What you will learn
- Reconciliation totals
- Locked source sheets
- Versioned assumptions
- Reproducible export
Reconciliation totals
Reconciliation totals compare imported records with an authoritative statement or a deliberately specified exercise dataset. Check counts, quantities, fees and P&L. Matching only one total can conceal offsetting errors.
Locked source sheets
Keep a read-only source sheet or immutable source file and perform transformations separately. This preserves the ability to investigate an unexpected result. Manual edits should be logged with reasons and retained alongside the original values.
Versioned assumptions
Version assumptions such as fees, currency conversion and trade-grouping rules. Two reports built from the same fills can differ because their assumptions changed. A report should identify both the data version and calculation version.
Reproducible export
A reproducible export includes the output, source references and enough instructions to rebuild it. Hide personal identifiers in shared learning examples, but do not remove the structural information needed to understand the calculation.
Worked example
Two erroneous rows add +10 and −10, leaving aggregate P&L unchanged. A total-only check passes, but execution identifiers and quantities reveal the mistakes. Multiple reconciliation dimensions are therefore useful.
Try it yourself
Specify four reconciliation checks and a change log entry for correcting an imported fee without erasing its original value.
Show the worked solution
Check row identifiers, quantities, fees and P&L. Log the original fee, corrected fee, source evidence, date and reason. Rebuild dependent outputs and confirm that unrelated records remain unchanged.
Apply this to your course project
Import a sample CSV, reconcile totals and publish a documented performance worksheet.
Keep the calculation inputs, assumptions and decisions with your work. Practical exercises are self-reviewed; the scored knowledge checks assess the questions shown, not an independent certification of practical competence.