An apparatus for providing a data integrity field implementation in a data processing system includes a controller operative to interface between a host device and a destination device in the data processing system for transferring at least one data block therebetween. The data processing system further includes an error detection module associated with the controller. The error detection module is operative to determine a probability of an error occurrence based at least in part on a measured current error rate for the data processing system. The controller is operative to implement an error correction methodology which is selectively adaptable as a function of the probability of an error occurrence.