Project Review and Introduction to Individual Cases

In this class, we transition from collaborative exploration of financial disclosures using the EDGAR Explorer to building individual analytical competencies with Alteryx. By focusing on structured data workflows, students will enhance their proficiency with Alteryx, applying these skills toward a practical case involving compliance with the OFAC economic trade sanctions program. The individual case work involves identifying potentially sanctioned vendors within company transaction records, supporting a critical understanding of risk mitigation and compliance monitoring in financial reporting.

Why is this important?

In today’s data-driven financial landscape, understanding compliance processes and vendor vetting is essential for effective risk management. The OFAC trade sanctions program plays a key role in preventing economic interactions with designated entities, which is critical for businesses with global transactions. Through the EDGAR Explorer project, students engaged in open-ended, team-driven data analysis to uncover insights from corporate filings. Today’s focus on Alteryx bridges this team project with an individual application, reinforcing practical skills in data processing and decision-making that are integral to identifying compliance risks, particularly for finance professionals responsible for transaction monitoring and internal controls.

Materials:

Case: Alteryx SparkED Case 1: Suspect Vendors Case
Case: Alteryx SparkED Case 2: Purchase Order Splitting
Case: Alteryx SparkED Case 3: Sales and Use Tax Allocation
Case: Alteryx SparkED Case 4: General Ledger Clean Up
Case: Alteryx SparkED Case 5: International Group Taxes
Case: Alteryx SparkED Case 6: Organizing Financial Report Data
Slides: will be available for download by the beginning of class in either powerpoint or pdf formats.
Data: A data update may be required for this class. To ensure your files are the most up-to-date, navigate to ACCTG522_Labs folder and run the command git pull.
Analytics Tools: Alteryx
Analytics Tools: Git and GitHub

Review and Extension:

The prior classes have been about the major open-ended team project using EDGAR Explorer, today’s class shifts the focus toward individual skill development in Alteryx using a more defined workflow and analysis. This session introduces Alteryx’s SparkEd Accounting and Finance Cases, preparing students for the upcoming individual case assessment. In this case, students will apply Alteryx workflows to reconcile company transaction data against the OFAC sanctions list, reinforcing their ability to manage compliance-focused tasks within an analytical framework. Future classes will extend these skills by incorporating more complex datasets and analytics used in accounting and finance settings, deepening students’ capabilities in proactive risk management and data integrity validation.

Preparation:

1. There is no required preparation for this class.

Class Plan:

Teams: during this class, please sit in your discussion teams.

1. We will have an extended review including PollEveryWhere questions.
2. Students will work in small groups to solve sections of the Alteryx SparkEd Suspicious Vendors Case in small groups.
3. As we progress through the case in small groups, we will add to the class solution using warm call.
4. Our goal is to have the entire class finish this case before the end of class.