Data Hygiene

Financial data gets messy quickly. Use data hygiene routines when a number looks wrong, a dashboard feels off, a category total jumps, or a spreadsheet no longer matches what you expected.

Start with the source

Most reporting issues begin upstream. Before editing a dashboard, check the source behind the number.

Ask:

• Did the value come from a connected provider, manual account, import, or spreadsheet workflow?
• Did that source update recently?
• Is the connection healthy?
• Is the account included in the relevant view?
• Is there another record for the same real account?
• Did a category, rule, tag, or transfer setting change?

When you know the source, the fix is usually clearer.

Quick health check

Run this broad check before editing individual records:

1. Source freshness: confirm providers, imports, manual records, and spreadsheet sync targets are current enough for the report.
2. Duplicate accounts: check whether the same real account appears from more than one source.
3. Balance dates: compare the date attached to each balance before treating totals as current.
4. Included accounts: confirm accounts are included in net worth, transactions, holdings, and sync targets as intended.
5. Transfer handling: make sure internal movement is not counted as income or spending.
6. Category consistency: look for merchants or rules that split similar transactions across many categories.
7. Ignored records: check whether important records were hidden from the active transactions view.
8. Spreadsheet sync scope: confirm the workbook is using all accounts or the right selected accounts.

Stale sources

A stale source may still be useful, but it should not be treated as current without review.

Provider-backed sources may need reauthorization, provider consent, a reconnect, or a manual refresh. Imported sources may need a newer file. Manual sources may need a new valuation date. Spreadsheet sync targets may need a provider reconnect, a fresh manual run, or a corrected account scope.

Use the last sync dates on Accounts, Transactions, Holdings, and Spreadsheet sync to understand whether the data is current enough for the workflow.

Duplicate records

Duplicates can distort net worth, spending, income, allocation, and spreadsheet totals.

Common duplicate patterns:

• The same institution was connected twice.
• A file import overlaps with connected transaction history.
• A manual asset was added before an imported or connected version arrived.
• A spreadsheet workflow reintroduced records already represented elsewhere.
• A pending transaction and posted transaction both appear temporarily.

When in doubt, keep the record with the clearest source history and archive, hide, or ignore the accidental copy. If both records are intentionally useful, rename them so the difference is obvious.

Balance mismatches

If net worth or account totals look wrong, check:

• Whether the account is included in net worth.
• Whether the latest balance date is current.
• Whether liability balances have the expected sign.
• Whether manual account values are stale.
• Whether ownership percentage is set correctly.
• Whether investment cash is counted once.
• Whether the same account exists through another source.

For manual assets and liabilities, keep valuation notes and dates current. A manual real estate value from six months ago may be fine for a rough dashboard and wrong for a planning decision.

Transaction mismatches

If spending or income looks wrong, check:

• Duplicates from overlapping sources.
• Pending transactions.
• Amount sign issues.
• Transfer state.
• Ignored records.
• Uncategorized transactions.
• Rules that are too broad.
• Manual overrides that should be source categories again.
• Source category changes.

Fix duplicates and transfer state before category fine-tuning. Otherwise you may make categories look tidy while cash flow remains wrong.

Category and rule drift

Rules are powerful because they keep repeated patterns consistent. They are risky when the pattern changes.

Review rules when:

• A category total suddenly jumps.
• A merchant starts appearing in the wrong bucket.
• A broad rule catches unrelated transactions.
• You create a more specific category.
• You connect a new account with similar merchant names.

Pause or delete rules that are no longer trustworthy. Create a replacement rule from a real transaction when needed.

Spreadsheet mismatches

When a spreadsheet does not match the app, check:

• Which sync target feeds the workbook.
• Whether the target syncs all accounts or selected accounts.
• Which sheets are enabled.
• Whether the workbook uses latest values or history snapshots.
• Whether the last sync succeeded.
• Whether the provider account needs reconnecting.
• Whether you edited an app-managed tab instead of a safe-to-edit tab.
• Whether spreadsheet-side Categories or Rules changed the workbook view.

Google Sheets and Microsoft 365 syncs do not count against API usage. Local Excel sync usage counts against API usage and requires access from Tablewealth support.

Monthly reconciliation routine

For recurring reviews, use this order:

1. Check source freshness.
2. Refresh or reconnect provider sources that need attention.
3. Update manual account values and valuation dates.
4. Review account list for duplicates, missing accounts, and inclusion settings.
5. Compare balances against statements or trusted spreadsheet totals.
6. Review uncategorized and high-value transactions.
7. Mark transfers.
8. Review ignored transactions.
9. Review category rules.
10. Rerun spreadsheet syncs or reopen dashboards.
11. Save notes for manual adjustments.

When to contact support

Contact support when:

• A source shows healthy but data is missing.
• The same provider account repeatedly duplicates.
• A sync target repeatedly fails after reconnecting.
• A value cannot be traced back to a source, import, spreadsheet row, or manual entry.
• You need access to local Excel sync.

Include the workspace, source type, affected account or workbook, expected date range, last successful sync or import, and what you expected to see.