Audit Tools
"Excerpt from Practical Accountant"

The Number
A cornerstone of auditing is sampling. Linton Shafer Computer Services, Inc, provides an easy-to-use tool for Windows-based PCs to aid in selecting a sample and evaluating the results.

A random number generator is a must in many auditing engagements, used to provide voucher and check numbers to pull for examination. The utility for this is easy to use, simply plug in how many numbers you want generated and the range they must lay in. Hit the Generate button and your list of random numbers can be viewed or printed.

For other sampling tasks, The Number provides a wizard called The Number Coach. You can set it to start by default every time you launch the program. Click on one of the general tasks (Generate a random number, Help set up a sampling plan, or Help evaluate the results of a sample), and the Coach walks you through the process.

You can use The Number in both attribute testing and for conducting substantive tests of variables. A Discovery Sampling function allows you to forgo complex charts and just enter the desired level of accuracy. The Number's statistical methods include Monetary Unit Sampling or Probability Proportional to Size (PPS). You can also perform Stop-or-Go sampling and construct stratified samples.

If you download the demo from Linton Shafer's Web site, you might be tempted to dismiss The Number as simplistic. That would be a mistake. While extremely easy to use, and sporting an uncluttered interface, The Number is actually a quite powerful statistical tool. If nothing else, letting you leave those tattered statistical charts back in the office is worth every penny of the software's price.

Excerpts reprinted from Practical Accountant