# Fix the data before building another dashboard

[Read the public page](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/blog/why-your-business-reporting-is-a-mess)

Reporting problems often start with inconsistent records and definitions. Agree on the decisions, sources and owners before adding charts.

By Josh C, A Dark Cloud Creative

Published 2026-02-25

A useful reporting project first establishes which decisions the report supports, which records it uses and how the numbers are defined. Another dashboard will not resolve conflicting source data or unclear ownership.

## Choose the decision the report supports

Ask what someone will do differently after reading it. An overdue account list and a job margin report support different decisions. Name the user and the frequency before designing the view.

A report with no decision attached often becomes a collection of available numbers. It may look busy without helping the business act.

## Trace each figure to its source

Identify the system, field and calculation behind a number. Record how corrections and missing data are handled. If two systems disagree, establish which is authoritative for that purpose.

Do not hide uncertain records behind a precise percentage. The report should make the limitation visible while the underlying process is improved.

## Agree on definitions

Revenue, margin and completed work can mean different things to different people. Write the definition and check it against a real example. Finance and operational staff should understand the same calculation.

A shared definition reduces arguments about the dashboard and makes errors easier to investigate. Keep it with the report rather than in one author’s memory.

## Give data entry and refresh an owner

Review who records the source information and how it reaches the report. Manual spreadsheets can be useful, but the process needs ownership and checks. An automated refresh can reliably repeat a bad data mapping.

Decide what happens when a source changes or a refresh fails. The business should know who can identify and correct the problem.

## Build a small view and test it

Start with one decision and a representative set of records. Compare the results with the source, test exceptions and check user access. Expand after those checks rather than beginning with every possible chart.

Power BI may be a suitable presentation tool, but the data and requirements come first. Systems planning can help define the scope before specialist reporting work begins.

## What does a data definition look like?

For an overdue invoice report, record whether overdue means past the invoice due date, which timezone and date the report uses, and how credits or disputed invoices are handled. Name the system responsible for those fields and the person who can correct them.

Check the definition against a handful of records, including a paid invoice and an exception. Keep the agreed rule with the report. A calculation should have a business meaning that someone can explain without opening the report builder.

## How do you know the report is current?

Display the refresh time and verify the underlying source has been read. Microsoft's Power BI guidance explains that synchronising a file and refreshing source data are different operations. A report opening successfully is not proof that its figures are current.

Agree on the response to a refresh failure and the person who receives it. Test what happens when the source is unavailable or a column changes. Showing the limitation helps the reader avoid making a decision from a result that appears complete but uses older records.

## Further reading

- [Microsoft Power BI refresh guidance](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/refresh-data)

## Useful next steps

- [Power Platform support](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/services/power-platform)
- [Business systems planning](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/services/business-analysis)

Reviewed 2026-10-07

- [Ask for IT help](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/contact)
- [Check your IT basics](https://www.adarkcloud.com.au/tools/it-health-check)