Page 30 - Understandinging Forensic Technology Landscape

Some data translation products will “self-audit” the The practitioner may also use data interrogation tools
results to ensure the accuracy of the conversion. This that are integrated with the translation software. Some
is accomplished by internally calculating an internal such tools are relatively straightforward; others may
running balance, transaction subtotals, or grand total require extensive user training to get significant benefit
and comparing them to the reported amounts that from the software.
were converted from text. Other products require the
user to prepare a template for the structured data Some service providers offer a portfolio of standard
conversion, identifying and defining fields and columns reports and analyses. Others can provide custom
of data as text, numeric and currency, so the software developed or directed analyses. At their core, these
can produce results in the desired format. This can products function similarly to database tools, with
be time-consuming because the documents can have the ability to run queries and allow the user to build
multiple sections or formats. Some service providers customized reports. Some of these products offer
offer templates for converting bank and brokerage an audit log of the steps performed in the course of
statements from specific financial institutions, reducing developing an analysis, to allow for replicating the
the need to specify fields and data ranges. process and to prove or explain logic. These products
typically have automated functions for identifying
Once translated, the data can be interrogated. These duplicate items, skipped numbers in a sequentially
interrogation analyses may be directed or performed by numbered series, patterns and outliers.
the practitioner using spreadsheet and database tools.

Tools and techniques

There are a number of commercially available tools and service providers. Some of the key considerations when
deciding on the approach is the amount of the data that needs to be converted, the price of the conversion, as well
as what solution might be the most efficient.

Name Data Data How Training or
translator interrogator accessed? specialist
needed?

CFIS — Comprehensive Financial YES YES Service YES 1
Investigative Solution Contract
OCROLUS YES YES Service YES 1
Contract
IDEA YES YES License YES 2
ACL YES YES License N/A
ARBUTUS YES YES License N/A
NUANCE YES N/A Purchase N/A

Online PDF converters YES N/A Free or N/A
Purchase

Kofax OmniPage YES N/A Purchase N/A
ScanWriter YES N/A Purchase N/A
1 Data is hosted by the service provider and results are provided by file transfer.
2 Data can be retained by client and analyzed by IDEA staff via screen sharing or by file transfer.
CFIS and Ocrolus charge by the line or page of data to be converted. Pricing varies depending on requested
turnaround time.

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