Two reports can differ because they answer different questions or use different dates, filters, access, or starting information. Confirm those choices before comparing totals.

Before you begin

You need the named viewing permission for every department included in the report, such as View positions, View labor budgets, View workforce forecasts, or View actual compensation. Downloading a report also requires the Export reports permission.

Compare the report purpose

Do not compare position control FTE with a financial amount, labor budget with actual compensation, or a forecast with approved information as if they are the same measure.

Write down what each total represents:

  • approved position capacity;
  • active assigned FTE;
  • labor budget capacity, assigned impact, or vacancy impact;
  • protected actual compensation;
  • one forecast alternative; or
  • a difference between forecasts.

Two totals with the same currency or FTE format can still answer different questions.

Example: labor budget versus actual compensation

A 1.0000 FTE position has a $100,000 planning rate and a 0.7500 FTE employee assignment with $90,000 full-time-equivalent compensation.

Labor budget can show $100,000 capacity, including the vacancy effect. Actual compensation can show $67,500 for the active assignment before adjustments. The difference is expected because the reports use different amounts and populations.

Compare dates and filters

Confirm report name, effective date or period, departments, job codes, forecast, and any other filters. Run both reports again with matching choices when needed.

Use a side-by-side checklist:

Choice Report A Report B
Report name and purpose
Effective date or planning period
Departments
Position, job code, or other filters
Approved information or selected forecast results
Forecast and comparison date
Completion time

For a forecast comparison, confirm which columns show the starting point, proposed result, and difference. Do not add the starting point and proposed result as if they were separate parts of one total.

Check access and setup

Confirm that you can view every included department and the report’s protected information. Review Needs budget setup, Position Report Readiness, staffing issues, and any message shown on the completed report.

Different access can produce different visible populations for two people. Compare access roles and department coverage before concluding that one report omitted rows.

An unavailable value is not zero. Correct missing setup, wait for updated results to complete, and run a new report.

Check when each report was prepared

Completed reports keep their original results. If relevant information changed later, run a new report rather than comparing a current page with an old file.

Example: completed before a correction

A report completed at 9:00 a.m. A budget rate was corrected at 10:00 a.m. The 9:00 report remains unchanged. Run a new report after the updated labor budget result is ready.

Reconcile one row before the total

  1. Choose one position that contributes to the difference.
  2. Confirm its approved FTE on the report date.
  3. Confirm active assignment FTE.
  4. Review the rate, compensation record, adjustments, or proposed changes in the forecast used by that report.
  5. Recalculate the row independently when practical.
  6. Repeat with one row that matches and one that differs.

Row-level review usually reveals whether the difference comes from population, date, setup, or calculation meaning.

Run a clean comparison

After correcting the relevant position, employee, budget, compensation, or forecast information:

  1. wait until updating finishes;
  2. run both reports with matching choices;
  3. confirm both complete successfully;
  4. compare the same rows and totals; and
  5. preserve the run names or completion times used for the conclusion.

Get more help

Contact Support when the same report, dates, filters, access, and underlying information still produce an unexplained difference. Include both report names, preparation times, and the specific row or total.

Also include the organization, effective date or planning period, filters, expected result, and the underlying record you checked. Do not send protected compensation or access files through an unapproved channel.