Methods and Apparatus for Analysing and/or Pre-Processing Financial Accounting Data

• US 20100205076A1
• Filed: 02/07/2008
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Validis UK Limited (Validis Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Future Route Ltd. (Validis Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Parson, Rupert, Shuttlewood, Andrew, Dunn, Andrew, Hambrook, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

In an on-line method of analysing financial accounting data, uploaded financial accounting data is received at a server (2) from a client computer (3). The data is analysed at the server (2) to identify anomalies in the data. A display is provided at the client computer (3) representing the anomalies that have been identified. Further, in a method of pre-processing financial accounting data prior to analysis of the data, the financial accounting data is abstracted to correspond to a pre-stored accounting ontology. Further, in a method of analysing financial accounting data, the method checks the data for violation of a particular state to identify inconsistent combinations of values in the data.

Claims

1. An on-line method of analysing financial accounting data, the method comprising:

receiving at a server uploaded financial accounting data from a client computer;

analysing the data at the server to identify anomalies in the data; and

,

providing at the client computer a display representing the anomalies that have been identified.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising, prior to the analysing, abstracting the uploaded data to correspond to an accounting ontology that is stored at the server.

3. A method according to claim 2, comprising obtaining a map of the abstracted data to the accounting ontology.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the abstracted data and the accounting ontology are represented by tree structures having nodes and branches, the map being obtained by recursively determining the overlap of nodes in the abstracted data with nodes in the accounting ontology.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the overlap is measured within a predefined tolerance.

6. A method according to claim 3, comprising editing the obtained map to amend the correspondence between the uploaded data and the accounting ontology.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the analysing is carried out on the entirety of the uploaded data.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the analysing is carried out via rules that are applied to the data.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the rules may be edited by a user.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein at least some of the rules check the data for variation beyond a threshold compared to a corresponding variation of the data at a previous time instance.

14. A method according to claim 1, comprising determining a distribution of at least some of the data over a period of time, wherein the analysing comprises identifying data that exists beyond a threshold outside said distribution.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the analysing comprises identifying inconsistent combinations of values in the data.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the display that is provided at the client computer provides an indication of the number of anomalies that have been identified and the ability to display details of the individual transactions in the analysed data that have contributed to said anomalies.

59. A computer program, optionally recorded on a carrier, containing program instructions for causing a computer to carry out a method according to claim 1.

8. (canceled)

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein contra and reversal transactions are withdrawn from further analysis.

12. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19. Apparatus for on-line analysis of financial accounting data, the apparatus comprising:

a server constructed and arranged to receive uploaded financial accounting data from a client computer;

the server having a data analysis engine constructed and arranged to analyse the data at the server to identify anomalies in the data;

the server being constructed and arranged to cause a display at the client computer a representation of the anomalies that have been identified.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the server comprises an abstraction engine constructed and arranged to operate before the data analysis engine to abstract the uploaded data to correspond to an accounting ontology that is stored at the server.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the server comprises a map builder engine constructed and arranged to obtain a map of the abstracted data to the accounting ontology.

23. Apparatus according to claim 21, comprising a map editor arranged to permit the obtained map to be edited to amend the correspondence between the uploaded data and the accounting ontology.

25. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged to identify contra and reversal transactions in the data.

26. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged to withdraw contra and reversal transactions from further analysis.

27. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged to carry out the analysis via rules that are applied to the data.

28. Apparatus according to claim 27, comprising a rule editor arranged to permit the rules to be edited by a user.

29. Apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged such that at least some of the rules check the data for violation of a particular state.

31. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged to determine a distribution of at least some of the data over a period of time and to identify data that exists beyond a threshold outside said distribution.

33. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged to identify duplicate transactions in the data.

34. Apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the data analysis engine is arranged to identify duplicate transactions among Sales and the Purchase invoices.

35. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the server is arranged such that the display that is provided at the client computer provides an indication of the number of anomalies that have been identified and the ability to display details of the individual transactions in the analysed data that have contributed to said anomalies.

22. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

36. A method of pre-processing financial accounting data prior to analysis of the data, the method comprising:

abstracting the financial accounting data to correspond to a pre-stored accounting ontology.

37. A method according to claim 36, comprising obtaining a map of the abstracted data to the accounting ontology.

38. A method according to claim 37, wherein the abstracted data and the accounting ontology are represented by tree structures having nodes and branches, the map being obtained by recursively determining the overlap of nodes in the abstracted data with nodes in the accounting ontology.

40. A method according to claim 37, comprising editing the obtained map to amend the correspondence between the uploaded data and the accounting ontology.

41. A method according to claim 36, comprising analysing the abstracted data.

60. A computer program, optionally recorded on a carrier, containing program instructions for causing a computer to carry out a method according to claim 36.

39. (canceled)

42. Apparatus for pre-processing financial accounting data prior to analysis of the data, the apparatus comprising:

an abstraction engine constructed and arranged to abstract the financial accounting data to correspond to a pre-stored accounting ontology.

43. Apparatus according to claim 42, comprising a map builder engine constructed and arranged to obtain a map of the abstracted data to the accounting ontology.

44. Apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the abstracted data and the accounting ontology are represented by tree structures having nodes and branches, the map builder engine being constructed and arranged to obtain a map by recursively determining the overlap of nodes in the abstracted data with nodes in the accounting ontology.

45. Apparatus according to claim 43, comprising a map editor arranged to permit the obtained map to be edited to amend the correspondence between the uploaded data and the accounting ontology.

46. Apparatus according to claim 42, comprising a data analysis engine constructed and arranged to analyse the abstracted data.

47. A method of analysing financial accounting data, the method comprising:

applying rules to the data to check the data for violation of a particular state;

applying rules to the data to check the data for variation beyond a threshold compared to a corresponding variation of the data at a previous time instance;

determining a distribution of at least some of the data over a period of time, wherein the analysing comprises identifying data that exists beyond a threshold outside said distribution; and

,

identifying inconsistent combinations of values in the data.

48. A method according to claim 47, comprising prior to the analysing, identifying contra and reversal transactions in the data and withdrawing such transactions from the data that is subject to the analysing and subsequent steps.

49. A method according to claim 47, comprising identifying duplicate transactions in the data.

50. A method according to claim 49, wherein duplicate transactions are identified among Sales and Purchase invoices.

51. A method according to claim 47, wherein the rules may be edited by a user.

61. A computer program, optionally recorded on a carrier, containing program instructions for causing a computer to carry out a method according to claim 47.

52. (canceled)

53. Apparatus for analysing financial accounting data, the apparatus comprising:

a data analysis engine constructed and arranged to apply rules to the data to check the data for violation of a particular state;

the data analysis engine being constructed and arranged to apply rules to the data to check the data for variation beyond a threshold compared to a corresponding variation of the data at a previous time instance;

the data analysis engine being constructed and arranged to determine a distribution of at least some of the data over a period of time and to identify data that exists beyond a threshold outside said distribution; and

,

the data analysis engine being constructed and arranged to identify inconsistent combinations of values in the data.

54. Apparatus according to claim 53, wherein the data analysis engine is constructed and arranged to identify contra and reversal transactions in the data prior to applying the rules to the data, such transactions being withdrawn from the data that is subject to the application of the rules and subsequent analysis.

57. Apparatus according to claim 53, comprising a rule editor arranged to permit the rules to be edited by a user.

58. Apparatus according to claim 53, comprising an abstraction engine constructed and arranged to operate before the data analysis engine to abstract the data to correspond to an accounting ontology.

55. (canceled)

56. (canceled)