How much did we spend on that subdivision last quarter?
Simple question. But your job cost export contains dozens of ways the same subdivision name gets entered — abbreviations, typos, partial names, initials. A raw report splits cost across all of them.
In 2024-Q4, 14 active projects appear as 69 distinct name variants in the raw export. Use the period buttons to see how the picture shifts quarter to quarter.
What's our erosion control cost across all active projects?
The right cost code gets you the right rows — but only if every entry for the same project is grouped together. When project names are fragmented, the ranking of who's spending the most changes.
Toggle to Raw and watch the list re-sort. Iron Creek Ranch drops from #1 to #3 — $125K of its spend is scattered across five aliases. Pine Hollow drops from #4 to #6. Dry Canyon jumps from #6 to #4 because it happens to be entered consistently.
A raw erosion control report filtered on "Iron Creek Ranch" misses $125,267 sitting under those five entries.
Which subcontractors are we most dependent on?
The same vendor enters your system under a different name every time a different person keys it in. Your raw spend-by-vendor report is a fragmented list — the same company appearing multiple times under different spellings.
In 2025-Q4, vendor name aliases cause 4 rank changes on a single toggle. Oregon Erosion Control drops from #5 to #8. Red Rock jumps from #9 to #6. The raw report gives you the wrong picture of who you depend on most.