Prepared by: Graham Bell
• Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) systems are increasingly common in all areas of business, most notably the retail sector
• Systems in use range from basic Electronic Cash Register to sophisticated high end packages
• One common feature, they use electronic data and some form of computing power
Prepared by: Graham Bell
Electronic Point of SaleA Risky Business
• Electronic Point of Sales data forms part of the business records used to create VAT and Direct taxes returns
• There are a range of risks attached to the use of electronic data systems as data may be manipulated by the user
• HMRC requires assurance that traders’ systems and processes are operating correctly
• Systems normally create hard copy reports e.g. Sales Receipts requiring manual audit. Electronic data provides scope for a more comprehensive alternative E Audit
Prepared by: Graham Bell
ReportsTypically reports might include:
• Sales Transactions Z1 – Daily Sales Transactions
• Ordering – Orders and Customer Accounts
• Delivery – Delivery Control Input/Recall Orders
• Electronic Funds Transfer – Card Payments
• Stock Monitoring– Measures Stock Usage
• Accounting Interface – Discounts, Tax, Media
Prepared by: Graham Bell
Data Acquisition and Analysis
• Generically most EPoS systems will use front end software sitting on a Data Base Management system such as SQL or Microsoft Access
• Reports can normally be generated but may be cumbersome and can lead to system down time
• An alternative is to acquire the underlying raw data
• IDEA supports Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC) and data can normally be imported from suitable sources by this method
Prepared by: Graham Bell
Data Acquisition and Analysis:The Case Study
• HMRC have an expanding field of expertise in the area of data analysis from EPoS sources
• The case study you are about to see is an example of our work
Prepared by: Graham Bell
Tools and Techniques
• IDEA (Interactive Data Extraction & Analysis) Tool
• Tool of choice to import and analyse data
• Most type of reports can readily imported using the Import Assistant capabilities