Every reporting team has a horror story. The late data that almost missed a deadline. The “harmless” tweak that broke every template. The new regulation that landed like a bump in the night.

At Factbook, we’ve seen it all. And, more importantly, fixed it all!

This Halloween, our Data Horror Stories reveal seven real-world nightmares from the reporting world, and how calm heads, flexible workflows, and robust automation turned panic into performance.

1. Attack of the zombie data

Imagine signing off your reports, only to discover, at the eleventh hour, that a whole chunk of data is wrong. Not slightly wrong, completely the wrong time frame. 

One client did exactly this. They had monthly data where there should have been quarterly. Panic stations. But with the right workflow and tools, the “zombie data” was slain, the reports were re-run at speed, and the deadline wasn’t missed. 

Lesson: flexible processes and rapid report reproduction can save you from the reporting graveyard.

2. The moratorium massacre

Just when the reporting team thought their cycle was “locked down”, they were informed that new data elements must be included in this run, not the next. Not only that, but all this new data would need to be sourced from manually generated “interim” feed format. It could have been a horror show. 

Instead, by adapting on the fly and being flexible, the team were able to implement an interim data solution that kept quality high and the reports on schedule. 

Lesson: sometimes you need to “roll with the punches” to keep the demons of missed deadlines at bay. 

3. The regulatory ghost that appeared from nowhere

Three months before a new regulatory deadline, a client reporting team was told: “Oh, by the way, you’re responsible for publishing these reports.” 

No data. No design. No time. Sample data didn’t arrive until four weeks before go-live, and had to be resubmitted multiple times! Against the odds, final reports were still delivered weeks ahead of schedule. 

Lesson: when regulations rise from the dead at short notice, clients turn (not in their grave) to trusted, collaborative partners, experienced at fighting the regulatory reaper. 

4. The data that wore many masks

One client required their data to completely transform and wear a different mask for every unique audience: client-specific views of the same data. Mirroring each audience’s view of geographies, sectors or industries, or mandated currencies and geopolitical overlays. And it had to keep evolving, in real time within an active reporting cycle, without the need for IT input! Frightening stuff. 

Some vendors donned the Ghostface and ran screaming. Factbook remained calm, built new, user-maintainable aggregation routines that could morph on demand, and a focussed proof of concept that gave the client confidence we could pull this off. 

Lesson: in reporting, your data can wear many masks. But, to avoid any scary reveals, you and your reporting partner must be able to see through them to ensure your data always tells the same story underneath. 

5. The phantom error

Picture thousands of reports, millions of data points. Then a single error appears. Which reports are haunted by it? Which clients must be told? 

Without the right analysis, the only option would have been for the client to recall everything. Instead, though not in scope of the service provided, Factbook applied its technology and flexibility to deliver the required impact analysis that revealed exactly which reports were tainted, keeping disruption to a minimum and the client’s reputation intact. 

Lesson: having a reporting partner with the ability to spot and isolate the ghosts in your data is better than burning down the whole haunted house.

6. The curse of too many sources

Multiple feeds, overlapping content, conflicting priorities. Which data source wins? How do you overlay ever-changing preferential display hierarchies? Which should be shown early, which late? How do you decide which awards logos make the cut? 

Handled badly, this is a labyrinth of endless hierarchies. Handled well, it’s just another beast tamed. 

Lesson: flexibility, control and deep expertise are your Van Helsing’s kit against this vampire of complexity.

7. The disappearance of resource

Not every firm has the ideal internal team. Sometimes colleagues are more like ghosts; unavailable, uninterested, or too busy. The project stalls, unless the vendor can step in and cover the gaps. 

Factbook often shoulders these missing pieces—performance calcs, MPT stats, hosting, distribution. 

Lesson: when your own team can’t face the dark, the right partner brings the torchlight.