Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2015 | Page 18

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

A small business would not usually have more than 2,000 fixed assets.
Likewise, a company having more than 1,000 credit card transactions
a day would probably not be considered a small business.

An added ACL benefit to fraud examiners is the “ScriptHub”.
The ScriptHub is a library of pre-written analytic tests (ACL, n.d.b).
Situations may arise where a fraud examiner will want to perform
a specific analysis of data but does not know how to perform the
calculation. With the ScriptHub, the fraud examiner can search
through ACL’s historical analysis library to find the right one. By
having access to the ScriptHub, a fraud examiner can eliminate a
learning curve in using the software.

Caseware’s website details the types of files that can be imported
such as “spreadsheet and database software, mid-range accounting
programs, ERP systems, legacy mainframes, telecom switches, travel
and expenses applications, flat and printed files such as a .pdf file,
plain text (.txt), and print-report (.prn) files” (Caseware Analytics,
n.d.). This enables a fraud examiner to investigate virtually all the
data sources. Because most software programs can export data into
these formats, acquiring the data and consolidating it with IDEA is
fairly simple.

Another ACL product is the free Microsoft Excel Add-In. When
installed, the ACL Add-In appears at the top of Microsoft Excel
as a tab in the ribbon. The tab is arranged as a series of groups that
would simulate the workflow for an ACL analysis (ACL Add-In,
n.d.a). By using this tool, a fraud examiner can analyze data in a
familiar environment, Microsoft Excel, and access a higher level
of analytical tools that have been developed by ACL.

One benefit to an auditor or fraud examiner is that IDEA analyzes
data with “read only access” (Caseware Analytics, n.d.). This is
important because it preserves the original data source from
manipulation by the analysis performed. This is a key factor
when the results will be used for an audit or a legal matter.

The key to this tool is that all data must be converted into a
Microsoft Excel format because the ACL Add-In will analyze data
contained in the workbook. As long a data source can be converted
t