Spot check
Taking a few rows spread across the data (from the start, the middle and the end) and comparing them by hand with what you expect.
Spreading them out matters: a mistake that only shows up at the end of the table, or in rows added later, stays hidden if you only check the first ones.
Related terms
- Unit test
Giving a piece of logic (a formula, a function) an input whose correct output you already know, and checking that it returns that.
- Edge case
An input at the edge of what the logic expects, like a code that isn't in the lookup table, to see that it fails the way it should instead of returning a plausible wrong value.
- Reconciliation
Comparing a total you computed with the same total from an independent source, such as a bank statement or a register report, and explaining any difference.
- Grain (of a table)
What one row of a table stands for: a person, a transaction, a planet, a person per language. Counting rows counts what you want only if you know the grain.