What to export before a spend review
Cleaner exports shorten the first week of analysis. A practical checklist for ERP and spreadsheet extracts used in category reviews.
The first week of a spend category review is often spent repairing exports rather than reading them. Cleaner files shorten that week. Below is the checklist we send clients before a Panel Nestcore category engagement.
Minimum fields
- Purchase order number and line number
- Supplier name as it appears on the invoice (and a mapped clean name if you already maintain one)
- Item description or SKU
- Order date, receipt date, and invoice date where available
- Quantity, unit price, currency, and extended amount
- Cost centre or category code if your chart of accounts already tags spend
Format habits that help
One row per line item beats nested headers. Keep currencies in a dedicated column instead of embedding symbols in the amount field. If your ERP exports Chinese and English supplier names inconsistently, include both columns so we can reconcile them once rather than guessing mid-analysis.
What to leave out
Draft POs that were never approved, and cancelled lines still marked open, muddy concentration maps. Filter them before export when your system allows it, or send a separate cancelled-orders file so we can exclude them deliberately.
Send the file through the channel agreed in scoping — usually a secure link rather than an open mailbox attachment. We confirm receipt and list any missing fields before measure workshops begin.