Method and system for conducting a target audit in a high volume transaction environment

• US 20020010664A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Air Lines Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Airlines Incorporated (Delta Air Lines Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pearlman, Alan, Rabideau, David W., Smick, Judith M., Thomas, James Gregory, Brack, Kevin D., Johnson, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 6,959,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A target audit methodology to provide a transaction-based detail of errors in an environment with a high volume of transactions. The primary components comprise a distributed computer network, such as the global Internet, coupled to numerous databases and a workstation. A Random Sample Query is used to pull a statistically valid sample from a general population of transactions to identify initial transaction errors. The initial transaction errors are analyzed to determine parameters for identifying other similar errors with a high probability of occurrence within the total population of transactions. A Possible Error Query is designed to retrieve these specific error types and is processed against the population of transactions. The results of the Possible Error Query are assigned financial impact and detailed for the client by individual transaction in an invoice.

Claims

1. A system for providing an audit providing error details in an environment with a high volume of transactions, comprising:

a Transaction Database maintaining the transactions to be audited;

a Random Sample Database containing a random sample of transactions from the Transaction Database;

a Random Sample Error Database containing error information about the transactions in the Random Sample Database;

a Possible Error Database containing transactions from the Transaction Database with information matching the error information in the Random Sample Error Database;

an Error Database containing error information about the transactions in the Possible Error Database;

an Invoice Database summarizing the error information about the transactions in the Possible Error Database sufficient to desired reporting purposes;

a query program for searching the Transaction Database;

a distributed computer network for connecting the databases and the query program; and

a workstation enabling a user to access the databases and the query program through the distributed computer network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transactions comprise ticket records for passenger sales issued by an airline or travel agency community.

3. A process for providing an audit with a transaction-based detail of errors in an environment with a high volume of transactions, comprising:

obtaining error information about a random sample of transactions stored in a Random Sample Database;

obtaining Possible Error Transactions with information similar to the error information in the random sample of transactions;

checking the Possible Error Transactions to identify actual errors; and

preparing a report detailing the actual errors in the Possible Error Transactions.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the step of obtaining error information about a random sample of transactions further comprises:

designing a Random Sample Query to pull a random sample of transactions from a Transaction Database;

running the Random Sample Query to find the random sample of transactions;

copying the random sample of transactions from the Transaction Database to a Random Sample Database, via a distributed computer network;

checking each transaction in the Random Sample Database to identify if the transaction has an error and to determine error parameters; and

discarding the transaction if there is not an error; and

copying the transactions from the Random Sample Database to an Error Database, via a distributed computer network, if there is an error.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein copying the transactions from the Random Sample Database to the Error Database, via the distributed computer network, if there is an error, further comprises:

grouping the errors by similar traits in the Error Database.

6. The process of claim 3, wherein the step of obtaining Possible Error Transactions further comprises:

analyzing error information in the random sample of transactions to design a Possible Error Query to find transactions with information similar to the error information in the random sample of transaction in a Transaction Database;

running the Possible Error Query to find the Possible Error Transactions; and

copying the Possible Error Transactions from the Transaction Database to a Possible Error Database, via a distributed computer network.

7. The process of claim 3, wherein the step of checking the Possible Error Transactions to identify actual errors further comprises:

checking each Possible Error Transaction to identify if the transaction has an error;

discarding the Possible Error Transaction if there is not an error; and

copying the Possible Error Transaction from a Possible Error Database to an Error Database, via a distributed computer network, if there is an error.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein copying the Possible Error Transactions from a Possible Error Database to an Error Database, if there is an error, further comprises:

grouping the errors by similar traits in the Error Database.

9. The process of claim 3, wherein the step of preparing a report detailing the actual errors in the Possible Error Transactions further comprises:

copying the actual errors to an Invoice Database, via a distributed computer network;

copying the errors from the Invoice Database to a report form; and

displaying the report form.

10. A process for providing an audit with a ticket-based detail of errors for passenger ticket sales issued by an airline or travel agency community, comprising:

obtaining error information about a random sample of tickets;

obtaining Possible Error Tickets with information similar to the error information from the random sample of tickets;

checking the Possible Error Tickets to identify actual errors; and

preparing a report detailing the actual errors in the Possible Error Tickets.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the step of obtaining error information about a random sample of tickets further comprises:

designing a Random Sample Query to pull a random sample of tickets from a Ticket Database;

running the Random Sample Query to find the random sample of tickets;

copying the random sample of tickets from the Ticket Database to a Random Sample Database, via a distributed computer network;

checking each ticket in the Random Sample Database to identify if the ticket has an error and to determine error parameters; and

discarding the ticket if there is not an error; and

copying the ticket from the Random Sample Database to an Error Database, via a distributed computer network, if there is an error.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein copying the ticket from the Random Sample Database to the Error Database, via the distributed computer network, if there is an error, further comprises:

grouping the errors by similar traits in the Error Database.

13. The process of claim 10, wherein the step of obtaining Possible Error Tickets further comprises:

analyzing error information in the random sample of tickets to design a Possible Error Query to find tickets with information similar to the error information in the random sample of tickets in a Ticket Database;

running the Possible Error Query to find the Possible Error Tickets; and

copying the Possible Error Tickets from the Ticket Database to a Possible Error Database, via a distributed computer network.

14. The process of claim 10, wherein the step of checking the Possible Error Tickets to identify actual errors further comprises:

checking each Possible Error Ticket to identify if the Ticket has an error; and

discarding the Possible Error Ticket if there is not an error; and

copying the Possible Error Tickets from a Possible Error Database to an Error Database, via a distributed computer network, if there is an error.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein copying the Possible Error Tickets from the Possible Error Database to the Error Database, if there is an error, further comprises:

grouping error results by similar traits in the Error Database.

16. The process of claim 10, wherein the step of preparing a report detailing the actual errors in the Possible Error Tickets comprises:

copying the actual errors to an Invoice Database, via a distributed computer network;

copying the actual errors from the Invoice Database to a report form; and

displaying the report form.