1. Data Analysis Tools
Session 10

2. Data Analysis Tools
Generalised Audit Software
SQL and SQL-based tools
Microsoft Access
Other tools

3. Generalised Audit Software
Readymade software packages for auditors for use in different environments
Leading packages
IDEA (Interactive Data Extraction and Analysis)
ACL (Audit Command Language)
Other tools
Prospector
CA- Panaudit Plus

4. Generalised Audit Software – Functionality
Sampling
Sequence Checking
Duplicates and Gap Detection
Totalling
Stratification
Ageing
File Comparison
Exception Reporting
Recalculation and Computations
Import/export data from/to different formats

5. SQL and SQL-based Tools
SQL (Structured Query Language)
Standard language for data definition and manipulation on RDBMS
User-friendly SQL tools with GUI/ drag and drop interface
SQL queries can be run
Either directly on the auditee’s RDBMS
Or using MS Access etc. as front-end tool

6. Non-procedure oriented language
SQL Tools - Benefits
Non-procedure oriented language
SQL standard adhered to by all RDBMS products
Auditor can run the same SQL queries on all RDBMS platforms
Provides greater flexibility
Looking at data in a variety of ways to get “lay of the land”
Freedom to go back to database as required

7. Running SQL Queries on Auditee System – Issues
SQL is extremely powerful
Single statement can process millions of records
Potential for performance disruption, and inadvertent alteration/deletion of data
Running SQL queries on downloaded data – preferred choice

8. SQL Select Statement
SELECT Product_Code, Product_Description, Product_Rate, Product_Quantity FROM Products WHERE Product_Rate > 10

9. SQL Select Statement – Options/ Clauses
JOINS – for different tables
Calculated fields
ORDER BY clause for sorting
WHERE clause with multiple conditions
Summary values using GROUP BY and HAVING clauses
Combining SQL statements using UNION clause or through nesting
Built-in and user defined functions/ procedures

10. Part of Microsoft Office Professional – an office automation suite
Microsoft Access
Part of Microsoft Office Professional – an office automation suite
Useful as a querying tool
For smaller relational databases
Export data from RDBMS
Import into MS Access
Queries using Query Designer/Wizards

11. Microsoft Access (Contd.)
For larger databases
Performance suffers
Two options
Migrate auditee databases into auditor’s RDBMS product; use MS Access as front-end
Break up database into smaller Access databases; use links

12. Other Tools - Spreadsheets
MS Excel / Lotus etc.
Basic querying features
Excellent features for graphs and charts