> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.salvidia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working with data

> How to get data into Salvidia, review how it's been categorised, and keep your assessment clean.

Salvidia is built around a simple flow: **bring data in → review the categorisation → results update.** This page covers each step.

## Getting data in

There are three ways to add data to an assessment, and most assessments use a mix:

<Columns>
  <Column>
    <Card title="Connect your accounting platform">
      The fastest path. Salvidia reads your ledger for the reporting period and categorises the transactions. Best for broad Scope 3 coverage.
    </Card>
  </Column>

  <Column>
    <Card title="Import from CSV">
      Export data from any system — utility portals, travel platforms, waste contractors — and upload it. Best for bulk activity data.
    </Card>
  </Column>
</Columns>

<Card title="Enter data directly">
  For small volumes — a handful of fuel receipts, one site's electricity, refrigerant top-ups — entering it straight into the relevant table is quicker than building a spreadsheet.
</Card>

## Reviewing categorisation

Every transaction or activity entry lands in a **category** (electricity, flights, purchased services, waste, and so on), and every category maps to a scope and an emission factor. Two habits keep your assessment accurate:

1. **Review the biggest items first.** Sort by value and check the top entries. A single large miscategorised invoice distorts your results more than a hundred small ones.
2. **Fix the category, not the number.** If something's wrong, recategorise the entry. Never adjust results by editing quantities to compensate — it breaks the audit trail.

## Avoiding double counting

The most common data-quality issue: the same emissions entering the assessment twice, once as spend and once as activity data. The classic example is electricity — you enter your kWh from bills *and* the ledger still contains the payments to the electricity retailer.

The rule: **when you add activity data for a category, exclude the corresponding spend.** Salvidia's structured tables make this manageable by giving each type of data a defined home, but the check is yours to make.

## Handling gaps

Missing data is normal, especially in year one. The accepted approach:

* **Estimate transparently.** If one site's electricity bills are missing, extrapolate from a comparable site or period, and note that you did.
* **Don't leave material categories at zero.** A rough estimate with a note beats a silent gap — a zero reads as "we have no emissions here," which is a claim.
* **Record your assumptions.** Anything an auditor or stakeholder might ask about later should be written down when you make the call, not reconstructed afterwards.

***

## Where to go next

* [Understanding your dashboard and charts](/platform/understanding-dashboard-and-charts)
* [How emissions are calculated](/methodology/how-emissions-are-calculated)