You are currently browsing the archives for the Data Validation category.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Apr | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | |||||
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 | No Comments »
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 »
April 29, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
I have received a number of requests for the ability to create charts which show the results of tests of Benford’s law and can be downloaded and included in other documents, such as Word® or Powerpoint®. I have added such capability in the server routines (Main|Benford’s Law). As an option, an output file name can be specified for the chart desired. The resulting chart will then be available for view or download from the URL http://ezrstats.org/chart/FILENAME.PNG where FILENAME.PNG was the name specified for the output. An example of the charts is available for view. Use of the server and routines is available at no charge. I have had quite a number of visitors from both educational institutions as well as government agencies.
Posted in Web Log Analytics, Data Validation | No Comments »
January 14, 2007 by Mike.Blakley.
This example explains how to perform a simple, yet effective, test to determine if a data range in Excel conforms with that expected under Benford’s law. The example data used is that provided in the Excel data sheet provided in the 26th annual report to Congress. This is an audit test that should take no more than a few minutes, yet provides a good test of fit for the numbers in the range, and potentially an easy test for possible fraud or made-up data. The step-by-step procedure is detailed. The example provided is the test of the first digit. Further tests of Benford’s law, such as the first 2 or 3 digits, the last 1 or 2 digits or the second digit, can be performed using EZ-R Stats for Windows (no cost). For the curious, there is an Excel workbook with all the formulae…
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
November 21, 2006 by Mike.Blakley.
Documentation showing how to use the open source SQLite database to perform common audit functions. View.
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
November 21, 2006 by Mike.Blakley.
Documentation showing techniques used to identify duplicate payments. View document.
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
November 21, 2006 by Mike.Blakley.
Documentation showing audit techniques for the application of Benford’s Law.
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
November 21, 2006 by Mike.Blakley.
Documentation showing audit techniques for the commonly used Internal Audit software functions. View document.
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
November 21, 2006 by Mike.Blakley.
Techniques to convert data from a variety of sources (e.g. Excel, MS-Access, database ODBC, text files, etc. into the industry standard tab separated value format. Once data has been converted into this format, it may then be loaded into databases such as SQLite, MySQL, and is also in the proper format for data analysis using software packages such as EZ-R Stats for Windows and other software packages. View PDF
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
November 20, 2006 by Mike.Blakley.
Proc BENFORD is a command language procedure (and GUI) to test the conformity of a distribution with Benford’s law. The results of this audit test are assessed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov in order to provide a measure of the degree of fit between observed data and expected data. View examples.
Posted in Data Validation | No Comments »
