The Data Branch

Find yours below. Send it as is.

Below are the kinds of files agencies send us. Not templates to fill in. They are pictures of reports your finance system already prints. If one of them looks familiar, that's the one.

Do one of these. The examples below are there to help you work out which file you already have.

Examples

Any purchasing records, in any of these formats, help build the co-op.

Each one is redrawn from a real file an agency sent us. Names and amounts changed, layouts untouched.

Are your purchase orders or payment records already posted online?

01

Purchase order list: one row per PO

                                    Town of Whitfield
                            Purchase Order Status Report
                         PO Date From 01/01/2020 to 04/14/2025

                                   Run Date: 04/14/2025
PO #        Vendor Name              Status:            PO Year     PO Total     Expended     Curr Bal   Date Entered
ARPA-001    ARPA TOWN HALL          Liquidated/closed     2024     $25,000.00   $25,000.00        $0.00     10/03/2023
ARPA-004    RIDGEWAY MUNICIPAL GRP  Closed                2024     $46,350.36   $46,350.36        $0.00     10/03/2023
CC 23-01    HALVERD ARCHITECTURE &  Liquidated/closed     2023     $26,900.00   $26,900.00        $0.00     10/20/2022
            ENGINEERING
CLERK-1     LANSDALE ASSOCIATES     Closed                2024      $3,250.00    $3,250.00        $0.00     02/02/2024
DPW 20-08   NORTHLINE CONCRETE      Liquidated/closed     2020    $241,595.00  $241,595.00        $0.00     01/17/2020
            SERVICE, INC
DPW 21-01   BEXLEY ENGINEERING, LLC Closed                2021     $75,000.00   $75,000.00        $0.00     10/15/2020
DPW 21-05   CALDWELL D. HARTNEY     Liquidated/closed     2021  $1,197,227.87 $1,197,227.87       $0.00     01/07/2021
            TRUCKING,
DPW 21-07   BEXLEY ENGINEERING, LLC Partially Paid        2021    $125,000.00   $92,475.00   $32,525.00     03/24/2021
DPW 22-01   MERIDIAN TRUCK CENTER   Closed                2022    $155,000.00  $155,000.00        $0.00     07/01/2021
DPW 22-07   BEXLEY ENGINEERING, LLC Open                  2022      $3,425.12        $0.00    $3,425.12     01/18/2022
DPW 22-10   TARRINGTON CONSTRUCTION Liquidated/closed     2022  $1,781,345.00 $1,781,345.00       $0.00     05/11/2022
POL 23-02   WEATHERBY SUPPLY CO     Closed                2023     $18,100.00   $18,100.00        $0.00     05/16/2022

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Systems that print something like this

  • Tyler Munis / Enterprise ERPFinancials › Purchasing › Purchase Order Reports › Audit File PO History
  • Caselle ConnectAccounts Payable › Reports › Purchase Order Register
  • PowerSchool ERP (eFinancePlus)Fund Accounting › Reports › Encumbrance Reports

Skyward, Tyler School ERP Pro (Infinite Visions), BS&A, Springbrook and CentralSquare all print an equivalent. The wording moves around enough between versions that we would rather you searched your own reports list for “purchase order” than trusted a path we printed here.

What it's called
Usually some combination of PO Status Report, Open Purchase Orders, PO Register, or PO Listing. In Tyler Munis it's under Purchase Order Reports; in Caselle it's the Purchase Order Register; in Skyward and eFinancePlus it's usually just "purchase order" plus "report" or "listing." The names differ; the output is this.
Where it usually comes from
The purchasing or encumbrance side of the finance system, run by whoever handles POs, often a business manager, purchasing agent, or town accountant. It's typically a canned report with a date range, not something anyone has to build.
What matters in it
Vendor name and dollar amount. Everything else helps and nothing else is required. Status columns, fund codes, and balances are welcome but we don't need them, and we'd rather have the default export than a tidied one.
02

Purchase order list: one row per line item

Even better, if it's no harder
City of Marren                        Purchase Order Register - Records Request                                    Page:   1
                                        Input Dates: 1/1/2021 - 7/31/2025                                 Jul 16, 2025 12:49PM


PO Number      PO Date                     Description                    Quantity  Extended Price   PO Amount   Vendor Number   Vendor Name

49812         01/15/2021 Repair & Maint. Fire-#16596                             1          110.80      110.80            8048  Halden Equipment
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - Cobra                   1        1,690.00    1,690.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - City Admin              1          169.00      169.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - City Clerk              1          169.00      169.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - Finance                 1          507.00      507.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - Police                  1        1,859.00    1,859.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - Fire Hall               1        4,022.90    4,022.90            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - Public Works            1        3,211.00    3,211.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
49855         01/20/2021 Retiree Prescription Insurance - Library                 1        1,183.00    1,183.00            7041  Corbin Health Plans
50410         03/09/2021 Repair & Maint. Medical-#16552                          1        2,205.00    2,205.00            8048  Halden Equipment
50410         03/09/2021 shipping                                                 1          144.69      144.69            8048  Halden Equipment
50410         03/09/2021 Repair & Maint. Medical-#1P000311                       1          575.48      575.48            8048  Halden Equipment
50410         03/09/2021 shipping                                                                      144.69-     144.69-  8048  Halden Equipment
50722         04/02/2021 Turnout Gear - 6 sets                                    6        1,842.00   11,052.00            6120  Vantree Fire Supply

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The level we can use

Turnout gear - 6 sets, coat & pant     6   1,842.00  11,052.00
SCBA air pack, 45-minute cylinder      2   4,110.00   8,220.00
Attack hose, 1.75 in x 50 ft          12     148.25   1,779.00
Unleaded fuel, October delivery    1,400       3.11   4,354.00
One row per thing bought, with a quantity and a unit price. A district two states away can hold this next to their own number.

Too summarized to compare

Fire Department - Operating Supplies      182,940.00
Fire Department - Capital Outlay          411,300.00
Public Works - Contractual Services       298,115.00
General Fund - Materials & Supplies       126,505.00
One row per budget line. Nothing here says what was bought or what it cost per unit, so there is nothing to compare it against.

Systems that print something like this

  • Caselle Connect / ClarityAccounts Payable › Reports › Purchase Order Register
  • SAPtransaction ME2N, or ME80FN for the wide version
  • Workdaysearch “Find Purchase Orders”, then Export to Excel
  • Oracle / PeopleSoftPurchasing › Purchase Orders › Review PO Information

The layout above is a Caselle Purchase Order Register. In Munis, Skyward and eFinancePlus this is usually the same report as example 01 with a “detail” or “include line items” box ticked, not a separate one.

What it's called
Often the same report as above with a "detail," "line item," or "include items" box ticked. You may also see PO Detail Report, Requisition/PO Detail, or in SAP-based systems a purchasing document list export. A report named for accounts, objects, or expenditures is a different thing: it summarises by budget line, and that's the one to skip.
Where it usually comes from
Same place as the header-level report. It's usually one checkbox away, not a separate request. If turning it on is any trouble at all, skip it. The header-level list is genuinely fine.
What matters in it
The description and unit price on each line. That's what lets another district see they were quoted $2,400 for the same thing you paid $1,842 for. It only works at the level your system already prints per item. If the descriptions come out as department or account names, that report is summarising and example 01 is the better file to send. Negative lines, credits, and duplicates are normal, so leave them in.
03

Check register / AP payment register

DATE 09/23/2025 TIME 10:54                      CHECK REGISTER    FROM: 09/01/2023 TO: 09/01/2025      CHK100 PAGE     40
                                                   ALL CHECKS    BANK ACCOUNT: ALL
                                                                                                                  BATCH
VENDOR NAME             PP ACCOUNT NUMBER   ACCOUNT NAME             ITEM/REASON              DATE      PO NO      AMOUNT    CODE

KESTREL ELECTRIC INC    10 2023 023-613-450 PARTS & REPAIRS          120V.8.PIN.RELAY/PCT3  10/02/2023               72.67      --
                                                                                                            ------------ CHK#
                                                                                                                   72.67 191410

MARREN CHAMBER OF COMM  10 2023 072-347-000 RENTAL DEPOSITS          #1653.DEP.REF./AG.COMM 10/02/2023              300.00      --
                                                                                                            ------------ CHK#
                                                                                                                  300.00 191411

ASHFORD HEALTH AND REHA 10 2023 014-641-460 HOSPITAL IN PATIENT      INDIGENT-HOSPITAL.INPA 10/02/2023            3,129.00      --
                                                                                                            ------------ CHK#
                                                                                                                3,129.00 191412

TOLLIVER LAND & CATTLE  10 2023 072-347-000 RENTAL DEPOSITS          1620.DEP.REF/FAIR.WEEK 10/02/2023              300.00      --
                                                                                                            ------------ CHK#
                                                                                                                  300.00 191413

BRENNAN OFFICE SUPPLY   10 2023 017-435-408 OFFICE SUPPLIES          COPY.PAPER/TONER.Q4    10/02/2023              418.55      --
                        10 2023 017-435-408 OFFICE SUPPLIES          FILE.CABINETS.(2)      10/02/2023              742.00      --
                                                                                                            ------------ CHK#
                                                                                                                1,160.55 191414

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Systems that print something like this

  • Tyler Munis / Enterprise ERPFinancials › Accounts Payable › Cash Disbursement Journal
  • PowerSchool ERP (eFinancePlus)Fund Accounting › Reports › Accounts Payable Reports › Vendor Payment History
  • Caselle ConnectAccounts Payable › Reports › Check Register
  • SAPtransaction FBL1N (vendor line items)

Skyward, BS&A and Springbrook all have a direct equivalent, usually filed under Accounts Payable. In Escape Online it is the AP–Payments activity rather than a report.

What it's called
Check Register is the most common, but the same file goes by Cash Disbursements Journal, Warrant Register, Paid Warrant Report, Vendor Payment History, or AP Payment Register. Some systems label it with a program code in the corner, like CHK100 or apcshdsb, rather than a friendly name.
Where it usually comes from
Accounts payable, and it already runs on a schedule. Most offices print one every check run. If nobody can find a PO report, this is almost always the easier ask, because it exists whether or not the agency uses purchase orders at all.
What matters in it
Vendor, amount, date. A check register is the best substitute for a PO list, because it captures what actually got paid. Payroll and benefit clearing rows are fine to leave in; we drop them on our side.
04

The bills list out of a board packet

                        ABSTRACT OF AUDITED VOUCHERS
                            GENERAL FUND TOWNWIDE

TOWN OF ALDERBROOK              Page 1 of 3            BRACKEN COUNTY, NEW YORK

DATE OF AUDIT: 01/21/2026          NUMBER 001          TOTAL CLAIMS: $ 49,449.77

To the Supervisor:

  I certify that the vouchers listed on this Abstract were audited by the Town
  Board on the above date and allowed in the amounts shown. You are hereby
  authorized to pay to each of the claimants the amount opposite their name.

  _______________________                        _______________________
         Date                                    Town Clerk / Comptroller


Voucher#   Claimant / Invoice / Description            Account#        Amount     Check

    1      MERIDIAN SIGNS INC                           A7110.400     1,372.00     53056
           109/2026 PARK STICKERS                                                01/22/2026
    2      ABBOTT DIGITAL, LLC                          A1610.400        92.97     53057
           146523 / OFFICE 365 BUSINESS PREMIUM                                  01/22/2026
    3      TRI-COUNTY OFFICIALS ASSOC                   A7310.401       400.00     53058
           1.3.26 / OFFICIATING - 4 BBALL GAMES                                  01/22/2026
    6      INSTANT REPLAY SPORTING GOODS                A7310.400       167.93     53061
           01102026 / BASKETBALL REFEREE JERSEYS                                 01/22/2026
   12      STATE ASSOC OF TOWN HWY SUPTS                A5010.400       250.00     53067
           INV001226 / ANNUAL DUES                                               01/22/2026
   14      NORTHGATE OFFICE SYSTEMS, INC.               A5132.410       113.56     53069
           109733057 / PRINTER-COPIER FOR DPW                                    01/22/2026

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Systems that print something like this

  • BoardDocs, BoardBook, Simblithe packet platform that hosts it, where it is usually already public

The list itself is printed by the finance system and then pasted into the packet. In Tyler Munis that is Financials › Accounts Payable › Accounts Payable Vendor Warrant List; in Caselle it is the Check Register. If you can reach the packet, you do not need either of them.

What it's called
Depends entirely on the state. Abstract of Audited Vouchers in New York, Bills List or Bill List in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Warrant Article or Warrant in New England, Claims List or Accounts Payable Approval in the Midwest, Register of Demands in California.
Where it usually comes from
It's already an attachment in the board or council packet: the exhibit the board votes to approve every month. So it's usually with the clerk or board secretary rather than finance, and in most states it's already public the moment the packet is posted.
What matters in it
That it's the itemized page, not the cover motion. One page listing claimants and amounts is worth more to us than the whole packet. If it's a scan, send the scan. We read scans.
05

A contract: first page and the pricing page

                      SOFTWARE LICENSING AGREEMENT
                          CONTRACT No.: 315027

                                BETWEEN

                          CITY OF LYNHAVEN
                          495 S. MAIN STREET
                          LYNHAVEN, NV 89101

                                  AND

                       NORTHVALE SYSTEMS, INC.
                       20855 KENSINGTON BLVD.
                        LAKEHURST, MN 55044

THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into on the date last written below, by
and between Northvale Systems, Inc., a Minnesota corporation (hereinafter
"NORTHVALE"), and City of Lynhaven, a municipal corporation within the State
of Nevada (hereinafter "CLIENT").

                        ─────  EXHIBIT B  ─────
                            PRICING SCHEDULE

Description                                              Units   Unit Price      Annual
Records Platform - Annual Support and Hosting                12   $ 2,343.47   $ 28,121.60
Data Mart License - Client Hosted (1 Data Source)             1   $ 8,420.00   $  8,420.00
Field Module Content Package - Annual Fee                     1  $ 22,441.04   $ 22,441.04
Bi-Directional Exchange - Annual Integration Fee              3   $ 4,150.00   $ 12,450.00
                                                                              ────────────
                                                              TOTAL YEAR ONE   $ 71,432.64

Out of Scope work billed at ................................ $125.00 / hour
Success Coordinator ........................................ 1 hour per week
Onsite Training Sessions ................................... $1,000.00 / day
Travel per Trainer (onsite at CLIENT facility) ............. $1,500.00 / trip
Webinar Training Session (2 hours, M-F) .................... $250.00 / session

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Systems that print something like this

  • Tyler Munis / Enterprise ERPFinancials › Contract Management

Mostly this one is not a report at all. Contracts usually sit in a shared drive, a contracts folder, or the board packet where they were approved. Some agencies keep them in a procurement portal such as Bonfire, OpenGov Procurement or Periscope, which is an equally good place to pull from.

What it's called
Anything at all: Agreement, Service Agreement, Order Form, Master Agreement, Quote, Renewal, Task Order, or a Participating Addendum under a co-op contract. The label matters far less than whether a price appears in it.
Where it usually comes from
A contracts folder, a shared drive, or the board packet where it was approved. Often it's easier to find than a report is to run, because someone already had to file it.
What matters in it
The exhibit with the numbers in it. If you send nothing else, send the pricing page: unit prices, tiers, hourly rates, renewal escalators. Two pages out of an eighty-page agreement is a complete contribution.
06

A link to a page that already has it

https://go.boarddocs.com/xx/alderbrook/Board.nsf/Public
ALDERBROOK BOARD OF EDUCATION Meetings   Policies   Search

Regular Meeting  ·  March 12, 2026  ·  7:00 PM

  • 6. CONSENT AGENDA
  • 6.01 Approval of Minutes
  • 6.02 Approval of Bills and Payroll

Recommended action: approve the attached bills list.

Bills List - March 2026.pdf412 KB

Payroll Summary - March 2026.pdf88 KB

  • 6.03 Approval of Personnel Report
  • 7. ACTION ITEMS

Systems that print something like this

  • BoardDocs (Diligent)go.boarddocs.com/<state>/<agency>/Board.nsf/Public
  • Granicus / Legistar<agency>.legistar.com
  • CivicClerk / CivicPlus<agency>.civicweb.net
  • OpenGov, ClearGov, Socratathe agency’s transparency or open-checkbook page
  • Bonfire, Vendor Registry, BidExpresse-procurement portals carrying bids, RFPs and awards
  • A state databasestate comptroller, DOE or e-procurement site you already file to
  • Your own websitea Purchasing or Bids page that is just a list of PDF links

BoardBook (TASB), Simbli (eBOARDsolutions) and NovusAGENDA work the same way. Tyler Data & Insights is the current name for Socrata, and those portals usually expose a CSV download directly. None of that is required though: a page of plain PDF links is a perfectly good answer, and so is telling us which state system to look you up in.

What it's called
Any of these count. A Purchasing, Bids & RFPs, or Accounts Payable page on your own site. A Transparency, Open Checkbook, or Check Register page. A board packet on BoardDocs, BoardBook, Simbli, Granicus, CivicClerk, or NovusAGENDA. An e-procurement portal such as Bonfire, Vendor Registry, BidExpress, IonWave, or Periscope. Or the state database your agency already reports into.
Where it usually comes from
Usually your own website, and often nothing fancier than a folder of PDF links somebody in the front office keeps updated. Nobody has to produce anything. The clerk, the webmaster, or communications staff can paste the URL in under a minute, and that is a complete answer.
What matters in it
That the link goes to the list, not the homepage. A plain page of PDF links is worth exactly as much to us as a polished portal, so do not skip it because it looks basic. If you are pointing us at a state database, name the database and how your agency appears in it. If the page needs a login, say so. That is useful too, and we will stop trying.

Not needed

Please don't send these.

Not because we'd misuse them, but because they make your job harder and add nothing to ours. If a file is on this list, leaving it out is the right call.

  • W-9s and vendor tax formsThese carry taxpayer ID numbers. We have no use for them.
  • Bank and routing detailsACH forms, wire instructions, void checks, bank statements. Never send these to anyone.
  • Email threads and correspondenceMessage chains with vendors or between offices. Documents we want in as much detail as you have. Conversations about them we do not.
  • Employee reimbursementsTravel, mileage, per-diem, P-card lines tied to a named employee. Not a vendor purchase.

Three ways in

Any one of these. Any format.

Excel, CSV, PDF, Word, a scan, a screenshot, a zip.
Whatever your system prints is what we want. We do the cleanup.

If you'd rather set it and forget it

Send it once a month without thinking about it.

Most offices already email a register to someone on a schedule: a clerk, an auditor, a board secretary. If that's you, one mail rule adds us to the list and you never have to do this again. Stop it any time by deleting the rule, or just reply "stop" and we'll ask you to.

Outlook

  1. Open the message that already carries your monthly register.
  2. Home → Rules → Create Rule → Advanced Options.
  3. Condition: with specific words in the subject, using whatever your report is always called, e.g. Check Register.
  4. Action: forward it to people or public groupcontribute@thedatabranch.com.
  5. Finish. New ones forward automatically; nothing else changes.

Gmail / Google Workspace

  1. Open the message, then ⋮ → Filter messages like these.
  2. Adjust the search so it matches every month, usually just the subject phrase.
  3. Click Create filter.
  4. Tick Forward it to and add contribute@thedatabranch.com. Workspace will ask you to verify the address once.
  5. Create filter. Done.

If your office routes this through IT rather than individual rules, ask them to add contribute@thedatabranch.com as a recipient on the existing distribution. That's usually a two-minute change and it survives staff turnover better than a personal rule does.