Sales Tax Compliance and Data File Naming Conventions

At TaxConnex, we believe that sales tax compliance is more art than science.

When we say this, we are referring to the fact that sales tax cannot be fully automated due to the abundance of “gray” areas that require real-time decision making by a human. This sets TaxConnex apart from other technology-centric sales tax compliance vendors.

We believe technology is a necessary component, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Other necessary pieces to the puzzle include experienced sales tax professionals with the capability and ability to make decisions on the fly, and processes to ensure the workflow is completed properly each month.

As part of this workflow is the data that begins the monthly compliance process.

We encourage clients to introduce consistent naming conventions for their data files so they and others can find the data they need and understand what each file contains.

This may seem trivial, but come audit time or if you experience turnover in the organization this little trick will be very useful. You should include sufficient information in file names to identify the data contained in the file:

• Consider using date, type of data (sales tax or use tax), source of the data, version numbers, conditions, and other such descriptive detail in the file name. 
• Try not to make the file names too long however as long file names do not work with all types of software.
• Avoid using spaces and special characters in the file name. 
• Use specific directory structures that are organized according to their purpose and who will be accessing them to store your files.

Consistency in naming your data files won’t address the entire sales tax compliance quagmire but it will eliminate some confusion along the way.