Transaction Review
Transaction Review Is Where Broken Files Reveal Themselves
Most broken files do not look broken at the account level. They reveal themselves transaction by transaction, where structure either holds or collapses.
This breakdown is one piece of a larger failure pattern explored in the full cleanup case study .
Transaction review is not proofreading. It is behavioral analysis that determines whether activity belongs in the period, the account, the entity, and the system at all.
This breakdown explains how transaction review exposes structural failure long before reports show it.
Structural Breakdown
What the file actually revealed
Transaction volume increased, but review discipline did not. Activity continued to flow into the file while oversight quietly disappeared.
What Was Broken
Large volumes of imported activity overlapped with manual entries, creating duplication, misclassification, and timing drift.
Why It Broke
Transactions were accepted because totals worked. Structural rules were not enforced at the transaction level.
How the Pattern Showed Up
Duplicates sat next to legitimate activity, revenue could not be tied to operations, and expenses blurred across periods and categories.
What Needed Reconstruction
Transaction-level validation, import unwinding, duplication tracing, and enforcement of period, account, and entity rules.
Why reports can look fine while transactions are wrong
Reports aggregate data. Transactions tell the truth. Aggregation smooths errors, allowing totals to calculate while underlying detail is compromised.
Transaction review is the only way to detect structural failure before it spreads upward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is transaction review meant to accomplish?
It enforces behavioral rules around timing, classification, duplication prevention, and alignment with real operational activity.
Why do broken transactions not always affect reports immediately?
Totals still calculate. Aggregation hides errors until volume and time compound them.
Can journal entries fix transaction-level issues?
No. Journal entries adjust totals but do not correct duplicated, misdated, or misclassified transactions.
When does skipped transaction review require cleanup?
When transaction history cannot be trusted across periods, cleanup becomes invasive and often requires rebuilding detail.
Ready to move forward?
The Complete Check Diagnostic identifies whether transaction-level integrity still exists or whether deeper reconstruction is required.
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