How can you verify the reliability of data used in reports?
Efficiency question :
When creating a report generator, the data must first be well structured and organized. Each column, also called a field, represents a specific type of information that can be used in different reports.
A single dataset can then produce several reports by changing the analytical perspective. Rows, columns and conditions used as filters allow the same data to be presented in different ways.
This approach helps verify data reliability because results viewed from different angles should remain consistent with one another.
Key considerations:
Data reliability can be checked by comparing results obtained from the same dataset using different analytical perspectives.
For example, total sales by customer should equal total sales by sales representative. Similarly, the sum of individual periods should equal the result for the full year.
The more the same data is used in different reports and produces consistent results, the more its integrity can be verified.
Challenges:
Creating several reports is not enough on its own. The conditions, filters and periods used must also allow meaningful comparisons.
A control report can be added to the report generator as an additional validation. It compares detailed results with more global results and verifies that different data segmentations still produce the same totals.
These controls make it easier to detect inconsistencies before the data is used for decision-making.
Technology:
A report generator can be built from a structured dataset in which each field represents a specific type of information.
The same data can then be used to create different reports by changing the rows, columns, conditions and filters applied.
This structure allows one data source to be reused to analyze results from several perspectives and perform cross-checks among reports.
Developer's advice:
Do not verify a report only in isolation. Use the same dataset to produce several views and compare the results.
If sales by customer, sales by representative and sales by period come from the same data, their totals should reconcile. Also add a control report to provide an independent validation of the different segmentations used in your reports.
SLV Expert’s on-demand Management Reports course is a good way to explore this method further. It covers data structuring, developing reports with different conditions and includes a section specifically devoted to control reports.