Before the Dashboard: The Accounting Data Cleanup Checklist

A dashboard is only as useful as the data behind it. Before building reports, accountants should run a short cleanup checklist.

The checklist

1. Confirm the source file and report date.
2. Save the row count.
3. Save the control total.
4. Identify blank required fields.
5. Standardize date and amount formats.
6. Check duplicate transaction IDs.
7. Separate exceptions from clean records.
8. Document the rules used.

Why this matters

If the cleanup steps live only in someone’s memory, the report is hard to review and harder to repeat. A good analytics workflow makes the cleanup visible, testable, and reusable.

Accounting takeaway

Do not start with the chart. Start with the control total.