Best Practices & Troubleshooting

This guide provides recommended workflows for effective analytics use and actionable solutions for common technical issues.

🏆 Best Practices

For comprehensive spend analysis, follow this "top-down" approach:

Macro Review: Start with the Spend Overview to understand the big picture.
Progressive Drill-Down: Move through the hierarchical tabs (Level 2 → Level 3 → Level 4) to isolate specific drivers.
Evidence Validation: Confirm your insights using the Spend Details and Invoice Details tabs.
Consistency: Use consistent filter sets across different sessions to ensure repeatable analysis.
Collaboration: Regularly export and share insights with stakeholders to drive sourcing strategy.

Filter Early: Apply filters as soon as possible to reduce data volume and improve system responsiveness.
Temporal Focus: Use specific date ranges to isolate relevant fiscal periods or trend spikes.
Filter Awareness: Remember that filters persist; always clear your previous filters when starting a new, unrelated analysis.
Documentation: Keep a record of effective filter combinations used for recurring monthly or quarterly reports.

Load Strategy: Apply restrictive filters before loading large datasets to ensure a smooth experience.
Summarize First: Always use summary tabs before drilling into granular transaction details.
Data Volume: If performance feels sluggish, try narrowing the date range or category scope.
System Patience: Allow charts to load completely before layering additional complex filters.

Problem: Charts or tabs appear blank or fail to display.

Solutions:
1. Ensure a dataset is selected in the top-right dropdown.
2. Verify the selected dataset has a Classified status.
3. Refresh your browser page.
4. Clear browser cache and cookies.
5. Check your local network connection and firewall settings.

Problem: Changes made to the filter bar do not update the charts.

Solutions:
1. Wait: Filters auto-save with a short delay; allow a moment for the system to process.
2. Refresh: Refresh the page to restore the last successfully saved filter state.
3. Verification: Check if the specific values you are filtering for actually exist in the current dataset.
4. Reset: Use the "Clear All" function and reapply your filters manually.

Problem: Expected transactions or vendors are not appearing in the dashboard.

Solutions:
1. Re-confirm that the correct dataset is selected in the dropdown.
2. Double-check all active filters to ensure they aren't accidentally excluding the missing data.
3. Verify that the dataset classification process is $100%$ complete.
4. Ensure the date range includes the specific period where the missing data is expected.

Problem: The dashboard is slow, or charts appear "frozen."

Solutions:
1. Reduce Scope: Apply narrower date range filters to lower the data volume.
2. Sequential Loading: Avoid clicking through all tabs simultaneously; allow the active tab to finish rendering.
3. Browser Check: Try using a different modern browser or clearing your current browser's cache.

Problem: Unable to download chart images or transaction data.

Solutions:
1. Wait: Large data exports can take several minutes to compile; do not refresh the page during this process.
2. Settings: Check your browser's download and pop-up blocker settings.
3. Subset Export: Try filtering for a smaller subset of data to test if the file size is the issue.

If your issue persists after following the troubleshooting steps above:

Document: Note the specific behavior and any error messages displayed.
Context: Identify which Dataset and Tab you were working on.
Evidence: Take a screenshot of the issue.
Contact: Reach out to the SpendCraft support team with this detailed information.

Next Step: Ready to start your analysis? Return to the Analytics Overview to select your dataset.