Dashboards often hide the source date in a filter chip that vanishes the moment you export PNG or PDF. Reviewers then argue about stale numbers even when the bars are drawn correctly. Treat the source date as part of the export frame.
Keep three elements visible outside interactive chrome: the claim sentence, the scale fairness note, and the source date. The claim belongs near the title, not in a tooltip. The scale note should say whether the axis starts at zero or uses a truncated range. The source date should sit where a still image still shows it—footer of the chart, caption under the figure, or a locked annotation.
Filename habits matter after the meeting. Include an ISO date and a short dataset token, for example revenue-q2-source-2026-07-18.png. That lets search find the exact export without opening every slide. Do not rely on chat history to remember which CSV fed the chart.
Before you publish, run a mute review of the still: cover the sidebar, look only at the exported rectangle, and ask whether a stranger can tell what claim is supported, whether the scale is fair, and when the data was pulled. If any answer needs a hover state, move that text into the export.
DataVizForge is built for chart assembly and clean export. Use annotation and layout guides to lock claim, scale, and source date before you leave the tool. A correct chart that loses its date in export is still an incomplete deliverable.