Audit Programs
AuditNet Links
AuditNet Virtual Library
AuditNet Newsletter
Ask the Auditor
Audit Jobs
Partner Discounts
Search the Site
Our Sponsors
Advertise
Sign the Guestbook
AuditNet Home Page

Accounting Procedures for Internal Control
CLICK HERE TO ORDER

The New CAATT in Town: ActiveData for Excel

Product Review by Jim Kaplan, AuditNet Founder and Webmaster

Are there features that you wish were included in Excel that would help you in your audits? Well analyzing your customer or client information just got a whole lot easier! ActiveData for Excel from InformationActive Inc. “extends the analytical and manipulation capabilities of Excel by building on its native functions and adding several new ones.” As a beta tester for this CAATT (computer assisted audit tools and techniques) software I had an opportunity to test drive this new application. I can tell you that based on my experience this software is a must have for any user of Excel. It adds over 70 functions that can assist you with everything from sampling to formatting. The developer of this software understands what features auditors need in CAATT software and has done a formidable job of incorporating them. The ActiveData for Excel installation creates a new pull-down menu within Excel so the look and feel is easy to adapt to. Auditors analyzing data will really like the ability to merge, compare, query and match worksheets. My personal favorites include the ability to easily sort columns by clicking on the column heading, pulling a sample from a worksheet and producing group summaries based on selected criteria. The application also will identify duplicates and perform a gap analysis. ActiveData for Excel is an application that all auditors and financial professionals should have in their CAATT toolkit. In my opinion, it's a killer application that adds the functionality currently missing from Excel! You can download a 30 day evaluation version from the InformationActive, Inc. website. Once you have tried this software you will clearly see it's value! 

Click here to find out more about ActiveData For Excel.