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Data Analytics For Accounting: Vernon J. Richardson
Data Analytics For Accounting: Vernon J. Richardson
Confirming Pages
Vernon J. Richardson
University of Arkansas,
Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University
Ryan A. Teeter
University of Pittsburgh
Katie L. Terrell
University of Arkansas
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Dedications
My wonderful eldest daughter, Alison.
—Vernon Richardson
iii
Preface
Data Analytics is changing the business world—data simply surrounds us! With so much data
available about each of us (i.e., how we shop, what we read, what we buy, what music we listen
to, where we travel, whom we trust, etc.), arguably, there is the potential for analyzing those
data in a way that can answer fundamental business and accounting questions and create value.
According to the results of 18th Annual Global CEO Survey conducted by PwC, many
CEOs put a high value on Data Analytics, and 80 percent of them place data mining and
analysis as the second-most important strategic technology for CEOs. In fact, per PwC’s
6th Annual Digital IQ survey of more than 1,400 leaders from digital businesses, the area of
investment that tops CEOs’ list of priorities is business analytics.1
This text addresses what we believe will be a similar impact of Data Analytics on
accounting and auditing. For example, we argue that Data Analytics will play an increasingly
critical role in the future of audit. In a recent Forbes Insights/KPMG report, “Audit 2020:
A Focus on Change,” the vast majority of survey respondents believe:
No longer will auditors simply check for errors, misstated accounts, fraud, and risk in the
financial statements or merely report their findings at the end of the audit. Through the use
of Data Analytics, audit professionals will collect and analyze the company’s data similar
to the way a business analyst would help management make better business decisions. In
our text, we emphasize audit data analytics and all the testing that can be done to perform
audit testing.
Data Analytics also potentially has an impact on financial reporting. With the use of
so many estimates and valuations in financial accounting, some believe that employing
Data Analytics may substantially improve the quality of the estimates and valuations.
Likewise, the use of XBRL data gives accountants access to more timely and more extensive
accounting data for financial analysis.
This text recognizes that accountants don’t need to become data scientists—they may never
need to build a data repository or do the real hard-core Data Analytics or machine learning.
However, we do emphasize seven skills that we believe analytic-minded accountants should have:
1
PwC, “Data Driven: What Students Need to Succeed in a Rapidly Changing Business World,” https://
www.pwc.com/us/en/faculty-resource/assets/pwc-data-driven-paper-feb2015.pdf posted February
2015, extracted December 14, 2017.
iv
Preface
Consistent with these skills we desire in all accountants, we recognize that Data Analytics
is a process. The process begins by identifying business questions that can be addressed
with data and then testing the data, refining our testing, and finally, communicating those
findings to management. We describe our Data Analytics process by using an established
data analytics model called the IMPACT cycle, by Isson and Harriott:2
Adapted from Win with Advanced Business Analytics: Creating Business Value from Your Data,
by Jean Paul Isson and Jesse S. Harriott.
We describe the IMPACT cycle in the first four chapters and then illustrate the process
in audit, managerial accounting, and financial reporting in the final four chapters.
We also emphasize hands-on practice. Students will be provided hands-on learning
(click-by-click instructions, screenshots, etc.) on datasets within the chapter; within the end-
of-chapter materials; and in the four to eight hands-on labs at the end of each chapter, where
students identify questions, download data, perform testing, and then communicate the
results of that testing. We highlight the use of real-world data from LendingClub, College
Scorecard, Dillard’s, the State of Oklahoma, as well as other data from our labs.
We also emphasize the tools students will use. In this text, we emphasize data analysis using
Excel, Access (including SQL), Tableau (free student license), IDEA (free student license),
and Weka (free student license). Students will compare and contrast the different tools to
determine which one is best suited for the necessary data analysis, data visualization, and
communication of the insights gained—for example, which tool is easiest for internal controls
testing, which is best for big datasets or big SQL queries, and so on.
Katie L. Terrell is an instructor in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University
of Arkansas. She received her BA degrees in English literature and in the Spanish language
from the University of Central Arkansas and her MBA from the University of Arkansas. She
expects a doctoral degree by 2019. She has taught students at the University of Arkansas;
Soochow University (Suzhou, China); the University College Dublin (Ireland); and Duoc
UC, a branch of the Catholic University of Chile (Viña del Mar, Chile).
She is a member of the American Accounting Association and has published a Statement
on Management Accounting for the Institute of Management Accountants on managing
organizational change in operational change initiatives. She has recently been recognized
for her innovative teaching by being the recipient of the Mark Chain/FSA Teaching Award
for innovative graduate-level accounting teaching practices in 2016. She has worked with
Tyson Foods, where she held various information system roles, focusing on business
analysis, project management for ERP implementations and upgrades, and organizational
change management.
vi
Acknowledgments
Our sincere thanks to all who helped us on this project.
Our biggest thanks to the awesome team at McGraw-Hill Education, including Steve
Schuetz, Tim Vertovec, Allie Kukla, Fran Simon, Kevin Moran, and Shawntel Schmitt.
Our thanks also to each of the following:
The Walton College Enterprise Team (Paul Cronan, Ron Freeze, Michael Gibbs,
Michael Martz, Tanya Russell) for their work helping us get access to the Dillard’s data.
Lucas Hoogduin from KPMG for reviewing the textbook and providing comments.
Shane Lunceford from LendingClub for helping gain access to LendingClub data.
Julie Peters from PwC for her support and feedback on this project.
Ali Saeedi of University of Minnesota Crookston, for his accuracy check and review of
the manuscript.
In addition, the following reviewers and classroom testers who provided ideas and
insights for this edition. We appreciate their contributions.
Vernon Richardson
Ryan Teeter
Katie Terrell
vii
Key Features
• Emphasis on Skills: Working through the IMPACT cycle framework, students
will learn problem assessment, data preparation, data analysis, data visualization,
control contesting, and more.
• Emphasis on Hands-On Practice: Students will be provided hands-on learning (click-
by-click instructions with screenshots) on datasets within each chapter, within the
end-of-chapter materials, and in the labs and comprehensive cases.
• Emphasis on Datasets: To illustrate data analysis techniques and skills, multiple
practice datasets (audit, financial, and managerial data) will be used in every
chapter. Students gain real-world experience working with data from LendingClub,
Dillard’s, College Scorecard, the State of Oklahoma, as well as financial statement
data (via XBRL) from Fortune 100 companies.
• Emphasis on Tools: Students will learn how to conduct data analysis using Excel
Access (including SQL), Tableau (free student license), IDEA (free student
license), and Weka (free student license). Students will compare and contrast the
different tools to determine which are best suited for basic data analysis and data
visualization, which are easiest for internal controls testing, which are best for SQL
queries, and so on.
viii
Chapter Maps
These maps provide a guide of what
we’re going to cover in the chapter
Chapter 2
as well as a guide of what we’ve just Data Preparation and Cleaning
learned and what’s coming next.
Chapter-Opening Vignettes
Because companies are facing the new
and exciting opportunities with their
A Look at This Chapter
use of Data Analytics to help with This chapter provides an overview of the types of data that are used in the accounting cycle and common data that
accounting and business decisions, we are stored in a relational database. The chapter addresses mastering the data, the second step of the IMPACT cycle.
We will describe how data are requested and extracted to answer business questions and how to transform data for use
detail what they’re doing and why in our via data preparation, validation, and cleaning. We conclude with an explanation of how to load data into the appropri-
ate tool in preparation for analyzing data to make decisions.
chapter-opening vignettes. Confirming Pages
A Look Back
Chapter 1 defined Data Analytics and explained that the value of Data Analytics is in the insights it provides. We
described the Data Analytic Process using the IMPACT cycle model and explained how this process is used to
address both business and accounting questions. We specifically emphasized the importance of identifying appropri-
ate questions that data analytics might be able to address.
We are lucky to live in a world in which data are abundant.
However, even with rich sources of data, when it comes to being
able to analyze data and turn them into useful information and A Look Ahead
insights, very rarely can an analyst hop right into a dataset and
begin analyzing. Datasets almost always need to be cleaned Chapter 3 describes how to go from defining business problems to analyzing data, answering questions, and address-
and validated before they can be used. Not knowing how to ing business problems. We make the case for three data approaches we argue are most relevant to accountants and
clean and validate data can, at best, lead to frustration and poor
insights and, at worst, lead to horrible security violations. While
provide examples of each.
this text takes advantage of open source datasets, these datas-
ets have all been scrubbed not only for accuracy, but also to pro-
tect the security and privacy of any individual or company whose
Shutterstock / Wichy
details were in the original dataset.
In 2015, a pair of researchers named Emil Kirkegaard and
Julius Daugbejerg Bjerrekaer scraped data from OkCupid, a free dating website, and provided the data onto the
“Open Science Framework,” a platform researchers use to obtain and share raw data. While the aim of the Open
Science Framework is to increase transparency, the researchers in this instance took that a step too far—and a step
into illegal territory. Kirkegaard and Bjerrekaer did not obtain permission from OkCupid or from the 70,000 OkCupid
users whose identities, ages, genders, religions, personality traits, and other personal details maintained by the dat-
ing site were provided to the public without any work being done to anonymize or sanitize the data. If the researchers
had taken the time to not just validate that the data were complete but also to sanitize them to protect the individuals’
identities, this would not have been a threat or a news story. On May 13, 2015, the Open Science Framework removed
the OkCupid data from the platform, but the damage of the privacy breach had already been done.1 38
OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
ric75196_ch02_038-091.indd 38
Learning Objectives 02/19/18 03:55 PM
Progress Checks
October 31, 2016).
39 PROGRESS CHECK
1. Referring to Exhibit 2-1, locate the relationship between the Employee and
Periodic progress check questions are posed to Purchase Order tables. What is the unique identifier of each table? (The unique
ric75196_ch02_038-091.indd 39 02/19/18 03:55 PM
identifier attribute is called the primary key—more on how it’s determined in
the students throughout each chapter. These the next learning objective.) Which table contains the attribute that creates the
checks provoke the student to stop and con- relationship? (This attribute is called the foreign key—more on how it’s deter-
mined in the next learning objective.)
sider the concepts presented. 2. Referring to Exhibit 2-1, review the attributes in the Suppliers table. There is a
foreign key in this table that doesn’t relate to any of the tables in the diagram.
Which table do you think it is? What type of data would be stored in that table?
ix
DATA DICTIONARIES
In the previous section, you learned about how data are stored by focusing on the procure-
to-pay database schema. Viewing schemas and processes in isolation clarifies each indi-
vidual process, but it can also distort reality—these schemas do not represent their own
separate databases. Rather, each process-specific database schema is a piece of a greater
whole, all combining to form one integrated database.
ric75196_fm_i-xxi.indd ix As you can imagine, once these processes come together to be supported
03/26/18 in one
10:32 data-
AM
base, the amount of data can be massive. Understanding the processes and the basics of
flat file (41) A means of storing data in one place, such as in an Excel spreadsheet, as opposed to stor-
Rev. Confirming Pages
ing the data in multiple tables, such as in a relational database.
foreign key (42) An attribute that exists in relational databases in order to carry out the relationship
between two tables. This does not serve as the “unique identifier” for each record in a table. These must be
identified when mastering the data from a relational database in order to extract the data correctly from
more than one table.
mastering the data (40) The second step in the IMPACT cycle; it involves identifying and obtaining
the data needed for solving the data analysis problem, as well as cleaning and preparing the data for analysis.
End-of-Chapter Materials
primary key (41) An attribute that is required to exist in each table of a relational database and serves
as the “unique identifier” for each record in a table.
relational database (41) A means of storing data in order to ensure that the data are complete, not
redundant, and to help enforce business rules. Relational databases also aid in communication and integra-
tion of business processes across an organization.
Confirming
ric75196_ch02_038-091.indd 52 02/19/18
Problems Problems
The following problems correspond to the College Scorecard data. You shou
Challenge the student’s ability to see relation- to answer each question by just looking at the data dictionary (College
ships in the learning objectives by employing DataDictionary.pdf) included in Appendix A, but if you would like to use the ra
higher-level thinking and analytical skills. free to do so (CollegeScorecard_RawData.txt).
1. Which attributes from the College Scorecard data would you need to comp
attendance across types of institutions (public, private non-profit, or private
2. Which attributes from the College Scorecard data would you need to co
scores across types of institutions (public, private non-profit, or private for-p
3. Which attributes from the College Scorecard data would you need to compa
diversity across types of institutions (public, private non-profit, or private for
4. Which attributes from the College Scorecard data would you need toConfirm compa
tion rate across types of institutions (public, private non-profit, or private for
5. Which attributes from the College Scorecard data would you need to comp
centage of students who receive federal loans at universities above and below
cost of attendance across all institutions (public, private non-profit, or private f
6. Which attributes from the College Scorecard data would you need to determ
ent regions of the country have significantly different costs of attendance?
Lab 2-1 Create
7. Useathe
Request fordata
Data Extraction
Labs College Scorecard to determine if different regions of the country
icantly different costs of attendance (same as Problem 6 above) and fill out a d
form in order to extract the appropriate data. Use the template from the chapte
One of the biggest challenges you face with data analysis is getting the right data. You
Give students hands-on experience working with may have the best questions 8. If you were analyzing the levels of diversity across public and private institu
in the world, but if there are no data available to support your
different types of data and the tools used to ana- the College Scorecard data, how would you define diversity in terms of th
hypothesis, you will have difficulty providing value. Additionally, there are instances in
vided? Would it be beneficial to combine fields?
lyze them. Students will conduct data analysis which the IT workers may be reluctant to share data with you. They may send incomplete
9. If you were conducting a data analysis in order to compare the percent
using Excel, Access (including SQL), Tableau, data, the wrong data, or completely ignore your request. Be persistent, and you may have to
dents who receive federal loans at universities above and below the m
look for creative ways to find insight with an incomplete picture.
IDEA, XBRL, and Weka. of attendance across all institutions, you would be conducting several st
analysis. What question needs to be answered first in order to complete th
Company summary
Come up with a test plan to address the subsequent questions.
Sláinte is a fictional brewery that has recently gone through big changes. Sláinte sells six dif-
ferent
54
products. The brewery has only recently expanded its business to distributing from one
state to nine states, and now its business has begun stabilizing after the expansion. With that
stability comes a need for better analysis. You have been hired by Sláinte to help manage- Confirm
ment better understand the company’s sales data and provide input for its strategic decisions.
Data
•ric75196_ch02_038-091.indd 54
Data request form 0
• Sláinte dataset
With Connect for Data Analytics in Accounting, your students receive proven study tools
and hands-on assignment materials as well as an adaptive eBook. All of the following
assets are assignable in Connect.
SmartBook: SmartBook provides adaptive reading assignments that require students to
answer questions; it then provides feedback to direct a student learning and ensure mastery
of concepts.
Orientation Videos: Video-based tutorial assignments are designed to train students via an
overview video followed by a quiz for each of the assignment types they will find in Connect.
Multiple Choice Questions: The multiple choice questions from the end-of-chapter materials
are assignable in Connect, providing students with instant feedback on their answers.
Test Bank: The test bank includes auto-graded multiple choice and true/false assessment
questions. It is available in Connect and TestGen.
Problems: Select problems from the text are available for assignment in Connect to ensure
students are building an analytical skill set.
xii
Labs: Select labs are assignable in Connect but will require students to work outside of
Connect to complete the lab. Once completed, students go back into Connect to answer
questions designed to ensure they completed the lab and understood the key skills and
outcomes from their lab work.
Comprehensive Cases: Select comprehensive labs/cases are assignable in Connect but will
require students to work outside of Connect to complete the lab using the Dillard’s real-world
Big Data set. Once students complete the comprehensive lab, they will go back into Connect
to answer questions designed to ensure they completed the lab and understood the key skills
and outcomes from their lab work.
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www.mheducation.com/connect
GLOSSARY 326
INDEX 330
xvi
Detailed TOC
Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Data Analytics in Accounting and Business 2 Data Preparation and Cleaning 38
A Look at This Chapter 2 A Look at This Chapter 38
A Look Ahead 2 A Look Back 38
Data Analytics 4 A Look Ahead 38
How Data Analytics Affects Business 4 How Data Are Used and Stored in the Accounting
How Data Analytics Affects Accounting 5 Cycle 40
Auditing 5 Data And Relationships in a Relational
Financial Reporting 6 Database 41
Taxes 7 Columns in a Table: Primary Keys, Foreign Keys, and
The Data Analytics Process Using the IMPACT Descriptive Attributes 41
Cycle 8 Data Dictionaries 43
Step 1: Identify the Question (chapter 1) 8 Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL) of
Step 2: Master the Data (chapter 2) 8 Data 44
Step 3: Perform Test Plan (chapter 3) 9 Extraction 44
Step 4: Address and Refine Results (chapter 4) 11 Step 1: Determine the Purpose and Scope of the Data
Steps 5 and 6: Communicate Insights and Track Request 45
Outcomes (chapter 4 and each chapter thereafter) 11 Step 2: Obtain the Data 45
Back to Step 1 12 Transformation 48
Data Analytic Skills Needed by Analytic-Minded Step 3: Validating the Data for Completeness and
Accountants 12 Integrity 48
Hands-On Example of the IMPACT Model 13 Step 4: Cleaning the Data 49
Identify the Question 13 Loading 50
Master the Data 13 Step 5: Loading the Data for Data Analysis 50
Perform Test Plan 15 Summary 50
Address and Refine Results 17 Key Words 51
Communicate Insights 19 Answers to Progress Checks 51
Track Outcomes 19 Multiple Choice Questions 52
Summary 20 Discussion Questions 53
Key Words 20 Problems 54
Answers to Progress Checks 21 Appendix A: College Scorecard Dataset 55
Multiple Choice Questions 23 Answers to Multiple Choice Questions 55
Discussion Questions 24 Lab 2-1 Create a Request for Data Extraction 57
Problems 24 Lab 2-2 Use PivotTables to Denormalize and
Answers to Multiple Choice Questions 26 Analyze the Data 59
Lab 1-0 How to Complete Labs in This Lab 2-3 Resolve Common Data Problems in
Text 27 Excel and Access 67
Lab 1-1 Data Analytics in Financial Lab 2-4 Generate Summary Statistics in
Accounting 28 Excel 71
Lab 1-2 Data Analytics in Managerial Lab 2-5 College Scorecard Extraction and Data
Accounting 31 Preparation 73
Lab 1-3 Data Analytics in Auditing 33 Lab 2-6 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store
Lab 1-4 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store Data: How to Create an Entity-
Data 34 Relationship Diagram 74
xvii
Lab 2-7 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store Lab 3-4 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store
Data: How to Preview Data from Tables Data: Data Abstract (SQL) and
in a Query 77 Regression (Part I) 125
Lab 2-8 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store Lab 3-5 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store
Data: Connecting Excel to a SQL Data: Data Abstract (SQL) and
Database 80 Regression (Part II) 134
Lab 2-9 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store
Data: Joining Tables 89 Chapter 4
Visualization: Using Visualizations and Summaries to
Chapter 3 Share Results with Stakeholders 138
Modeling and Evaluation: Going from Defining
A Look at This Chapter 138
Business Problems and Data Understanding to
A Look Back 138
Analyzing Data and Answering Questions 92
A Look Ahead 138
A Look at This Chapter 92 Determine the Purpose of Your Data
A Look Back 92 Visualization 140
A Look Ahead 92 Quadrants 1 and 3 versus Quadrants 2 and 4:
Performing the Test Plan: Defining Data Analytics Qualitative versus Quantitative 141
Approaches 94 Quadrants 1 and 2 versus Quadrants 3 and 4:
Profiling 98 Declarative versus Exploratory 143
Example of Profiling in Management Accounting 99 Choosing the Right Chart 144
Example of Profiling in an Internal Audit 99 Charts Appropriate for Qualitative Data 144
Example of Profiling in Auditing and Continuous Charts Appropriate for Quantitative Data 146
Auditing 100 Tools to Help When Picking a Visual 148
Data Reduction 101 Learning to Create a Good Chart by (Bad) Example 150
Example of Data Reduction in Internal and External Further Refining Your Chart to Communicate
Auditing 101 Better 155
Examples of Data Reduction in Other Accounting Data Scale and Increments 156
Areas 102 Color 156
Regression 102 Communication: More Than Visuals—Using Words
Examples of the Regression Approach in Managerial to Provide Insights 157
Accounting 103 Content and Organization 157
Examples of the Regression Approach in Auditing 103 Audience and Tone 158
Other Examples of the Regression and Classification Revising 158
Approach in Accounting 104 Summary 159
Classification 104 Key Words 159
Classification Terminology 104 Answers to Progress Checks 160
Evaluating Classifiers 106 Multiple Choice Questions 161
Clustering 107 Discussion Questions 162
Example of the Clustering Approach in Auditing 108 Problems 163
Summary 109 Answers to Multiple Choice Questions 163
Key Words 110 Lab 4-1 Use PivotCharts to Visualize Declarative
Answers to Progress Checks 111 Data 164
Multiple Choice Questions 111 Lab 4-2 Use Tableau to Perform Exploratory
Discussion Questions 113 Analysis and Create Dashboards 166
Problems 113 Lab 4-3 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s
Answers to Multiple Choice Questions 114 Store Data: Create Geographic Data
Appendix: Setting Up a Classification Analysis 114 Visualizations in Tableau 175
Lab 3-1 Data Reduction 116 Lab 4-4 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store
Lab 3-2 Regression in Excel 120 Data: Visualizing Regression in
Lab 3-3 Classification 122 Tableau 186
Detailed TOC
xx Detailed TOC
Lab 7-3 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store The Use of Sparklines and Trendlines in
Data: Creating KPIs in Excel (Part I) 273 Ratio Analysis 306
Lab 7-4 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store Text Mining and Sentiment Analysis 307
Data: Creating KPIs in Excel Summary 309
(Part II) 279 Key Words 309
Lab 7-5 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store Answers to Progress Checks 310
Data: Creating KPIs in Excel Multiple Choice Questions 310
(Part III) 287 Discussion Questions 312
Lab 7-6 Comprehensive Case: Dillard’s Store Problems 312
Data: Creating KPIs in Excel Answers to Multiple Choice Questions 313
(Part IV—Putting It All Together) 295 Lab 8-1 Use XBRLAnalyst to Access XBRL
Data 314
Chapter 8 Lab 8-2 Use XBRLAnalyst to Create Dynamic
Financial Statement Analytics 300 Common-Size Financial Statements 317
Lab 8-3 Use XBRL to Access and Analyze
A Look at This Chapter 300
Financial Statement Ratios—The Use of
A Look Back 300
DuPont Ratios 320
XBRL 302
Lab 8-4 Use SQL to Query an XBRL
Extensible Reporting in XBRL and Standardized
Database 323
Metrics 303
XBRL, XBRL-GL, and Real-Time Financial
Reporting 303 GLOSSARY 326
Ratio Analysis 305
Classes of Ratios 305
INDEX 330
DuPont Ratio Analysis 306
Chapter 5
The Modern Audit
and Continuous Auditing
A Look Back
Chapter 4 completed our discussion of the IMPACT model by explaining how to communicate your results through
data visualization and through written reports. We discussed how to choose the best chart for your dataset and your
purpose. We also helped you learn how to refine your chart so that it communicates as efficiently and effectively as
possible. The chapter wrapped up by describing how to provide a written report tailored to specific audiences who
will be interested in the results of your data analysis project.
A Look Ahead
In chapter 6, you will learn how to use audit software to perform substantive audit tests, including when and how to
select samples and how to confirm account balances. Specifically, we discuss the use of different types of descriptive,
diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics as they are used to generate computer-assisted auditing techniques.
190
The large public accounting firms offer a variety of analytical tools to their customers. Take PwC’s Halo, for example.
This tool allows auditors to interrogate a client’s data and identify patterns and relationships within the data in a user-
friendly dashboard. By mapping the data, auditors and managers can identify inefficiencies in business processes,
discover areas of risk exposure, and correct data quality issues by drilling down into the individual users, dates and
times, and amounts of the entries. Tools like Halo allow auditors to develop their audit plan by narrowing their focus
and audit scope to unusual and infrequent issues that represent high audit risk.
©Shutterstock/Nonwarit
EXHIBIT 5-1
Source: http://halo.pwc.com
OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
191
or another manager, these individuals build teams to develop and implement analytical
techniques to aid the following audits:
1. Process efficiency and effectiveness.
2. Governance, risk, and compliance, including internal controls effectiveness.
3. Information technology and information systems audits.
4. Forensic audits in the case of fraud.
5. Support for the financial statement audit.
Internal auditors are also more likely to have working knowledge of the various enter-
prise resource planning systems that are in use at their companies. They are familiar with
how the general journals from a product like JD Edwards actually reconcile to the general
ledger in SAP. Because implementation of these systems varies across organizations (and
even within organizations), internal auditors can understand how analytics are not simply a
one-size-fits-all type of strategy.
PROGRESS CHECK
How do auditors use Data Analytics in their audit testing?
Make the case for why an internal audit is increasingly important in the modern
audit. Why is it also important for external auditors and the scope of their work?
Translator
Data
Warehouse
Data
Audit
Warehouse
Program
Audit
Program
The current set of audit data standards defines the following standards:
• The Base Standard defines the format for files and fields as well as some master data for
users and business units.
• The General Ledger Standard adds the chart of accounts, source listings, trial balance,
and GL (journal entry) detail.
• The Order to Cash Subledger Standard focuses on sales orders, accounts receivable, ship-
ments, invoices, cash receipts and adjustments to accounts, shown in Exhibit 5-3.
EXHIBIT 5-3
Audit Data Standards
The audit data
standards define
common elements
needed to audit the
order-to-cash or sales
process.
Source: https://www.aicpa
.org/InterestAreas/FRC/
AssuranceAdvisoryServices/
DownloadableDocuments/
AuditDataStandards/
AuditDataStandards.O2C.
July2015.pdf
PROGRESS CHECK
Continuous auditing is a process that provides real-time assurance over business pro-
cesses and systems. It involves the application of rules or analytics that perform a continu-
ous monitoring function that constantly evaluates internal controls and transactions. It also
generates continuous reporting on the status of the system so that an auditor can know at
any given time whether the system is operating within the parameters set by management
or not.
Implementing continuous auditing procedures is similar to automating an audit plan with
the additional step of scheduling the automated procedures to match the timing and fre-
quency of the data being evaluated and notifying the auditor when exceptions occur.
PROGRESS CHECK
Summary
As auditing has evolved over the past few decades, Data Analytics has driven many of the
changes. The ability to increase coverage of the audit using data has made it less likely that
key elements are missed. Data Analytics has improved auditors’ ability to assess risk, inform
their opinions, and improve assurance over the processes and controls in their organizations.
Key Words
audit data standards (ADSs) (193) The audit data standards define common tables and fields that
are needed by auditors to perform common audit tasks. The AICPA developed these standards.
data warehouse (193) A data warehouse is a repository of data accumulated from internal and exter-
nal data sources, including financial data, to help management decision making.
flat file (193) A flat file is a single table of data with user-defined attributes that is stored separately
from any application.
homogeneous systems approach (193) Homogeneous systems represent one single installation or
instance of a system. It would be considered the opposite of a heterogeneous system.
heterogeneous systems approach (193) Heterogeneous systems represent multiple installations or
instances of a system. It would be considered the opposite of a homogeneous system.
production or live systems (193) Production (or live systems) are those active systems that collect
and report and are directly affected by current transactions.
systems translator software (193) Systems translator software maps the various tables and fields
from varied ERP systems into a consistent format.
199
5. Which of the following defines the time period, the level of materiality, and the expected
time for an audit?
a. Audit scope
b. Potential risk
c. Methodology
d. Procedures and specific tasks
6. All of the following may serve as standards for the audit methodology except:
a. PCAOB’s auditing standards
b. COSO’s ERM framework
c. ISACA’s COBIT framework
d. FASB’s accounting standards
7. When there is an alarm in a continuous audit, but it is associated with a normal event,
we would call that a:
a. False negative.
b. True negative.
c. True positive.
d. False positive.
200
Discussion Questions
Problems
201
4. Simple to complex Data Analytics can be applied to a client’s data during the planning
stage of the audit to identify which areas the auditor should focus on. Which types of
techniques or tests might be used in this stage?
5. What approach should a company make if its continuous audit system has too many
alarms that are false positives? How would that approach change if there are too many
missed abnormal events (such as false negatives)?
6. Implementing continuous auditing procedures is similar to automating an audit plan
with the additional step of scheduling the automated procedures to match the timing
and frequency of the data being evaluated and the notification to the auditor when
exceptions occur. In your opinion, will the traditional audit be replaced by continuous
auditing?
202
Company summary
You have rotated into the internal audit department at a mid-sized manufacturing company.
Your team is still using company e-mail to send evidence back and forth, usually in the form of
documents and spreadsheets. There is a lot of duplication of these files, and no one is quite sure
which version is the latest. You see an opportunity to streamline this process using OneDrive.
Technique
• Gather documents, explore document history and revisions
Software needed
• A modern web browser
In this lab, you will:
Part 1: Create a shared folder.
Part 2: Upload files.
Part 3: Review revisions.
203
End of Lab
204
Technique
• Review the audit plan, look for procedures involving data, and identify the locations of
the data.
Software needed
• A modern web browser
Q1. Read the first audit action sheet. What other data elements that are not listed in
the procedures do you think would be useful in analyzing this account?
205
Technique
• Review the audit plan, identify procedures that must be completed manually, and identify
those that can be automated and scheduled.
• Also determine when the procedures should occur.
Software needed
• A modern web browser
3. For each element and rule, determine whether it requires manual review or can be
performed automatically and alter auditors when exceptions occur. Add either “Auto”
or “Manual” to that column.
4. Finally, determine how frequently the data should be evaluated. Indicate “Daily,”
“Weekly,” “Monthly,” “Annually,” or “During Audit.” Think about when the data are
being generated. For example, transactions occur every day, but new employees are
added every few months.
5. Take a screenshot (label it 5-4A).
6. Save and close your file.
End of Lab