Define the metric, date window and source, then check freshness, missing records, duplicates and corrections. Send the report with its assumptions and an owner who can review exceptions.
- Agreed sources
- Consistent dates
- Data checks
- Reconcile totals
- Review and share
1. Give each metric a plain definition
Write one sentence explaining what a number includes and excludes. Orders placed, payments collected and revenue after refunds are different measures. If one platform reports orders and another reports payments, adding them together can count the same activity twice.
Choose the source of truth for each metric. The payment system may be the right source for collected fees, while a project board may be the right source for completed work. Save those choices next to the report so a new teammate can understand the result.
2. Agree the reporting window and timezone
Define the start and end of the week in one timezone. Specify which timestamp matters: when the enquiry arrived, when the invoice was issued, or when payment cleared. Two correct exports can disagree when they use different timestamps.
For a Monday report, decide whether it covers the previous complete calendar week or the last seven rolling days. Avoid silently mixing both. If a record arrives late, decide whether the previous report is corrected or the adjustment is shown in the next one.
3. Show when each source was last updated
A connected account is not proof that its newest data has arrived. Save the source's update time and the time your workflow retrieved it. If one source is delayed, mark that part of the report as pending rather than presenting the older value as current.
This matters when using analytics systems as well as sales tools. Google's Analytics documentation describes processing delays and notes that reports and explorations may not always be synchronized. Use the actual freshness information available for each platform instead of promising that every report is real time.
4. Keep missing values separate from zero
Zero means the metric was checked and no matching activity was found. Missing means you cannot establish the number. Those states should not look identical. A disconnected store showing zero sales could prompt a very different decision from a visible Data unavailable label.
Add a small exception list: source unavailable, required field missing, unsupported metric, or waiting for update. If a key source is missing, hold the final report or send a clearly marked partial version according to the rule your team agreed.
5. Deduplicate records with a stable reference
Use the record ID from the source where possible. An order can appear in a store export, a payment export and a spreadsheet. That is one transaction represented in three places, not three transactions.
Keep a trace of excluded duplicates so reviewers can reconcile the total. Do not remove rows just because their amounts match: two customers can make different purchases for the same amount. When there is no reliable reference, mark the possible match for review rather than silently discarding it.
6. Separate currencies, refunds and adjustments
Do not add different currencies into one total without an agreed conversion method and date. Keep collected fees, taxes and pass-through charges distinct when that matters to the decision. A report about service income should not become larger merely because it includes software costs paid on a customer's behalf.
The worked example below is fictional and shows why the definitions matter. Suppose an export has three collected service fees of $100, $200 and $300. A repeated $200 row is a duplicate, and $50 of the $300 fee was refunded. The unique gross amount is $600; after the refund it is $550. The uncorrected exported sum of $800 is neither of those measures.
| Illustrative row | Treatment | Net amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fee A: $100 | Include once | $100 |
| Fee B: $200 | Include once | $200 |
| Fee B repeated: $200 | Exclude duplicate | $0 |
| Fee C: $300, refund $50 | Subtract the refund | $250 |
| Total | One currency; fictional service fees | $550 |
7. Reconcile a sample before scheduling delivery
Choose a few records and trace them from the original source into the final report. Check a normal record, a boundary-date record, a duplicate and a corrected record. Compare the result against a manual calculation using the same definitions.
Before the first automatic delivery, assign a reviewer, define what stops the report, and decide how corrections are communicated. During the pilot, track preparation time and corrections as well as the final numbers. The goal is a report your team can explain and trust enough to use, not simply one that arrives on time.
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Free templateSources and notes
Technical references checked on September 19, 2026. Product features and plans can change.
- Google Analytics: data freshness
Supports the caution that analytics data has processing delays and reporting surfaces may not be synchronized. The seven checks and dollar example are original planning guidance.