophysical consistency of the new SCIAMACHY ozone vertical column data product. The present overview summarises the results obtained by a list of validation teams and involving ground-based data acquired from pole to pole by complementary ground-based sensors. The studies conclude to an improvement compared to previous versions 3.5x. They also confirm the presence of expected errors (e.g. dependence on solar elevation and on ozone column) inherited from the GOME Data Processor GDP 2.4, on which the SCIAMACHY processor SCI_NL is based.