Data Analytics for Accountants

The Data Analytics for Accountants – Students will develop a framework for using data analytics to increase efficiency, manage risk, and identify process improvements for their organizations and clients. Students will work through case studies related to financial accounting, managerial accounting, internal auditing, and auditing to expose them to uses of descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics.

 UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• Understanding how data analytics affects accounting.
• Developing a process framework to identify the question, master the data, perform the test plan, address and refine results, communicate insights, and track outcomes.
• Identifying relevant questions.
• Identifying relevant data and relationships to accounting questions.
• Validating data for completeness and integrity.
• Cleaning data for analysis.
• Performing the test plan with potential data analytic approaches.
• Profiling data in Management Accounting.
• Profiling data in Internal Audit and Auditing.
• Profiling data in other areas of accounting.
• Determining the purpose of data visualization.
• Developing effective communication of results.
• Reviewing continuous auditing techniques.
• Automating the audit plan.
• Managing electronic working papers and remote audit work.
• Performing audit data analytics such as Benford’s Law, and substantive testing of account balances.
• Creating predictive and prescriptive analytics for a dataset.
• Understanding the future role of artificial intelligence in accounting processes.