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Data

Resources covering data analytics and big data, data handling, data protection and GDPR, and data presentation.

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Tech and audit

Analytics in external audit: current practice and trends

Explore how audit firms are using data analytics, the barriers slowing wider adoption, and the practical steps firms, vendors, methodology providers and regulators can take to support more effective, technology-enabled audits.
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Data Protection and Privacy

Data protection and privacy

All organisations that collect, store or process personal information on living and identifiable people must comply with the Data Protection Act 2018. Additional resources can be found on the GDPR (now the Data Protection Act 2018 in the UK).
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Data Analytics Community

Data Analytics Community

As data analytics plays an increasingly pivotal role in supporting audit, assurance and business decision-making, this ICAEW community will help finance professionals develop the advanced data analytics and visualisation skills needed to succeed in this insight-driven era.
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Data analytics

Get advanced data analysis, from number crunching and spreadsheets to decision-support and strategy, including access to useful and practical Excel guidance. Plus, find out how big data is used and can benefit the accountancy profession.


Why banks and insurers must pay closer attention to climate risk
  • Article
  • 02 Nov 2026
Climate risk is no longer an abstract mention in corporate social responsibility or environmental, social, and governance reports, but an active item on the balance sheet and a critical question about the resilience of the entity. With its volatile threat ever more apparent, banks and insurers must get a firmer grasp on the concept and a grip on associated costs.
Exclusive Using AI in corporate reporting: cautious adoption while managing risks
  • Article
  • 26 Oct 2026
From drafting disclosures to analysing competitors’ annual reports, AI is beginning to change how corporate reporting teams work. Marie Claire Tabone, Project Director at the Financial Reporting Council, shares insights from their recent research into AI adoption in corporate reporting, highlighting both the opportunities and the continuing importance of human judgement.
5 and 6 October 2027 Power BI for finance building data models and reports virtual classroom
  • Event
  • 23 Oct 2026
20 and 21 April 2027 Power BI for finance building data models and reports virtual classroom
  • Event
  • 23 Oct 2026
2027 Power BI for finance building data models and reports
  • Event
  • 23 Oct 2026
Why data analytics is crucial in improving audit quality
  • Article
  • 21 Sep 2026
While generative AI dominates the headlines in audit technology, data analytics continues to deliver significant benefits, helping firms conduct more effective, risk-focused audits, as demonstrated in the FRC’s 2026 Annual Review of Audit Quality.
Back to Basics Creating Effective Data Visualisations with Power BI and Excel
  • Event
  • 21 Aug 2026
Data analytics for external auditors: current landscape, challenges and future direction
  • Webinar
  • 28 Jul 2026
This webinar brings together insights from ICAEW’s updated report and leading voices across the profession to explore current practice, key challenges and what’s next for data analytics in external audit.
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Data protection and privacy

Cyber round-up: March 2024
  • Article
  • 27 Mar 2024
This month we look at what can be learned from state-sponsored cyber attacks, how to avoid falling victim to increasingly sophisticated account takeover scams, and the ICO guidance on levels of fines for data breaches.
Accountability: building trust and ethics in the digital age
  • Article
  • 05 Mar 2024
New technologies are a force for good – they fuel innovation, improve efficiencies, enhance communication, and increase productivity – but they also raise new challenges that can be harmful. We’ve witnessed in recent years how technology has had undesirable consequences, with data breaches and online surveillance resulting in widespread concerns over privacy, security, and the spread of disinformation. This has eroded trust in businesses and institutions, while simultaneously knocking the confidence of businesses to fully embrace technological change.
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Join the Excel Community

Do you use Excel in your organisation? Are you using it to its maximum potential? Develop your skills and minimise spreadsheet risk with our Excel resources. Membership is free to ICAEW members. Non-ICAEW members are also welcome to join. 

Find out more Already a member? login here
A colourful wooden abacus placed on a wooden surface, featuring multiple rows of beads in vibrant colours used for counting or basic arithmetic.

Excel community

The Excel Community provides a 'one-stop shop' for accountants who want to use Excel.
Exclusive Excel speed up productivity tricks – Data Set up
  • Article
  • 02 Nov 2026
This article is about data set up. It doesn’t lead to productivity tips off the get go, but setting it up properly will speed you up when you later use the file.
How to Excel: PivotTables offer quick insights without coding
  • Article
  • 29 Oct 2026
PivotTable is a useful and powerful analysis tool that can create meaningful summaries out of large datasets. Excel expert Giles Male explains how to make the most of this tool.
Exclusive Keyboard or Mouse in Excel: What Is Actually Faster?
  • Article
  • 27 Oct 2026
Apparently, the quickest way to start an argument among Excel users is to ask where their mouse is. Yes, it’s time to break the internet.
Exclusive Get faster Power Query refreshes with query folding
  • Article
  • 21 Oct 2026
Power Query has a feature called query folding. Using it effectively can result in faster refresh times. In this article, Mark Proctor returns to look at how query folding works, and how we can benefit from it.
New tech features for June-Sep 2026: Excel, Teams, Google Sheets, Chat GPT, M365, Power BI, Canva, Zoom ++
  • Article
  • 12 Oct 2026
Our digest of new features across Microsoft 365 & other business tech products in written, image & video format covering the last three months.
Exclusive Number formats again – making a dash for it
  • Article
  • 12 Oct 2026
We cover the subject of Excel number formats with some regularity in the community, but with thousands of new members joining each year, it’s a subject worth returning to. In the first part of this short series, we looked at the creation of a custom number format that is particularly suitable for those working with financial data and in the second part we considered how to make the new custom format as easy to apply as possible. This time we are going to look at some of the more obscure capabilities of custom number formats.
Exclusive Any Interest in Mortgage Schedules?
  • Article
  • 24 Sep 2026
Debt schedules are a staple of financial models. Liam Bastick constructs a monthly mortgage schedule using formulae only.
Exclusive Curiosity, community and competition: lessons and LAMBDAs from the UK Excel Esports Finals
  • Article
  • 22 Sep 2026
Giles Male and Fay Bordbar recount their experience of organising the UK Excel Esports Finals and bringing together 31 competitors for a day of problem-solving, learning and community. The event highlighted the enduring value of curiosity, critical thinking and continuous improvement in an AI-driven world.
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