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- Audit sampling (7)
- Audit Software (17)
- Data Classification (6)
- Data Extraction (12)
- Data Validation (16)
- Data Validation and conversion (1)
- Database (2)
- Database functions (1)
- Error identification (3)
- Excluded Providers (1)
- Validation (3)
- Web Log Analytics (3)
- November 22, 2008: Planned charting software
- November 22, 2008: Release of stand-alone version of Audit Commander (1.61)
- April 22, 2008: Version 1.56 released, as well as articles
- February 23, 2008: Release 1.52 of the XL Audit Commander is available
- November 27, 2007: Version 1.42 released, handles CSV and print files, has help
- October 28, 2007: What's new in version 1.36
- October 5, 2007: XL Audit Commander version 1.32 released
- September 2, 2007: Three articles on audit topics
- June 29, 2007: Establishment of "Auditor's Corner"
- June 3, 2007: A more efficient way to perform audit procedures from within Excel
Planned charting software
November 22, 2008 by Mike.Blakley.
Version 1.62 of Audit Commander will contain charting abilities for histograms, basic population statistics, Benford’s Law, round numbers, day of week statistics, holidays and more. Details are available for viewing as a PDF document.
Posted in Data Classification, Audit Software | No Comments »
Release of stand-alone version of Audit Commander (1.61)
November 22, 2008 by Mike.Blakley.
An open source stand-alone version of Audit Commander (1.61) is now available. This audit software requires either Windows XP or Vista. The download is a “setup exe” which is 32 MB in size. Hence a high speed Internet connection is required to obtain it. Documents which describe its use can also be viewed. The materials presented at the recent IIA/ISACA conference on the topic of “Procurement Fraud” may also be obtained.
Posted in Data Extraction, Database, Audit Software | No Comments »
Version 1.56 released, as well as articles
April 22, 2008 by Mike.Blakley.
Version 1.56 includes faster sorting speeds for files of up to 2 billion rows with sorting by up to 200 columns. Also included is the ability to run XL Audit Commander using either Excel macros or through the Windows Scripting Host. A paper on the topic is available which describes the process. An Excel macro workbook named Macros.xls is included with the installation software. Note that version 1.56 is required in order to run these macros or scripts. The setup program (11.9 MB) is available for download.
Hope to see you at the IIA Fraud Forum in Bonita Springs, FL on May 16th. Topic is the use of digital analysis for the detection of fraud patterns.
Posted in Data Extraction, Data Classification, Audit Software | 2 Comments »
Release 1.52 of the XL Audit Commander is available
February 23, 2008 by Mike.Blakley.
Support is now provided for both comma separated value format files (CSV), as well as “print” files through the use of file specifications. Further information is available. Also, there are now a variety of tutorials available in shockwave format to demonstrate the system in action. Information about system limitations is now available.
Posted in Data Extraction, Error identification, Audit sampling, Data Classification, Audit Software, Data Validation and conversion, Data Validation | 1 Comment »
Version 1.42 released, handles CSV and print files, has help
November 27, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
The latest version, released 11/24/2007, includes support for CSV files and “print” files and also includes a “help” button on the forms screen. Further, there are several examples demonstrating its use: 1) interval sampling, 2) testing Benford’s law in MS-Access database, 3) Data Stratification and 4) Date checking. Other examples and articles have been added.
A demo of the system is available for viewing.
Posted in Data Extraction, Audit sampling, Data Classification, Audit Software | No Comments »
What’s new in version 1.36
October 28, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
Updates
Version 1.34 adds chart results for certain of the audit commands, such as population statistics, weekday analysis, Benford’s Law, etc. These charts are produced in industry standard GIF format and may optionally be saved or stored on the computer for inclusion in reports or used as the basis for editing.
Version 1.34 also includes two additional audit commands used for running a series of command language statements at once. This facilitates performing a series of analytical procedures in a documented and standard manner. The new audit command is called “bc” for batch command, and executes a series of commands on consecutive rows in a worksheet. There are examples provided in the QuickStart workbook at http://ezrstats.com/online/inno/QS.xls.
Software is an Excel addin, which is available for free download.
Posted in Data Extraction, Audit sampling, Audit Software | No Comments »
XL Audit Commander version 1.32 released
October 5, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
The latest version has been upgraded to include the ability to obtain cross-tabulations, test for round numbers, do data extractions and perform calculations. Several mini “Audit Guides” have been released - including “Round Numbers” , “Holiday Date testing“, and “Data Stratification“. There is no charge for the software which can be downloaded and installed using a standard setup.exe. An Operation Guide is available with details, as well as online help.
Posted in Data Extraction, Audit Software | No Comments »
Three articles on audit topics
September 2, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
Today I have posted three “how to” articles which describe tools and techniques for automating audits such as fixed assets, procurement fraud and insurance claims. The articles have accompanying data which can be downloaded.
There is also a new version of software for the desktop, compatible with Excel, which is available at no cost. I welcome any suggestions for additional commands to implement (they should be of general interest, please).
Posted in Audit Software | No Comments »
Establishment of “Auditor’s Corner”
June 29, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
I have established a web page devoted to sharing articles and ideas on IT auditing. Part of it consists of tutorial modules as shown below. Some are VBA classes for use within Excel, others pertain to use of the XL Audit Commander.
| General Audit Topics | ||||
| Module | Description | Approx Length | With Quiz? | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module-1 | Obtaining Basic Population Statistics | 15 minutes | Yes | 06-22-2007 |
| Module-2 | Audit uses for Benford’s Law | 15 minutes | Yes | 06-22-2007 |
| Module-3 | Use of histograms in audits | 15 minutes | Yes | 06-23-2007 |
| Module-4 | SQLite as an Audit Tool | 30 min | No | 06-29-07 |
| Module | Description | Approx Length | With Quiz? | Last Update |
| Module-5 | Beyond the COUNTIF and SUMIF functions | 20 min | No | 06-25-07 |
| Module-6 | A work-around for very large files | 20 min | No | 06-29-07 |
| Module-7 | Identifying duplicates and gaps in large files | 20 min | No | 06-29-07 |
| Module-8 | Sizing up the population - Going to Extremes | 20 min | No | 06-29-07 |
Posted in Data Extraction, Data Classification, Audit Software, Data Validation | No Comments »
A more efficient way to perform audit procedures from within Excel
June 3, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
XL Audit Commander provides a variety of audit tools which can be run from within Excel, all at no cost. An operation guide explains the commands available and the procedures to perform them.The software uses a very minimal portion of your spreadsheet area and can easily be invoked only when needed by pressing Control-E. Download the software to try. Also included is the capability to perform a variety of data extracts for audit tests, and examples are included in a sample workbook for download.
These include such tests as searching for close matches on names, data extraction using conditions, etc. More details.
Posted in Audit Software | No Comments »