Daily work

Reconcile a number before acting on it

When a Winston result differs from your POS or another report, compare the definitions and data first. Two correct calculations can differ because they counted different things.

Match the scope

Check the workspace, stores, date range, timezone and source timestamp. Confirm whether the period uses completed days or includes part of today. For a month-to-date comparison, use comparable elapsed periods rather than silently comparing a partial month with a full month.

An Overview review may explain a saved snapshot. A new live query can legitimately return newer numbers. Ask which one the answer used.

Match the measure

Measure	Check
Sales	Gross or net; discounts; taxes; returns and refunds; voids and transaction status.
Units	Unit quantities and returns treatment; do not substitute the number of transaction rows.
Inventory	Sellable versus total stock; backstock, samples and quarantine; snapshot date.
Margin	Which cost field is used, missing-cost coverage, and gross profit dollars versus margin percentage.
Customers	Unique-person definition, duplicate records, period and identification coverage.
Promotion performance	Attributed or associated revenue versus measured incremental effect; required costs and comparison data.

Ask for a reconciliation

Reconcile this result to the source report for the same stores and dates. State the formulas, exclusions and source timestamps. Show one example row, the totals and any unexplained difference. Do not fill missing values with guesses.

For a grouped card, View products lists each item with its own figure. Check that they sum to the headline before asking for anything more; if they do not, that is the first question. For a multi-store report, check one example per store and confirm no requested store was silently omitted.

Treat estimates as estimates

Sales at risk, reorder quantities and campaign projections depend on assumptions. Ask for the sales window, demand basis, lead time or comparison used. A percentage change during a promotion does not by itself prove that the promotion caused the change.

Missing costs do not mean zero costs. Missing data does not mean zero activity. Sparse sales history should remain visible as a limitation.

If a date is in the future, a store is wrong, or figures still do not reconcile, keep the result out of decisions that depend on those facts and report the discrepancy through Support. Include both figures, source names, filters, date range and timezone. For what each card label means, see Cards, statuses and data dates.