DataConsulting August 2012 Newsletter
2012-08-01
Welcome to the August edition of the DataConsulting newsletter. Apart from my rambling introduction the newsletter is aimed to update you on the latest developments and activities relating to all things ACL.
Well weren’t the Olympics amazing? I can also almost forgive Seb for not letting me have any tickets for the synchronised swimming! As an amateur part time triathlete and yorkshireman the highlight of the games for me was Alistair and his brother Jonny securing Gold and Bronze respectively in the triathlon. What was yours? Feel free to tell us.
On the newsletter front we’ve got a really packed one for you. Highlights include a look at the 9.3 release for ACL Desktop which comes with a new fuzzy matching feature based on the Levenshtein model. We’re always being asked about the main differences between ACL and Excel so we’ve got a feature on that. For those of you who work with SAP, ACL have released a video showing some insight into how data can be easily accessed from SAP using Direct Link. Another interesting development is the announcement of a strategic alliance between ACL and the Datawatch Corporation (the people behind Monarch). This alliance should help to load in those difficult report style files.
To complement the highly successful London ACL User Group we are planning to introduce a Regional ACL User Group for those of you who struggle to make it the London User Group. I would be interested to hear from any of you who may thoughts on this in terms of content, location etc. Let us know using this link.
Enjoy the rest of August, see you in September.
Robin
Faster. Stronger. Smarter.
The newly released version builds upon the current products features and functions – providing customers with faster, stronger and smarter business assurance.
Find out more about the new features in version 9.3
Why ACL Desktop?
DataConsulting’s Principal Consultant explains the differences between Excel and ACL Desktop and shares with us a useful eBook by ACL’s Peter Millar called “Risky Business: Relying on Spreadsheets for data analysis”.
Find out more about the differences and download the eBook
The Levenshtein Distance
ACL Desktop version 9.3 builds on the ACL excellence, incorporating fuzzy match features which are extremely powerful. The latest version of ACL Desktop introduced us to a new command – FUZZYDUP – and two new functions – LEVDIST() and ISFUZZYDUP() – that rely on the Levenshtein Distance.
Over the years ACL has invested heavily in their product portfolio, developing capabilities far beyond their Desktop tool. These have included multi-user collaboration, centralised multicore processing, scheduling and workflow management to name but a few. But for a long time the one critical component missing from their suite has been high specification Data Visualisation.
In partnership with Yellowfin business intelligence, ACL’s latest offering AX Dashboard, bridges the visualisation gap with a phenomenal array of graphing and drill down capabilities. The tool sets a new standard for reporting. Whether it’s continuous auditing, boardroom reporting or continuous business monitoring, the range of visual representations available to the end-user is unparalleled.
Join Steve Biskie, SAP expert & Director of Services Product Management, ACL, for a special SAP webinar to show you how to gain direct, seamless access to your data without relying on IT.
VANCOUVER, BC and CHELMSFORD, Mass., August 1, 2012 – ACL Services Ltd., the leading provider of technology for audit and compliance professionals, and Datawatch Corporation (NASDAQ-CM: DWCH), the leading global provider of information optimization software and services, today announced a strategic alliance that will provide audit, risk and compliance professionals with enhanced ability to analyze data trapped in static reports such as PDFs, HTML files, print files and other content-rich data sources.
“Audit, risk and compliance professionals continually seek technologies that help them deliver more responsive, accurate guidance for their businesses,” said Laurie Schultz, president and COO of ACL. “This agreement furthers our mission to provide this technology in a convenient, easy-to-use solution. The efficiencies and capabilities of the combined ACL and Datawatch offering will allow our mutual customers to cost-effectively reduce effort and improve success.”
Streamlined regulatory compliance through continuous auditing
“Working with ACL technology has elevated our reputation as a trusted resource. The internal audit group is increasingly viewed as a business partner that adds significant value to the organization.”
Brantley Synco, Director of Audit Services, Baptist Health System, Inc.
Find out how Baptist Health System has applied ACL technology to:
The ACL London User Group is a group of ACL users that exchange ideas and techniques about using ACL and discussing best practices. It is run by the users, for the users. Attendees are steadily increasing, with more and more experiences being shared.
Now into its third year, the next ACL London User Group meeting will be held on Thursday 25th October from 18:00 to 20:00, hosted by Ernst & Young. Details on presenters will be confirmed closer to the date.
Register for the next ACL user group meeting
Olympic trivia
If you are suffering from the end of the Olympics:
a) Get out of the house and get active
b) Enjoy some Olympic trivia. Hope you like these unreferenced “facts”
Audit Management My Way: ACL Workpapers webinar – September 6th, 2012 – 19:00 GMT – Register now
ACL 182: Concepts and Practices – London, September 25-27, 2012 – Get a quote
London ACL User Group Meeting – London, October 25th, 2012, 18:00 to 20:00 – Register
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