Learn Ensuring Data Accuracy in Finance | Data Accuracy, Reconciliation, and Transaction Logic

Ensuring the accuracy of data is fundamental in finance because even a minor error can lead to significant financial misstatements, regulatory issues, or loss of trust. Financial databases must always reflect reality, with every transaction and balance correctly recorded and protected against mistakes. Data accuracy is the foundation for reliable reporting, audits, and decision-making in any financial organization.


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-- Enforcing data integrity with constraints
CREATE TABLE accounts (
    account_id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    account_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    balance NUMERIC NOT NULL CHECK (balance >= 0)
);

In SQL, constraints are rules applied to columns or tables to ensure only valid data is stored. The NOT NULL constraint prevents missing values, while CHECK constraints limit the range or values that can be entered. For example, a CHECK (balance >= 0) rule ensures that an account balance can never be negative, which is critical for financial accuracy. These constraints act as safeguards, blocking invalid or illogical data before it enters your database.


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-- Checking for duplicate transactions by account, date, amount, and type
SELECT account_id, txn_date, amount, txn_type, COUNT(*) AS txn_count
FROM bank_transactions
GROUP BY account_id, txn_date, amount, txn_type
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

Duplicate transactions can distort financial statements and cause reconciliation errors. To spot duplicates, you can group transactions by key fields such as account, date, amount, and type, then count how many times each combination appears. If any group appears more than once, you have a duplicate that needs investigation. Preventing duplicates often involves using constraints, unique indexes, or careful transaction processing logic.

Definition

Data integrity constraints in SQL are rules—such as PRIMARY KEY, UNIQUE, NOT NULL, and CHECK—that ensure the accuracy and reliability of data within a table by restricting the types of data that can be inserted or updated.

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Section 4. Chapter 1

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              123456
            
-- Enforcing data integrity with constraints
CREATE TABLE accounts (
    account_id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    account_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    balance NUMERIC NOT NULL CHECK (balance >= 0)
);


              12345
            
-- Checking for duplicate transactions by account, date, amount, and type
SELECT account_id, txn_date, amount, txn_type, COUNT(*) AS txn_count
FROM bank_transactions
GROUP BY account_id, txn_date, amount, txn_type
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

Definition

Everything was clear?

Thanks for your feedback!

Section 4. Chapter 1

Ensuring Data Accuracy in Finance

1. What is the purpose of a CHECK constraint in SQL?

2. How can you detect duplicate transactions in a table?

3. Why is data accuracy critical in financial databases?

Ensuring Data Accuracy in Finance

1. What is the purpose of a CHECK constraint in SQL?

2. How can you detect duplicate transactions in a table?

3. Why is data accuracy critical in financial databases?