Create custom report query

We need a custom report for monthly variance analysis. Send the report spec to Claire in FP&A and then to Ahmed in IT for scheduling, with a hard deadline of next Tuesday so month-end reports aren't delayed; before scheduling, confirm the data sources and that dimensions match the general ledger mapping.

Before I release this custom query to stakeholders, make it easy to consume: put the top three variance drivers on the first page, make the drill paths to transaction details obvious, ensure the date selection defaults to the month close, and flag any reconciliations that fail so reviewers can focus on exceptions.

The custom query I built shows a 12% variance versus last month that the finance lead can't explain. I created the query and Claire requested the layout; source data comes from multiple modules and I don't know which feed changed. What's the fastest diagnostic to find whether it's a mapping error, a timing issue, or bad source data, and who do I pull in to fix it without rerunning full extracts?

We keep rebuilding custom reports whenever the chart of accounts or mappings change, which eats IT and FP&A time. I build queries, Claire owns reporting, and accounting keeps renaming dimensions. Which habit causes the repeated work — tight coupling to account names, lack of a centralized mapping, or missing versioning — and what practical habit should we adopt to stop constant rework?