What the record proves, and what it leaves out

A record proves that a movement happened and what kind it was. It does not prove why, and it does not prove that the reader agreed. This page is about the boundary of the record: what a statement settles, and the half of a dispute it stays silent on.

Desk spec

disputes: 100
settled by statement: 100
reader copy: 34
unsettled lines: 64 of 500

the lineOne transaction, with a date, a type, an amount and a running balance. The sample month holds 240 of them, and every one belongs to a category.

the running balanceThe balance after each line, in the statement's own order. It is not the balance you can withdraw, because a bonus credit sits inside it: 312.00 shown against 292.00 settled.

the pending lineA line that has been recorded but not settled. Of 500 lines in the sample, 43 were pending and 21 were reversed, against 436 settled.

Direct answer

Of 100 disputed lines the statement settled 100 and a reader copy existed in 34, so 66 of the 100 had only the operator's record. A statement proves that a movement happened and what category it belonged to; it does not prove why the movement was made or whether the reader agreed to it.

What the record contains, and what it does not

Four fields and a state are all a line carries, and every one of them describes the movement rather than the reason. That is why a statement is decisive about a movement and silent about a complaint: it can show that a stake was taken, and it cannot show whether the reader meant to place it.

Sample I - what a statement proves, and what it does not
Question	Proved by the statement	Not proved
did a movement happen	yes, the line is the movement	-
what kind was it	yes, the type field	-
was it finished	usually, if a state is shown	when, if no state is shown
why it was made	no	the reason, or the intention
whether the reader agreed	no	consent, which the statement never records
four fields, one state	the movement	the reason

sample I - the record, counted disputed lines = 100 the statement settled the movement = 100 -> 100.0% a reader copy existed = 34 -> 34.0% so the statement cannot lose an argument about whether a movement happened, and 66 of 100 readers had no second record to contest anything else.

The lines a record explains least

Some lines are harder to read than others, and they are the ones where a record stops being enough. A pending line has no ending, a reversed pair cancels itself, and both are states rather than reasons.

samples I and D - the record against the unfinished lines of 500 lines (sample D): settled = 436 -> 87.2% the record is complete pending = 43 -> 8.6% the record has no ending yet reversed = 21 -> 4.2% the record cancels itself so 64 of 500 lines are ones a record explains least, and a statement is most useful for the 436 that are settled: of 100 disputes, 100 were settled by the statement line (sample I), and a reader copy existed in 34.

Build a record a statement cannot replace

Take the export at the close of the month, before any line is disputed.
Keep any notice that explains a line, since the statement records the line and not the reason.
Keep the running balance at the close, so the whole column can be reproduced.
Flag the pending and reversed lines, which are the ones a record explains least.
Keep the reply to any request, since it is a record the statement does not contain.

What the record proves, and what it leaves out

What the record contains, and what it does not

The lines a record explains least

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