Write the claim before opening charts
Start with a question that a metric can answer: how much capital is deposited, how much trading occurred, or what fees users paid? DefiLlama defines these separately; its revenue figure is the portion of fees retained after payments to suppliers.
A simple comparison sheet can give each claim a metric, unit, period and chain coverage. Two numbers are comparable only after those fields match.
TVL can rise without new deposits
Suppose a protocol holds 1,000 units of an asset. At $2 each, its TVL is $2,000; at $3, it is $3,000 even if nobody deposits. In this hypothetical example, the 50% increase comes entirely from price.
DefiLlama's USD inflows metric separates balance changes from this price effect. Check inflows or token balances before describing a TVL increase as new capital arriving.
Check what the total excludes
DefiLlama documents exclusions and counting rules: it avoids counting a receipt token again within the same protocol, and bridge totals do not contribute to a chain's TVL. Those choices affect comparisons.
Record the dashboard settings and inspect the relevant adapter when a number is surprising. A total measured with different scope cannot settle an argument about which protocol attracted more deposits.
Follow the chart back to its query
Dune's Query Lineage view maps the tables, views and nested queries behind a query. It lets you open those dependencies; the documented graph stops at the first level for views.
Use it to identify the chains and contracts included. Then check the date filter, unit conversion and any joins that might repeat rows. The chart's label alone cannot show how its number was assembled.
Keep calculation time beside observation time
Dune warns that less frequently viewed dashboards may show older results; scheduled runs can refresh their underlying queries. Its version history also lets you compare changes to query logic.
Save the query URL, parameters, covered dates and execution time with your conclusion. If two dashboards disagree, first align those details. Report any remaining difference as unresolved until you can explain it; selecting the larger figure does not resolve the evidence.