Reporting Software
Start with the unit, then write the number
Imagine a fictional resource page with five recorded download entries during one named reporting period. The file identifiers are A, A, B, C and A. This original tally card uses the complete example to distinguish two questions. It does not represent a real site’s activity, and it contains no information identifying the people behind the entries.
01
Write the question and the reporting boundary
First ask how many download entries are recorded in this example period. State that each listed entry contributes one to that tally, including a repeated file identifier. The answer is five recorded entries. Keep the period label beside the result, even in this small exercise, and say that only the supplied records are included. Do not silently describe the figure as every attempted download or every successful delivery; neither condition is established by the list. The card records the scope of the example rather than supplying missing operational details.
02
Count distinct files as a separate question
Now ask how many different file identifiers appear. A, B and C give three distinct files, because repeated appearances of A do not add another distinct identifier. Record that rule separately from the event tally. The two results answer different questions and can both be correct for the same list. A clear display would label them “Recorded download entries: 5” and “Distinct file identifiers: 3.” Avoid a shared heading such as “Total downloads” that leaves readers to guess which counting rule produced the number.
03
Keep people and outcomes outside the claim
Nothing in A, A, B, C, A establishes how many people downloaded files or whether they found the resources useful. Leave those questions unresolved. Finish the card with the source list, period, unit, repeat-handling rule and explicit exclusions. If a later report introduces visitor identifiers or delivery status, define the new question before combining it with this tally. The finished worksheet makes two small results reproducible from the supplied entries while preventing them from growing into unsupported claims about audience size or the value of the resources.