AF 317: Data Analytics for Accounting

The professional accounting industry is undergoing a major shift from recent technological advances. The new skillset that is becoming more important for nearly every aspect of business is analyzing large amounts of data to find actionable insights, i.e., data analytics. The course will discuss concepts and applications involving the analysis of data sources - large and small to facilitate decision making. Students will follow the "IMPACT" model i.e. Identify the questions; Master the data; Perform the test plan; Address and refine results; Communicate insights; and, Track outcomes. Software in the course would involve: Microsoft Track [i.e. Excel, Power Query, Power BI]. Application tools such as Pivot tables, Excel formulas, applied statistics and visualization applications will be included. Additionally, Structured Query Language [SQL] will be considered. Data from real companies, such as Lending Club will be used in analyses.