Data Sleuth

Chapter 8Data Sources and Data Processing Techniques

DATA SHOULD NOT BE a formidable term as forensic accountants and fraud investigators have been looking at data throughout the entire evolution of the field. Data just looked different, as historically, they were stored on paper instead of in databases. Nevertheless, it is important to explain the data terms that will be used throughout the remaining chapters in the explanation of the Data Sleuth Process.

Because of the types and quantities of information that may be collected over the life of an engagement, systematic, thorough organization is required, and although time consuming on the front end will allow for simplified administrative, wrap-up processes at the end of the engagement.

Data Sleuth projects are entirely reliant on the quality of data relied upon and the manner by which those data are processed. This chapter contains detailed explanations of the Data Sleuth data processing steps and simple spreadsheet-based tools that have proven helpful on Data Sleuth engagements.

DATA SOURCES EXPLAINED

A data source is the origination of the data being used in the investigation. For example, if transactions that cleared a bank account are to be analyzed in an investigation, the data source for the transactions is the collection of bank account statements. Data sources, however, are not limited to just statements from financial institutions; they can also include things such as a collection of invoices from a vendor, payroll ...