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Data analytics articles and features

Articles and features on data analytics.

Displaying 1-50 of 138 results
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL How to do the basics better in Excel
  • 04 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
These five Excel hacks will speed up the basics of building an Excel spreadsheet.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT CYBER ROUND-UP Foreign and AI threats grow
  • 28 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Cyber espionage and foreign threats were a big topic this month, as the UK continues to focus on beefing up its national security and the resilience of critical infrastructure, operations and services.
This year’s 10 best Excel highlights
  • 24 Nov 2025
  • Bani Lamba
As we approach a new year, it’s time to reflect on some of the content and highlights from the Excel Community in 2025 and look ahead as Excel continues to change and develop with new functionality. Whether you’re new or an existing member, in this article we invite you to explore the insights and learnings the community has delivered for you over this last year.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL Excel at 40: six efficiency hacks for accountants
  • 31 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
As Excel celebrates its 40th birthday, Microsoft’s Chris Webb explains the features that will help accountants work smarter than ever.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT How information can be reported to make better financial management decisions in government
  • 28 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Chronic underinvestment in technology across central government is hampering effective financial management. However, a new National Audit Office guide outlines how skills, culture, reporting infrastructure and data must come together to underpin decision making.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Stay safe in the digital era: password security
  • 25 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Despite the increasing risk of serious data breaches and cyberattacks, many organisations fall at the first hurdle, with poor password security opening the door to cybercriminals. We offer advice on making passwords more secure.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Cyber security biggest risk as businesses reel from major attacks
  • 23 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Annual poll of Chief Internal Auditors highlights cyber security as the number one risk, with digital threats intensifying following attacks on European airports over the weekend and recent cyber breaches at M&S, the Co-op, Harrods, The North Face and Jaguar Land Rover.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL Where will AI assurance skills come from?
  • 16 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
What should an AI assurance skillset look like – and from which key learning sources should it be built? ICAEW’s Head of Tech Policy Esther Mallowah convened an expert panel to explore the topic at a special ICAEW event.
Exclusive Auditing revenue – dealing with the risks
  • 12 Sep 2025
  • Andrew Paul
  • Audit and Beyond
The audit of revenue offers opportunities for many firms to improve the quality of their audit work. Andrew Paul shares reminders on some key themes and considers what a good approach to auditing revenue might look like.
Exam guide: Business Insight and Performance
  • 29 Aug 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Get a head start on your introduction to management accounting with this Certificate Level and ICAEW CFAB exam guide.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL How to supercharge your Excel analytics
  • 15 Aug 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Ever wondered how you can turn raw data into insight using tools like Power Query and Power Pivot? Excel expert and chartered accountant Mark Proctor has the answers.
Data: a new emerging type of intangible
  • 12 Jun 2025
This report, commissioned by ICAEW’s Charitable Trusts, explores whether and how data can yield economic benefits, and whether its omission from financial statements hinders decision-making for users of those reports.
Preparing for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting
  • 16 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The movement towards potential legislation for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting is a progressive step in promoting workplace equality. But what should employers be doing now to prepare?
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT CYBER ROUND-UP Cyber round-up: New frontiers for security
  • 27 Mar 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
This month’s cyber bulletin explores the latest in cyber security, looking at how the landscape is changing, with shifting geopolitical alliances and technology advancements, and many organisations still needing to get the basics right.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Data analytics for auditors: five essentials
  • 07 Mar 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Data analytics is often overlooked in favour of flashier technologies, but it is a critical skill set for the modern auditor.
Exclusive Bringing financial reports alive in Excel with visualisation – comparing data sets
  • 14 Feb 2025
  • John Tennent
This article is part of a series that supports the lunch and learn webinars on how to bring financial reports alive in Excel with visualisation. This third article will explore how to compare two data sets using a Waterfall Chart in Excel.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Leading data-led decision making in local government
  • 05 Dec 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Finance professionals are pivotal in ensuring local authority decisions on service delivery are grounded in robust data analysis. CIPFA’s Iain Murray outlines the role of finance teams in ensuring data-led decision-making and the skills required for success.
The ABCD+ of technology: data
  • 04 Dec 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
In the fifth of our series on the biggest tech trends, ICAEW’s Head of Tech Ian Pay gives us the lowdown on data.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL Understanding AI: what is – and isn’t – artificial intelligence?
  • 05 Nov 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
An in-depth awareness of AI is no longer the preserve of data science professionals or technology enthusiasts. In the first of two articles, BDO’s Paul Ekwere explains what AI actually is – and what it isn’t.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Cyber: enhancing security when data sharing
  • 15 Oct 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Cyber Security Awareness Month: we consider the common cyber risks around data sharing and what processes, procedures and measures should be taken to mitigate them.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT I deepfaked myself. It was terrifyingly easy
  • 07 Oct 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
How easy is it for criminals to create a deepfake of someone? ICAEW’s Head of Data Analytics and Tech, Ian Pay, decided to experiment with the technology.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL Five steps accountants must take when adopting AI
  • 02 Aug 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
According to attendees of a recent ICAEW round table, there are five points accountants need to be aware of to ensure that they can use AI reliably.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT INSIGHTS SPECIAL AI set to boost productivity and jobs in accountancy
  • 15 Jul 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Accountancy and finance jobs are not immune from the AI revolution – and although AI won’t necessarily take your job, you’re going to need new skills to thrive. We offer tips to ensure you have the right skills.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Your Questions Answered #11 – Tips and Tricks Live extended
  • 11 Jul 2024
  • David Benaim
In last month’s ‘Excel Tips and Tricks live – your questions answered’ webinar, David Benaim and Ian Pay tackled Excel questions and queries covering best practices when using Power Query, the use of formulas such as XLOOKUP, and a range of techniques for data handling and analysis in Excel. In this article, David returns to answer some of the unanswered questions from the webinar.
Evolution of mid-tier accountancy firms
  • 23 May 2024
ICAEW's latest research into mid-tier practices reveals reaction to the increase in private equity funding to the sector, as well as expectations for profit growth and shifts in services lines over the next three years.
Exclusive YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Your Questions Answered #10 – Tips and Tricks Live extended
  • 25 Mar 2024
  • Bani Lamba
In this year’s first 'Excel Tips and Tricks live – your questions answered' webinar, John Yeldham and Ian Pay tackled Excel questions and queries covering best practice, the use of functions and functionality, and a range of techniques for data handling and analysis in Excel. Bani returns to answer some of the unanswered questions from the webinar.
Transforming accounting through technology: embracing big data, AI and blockchain for a better tomorrow
  • 05 Mar 2024
  • Zayd Maniar, International Liaison Partner, Crowe UAE
The accounting profession has been adapting to technology since the invention of the abacus in the second century BC. Now, with the explosion of big data, the increasing affordability of advanced analytics, and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, the industry is entering a new era of transformation. This digital transformation will revolutionise the practice of accountancy and have implications for entire businesses, societies and economies. By embracing the technological changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Chartered Accountants can ensure they remain relevant...
Excel's new functions might change data analysis forever
  • 29 Feb 2024
  • Liam Bastick
Excitement is building, as a range of new functions introduced by Microsoft towards the end of last year are – hopefully – edging closer to general release. Here, Microsoft MVP Liam Bastick explores how they work and what they might mean for you.
Exclusive Automated data extraction - where do I start?
  • 12 Feb 2024
  • Dext
You may already be on the road to becoming fully automated. But if clients still bring you boxes of receipts and paper bank statements, which you manually enter into systems like Xero and QuickBooks, then it might be time to consider automated data extraction. The question is where do you begin?
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT EFRAG aids SMEs with new sustainability data standard
  • 06 Feb 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Exposure Draft proposes a simple reporting tool to help SMEs respond to requests for sustainability data from business partners such as banks, investors or larger company clients.
Exclusive How concerned should we be about a digital pound?
  • 12 Dec 2023
  • ICAEW Financial Services Faculty
The Treasury and Bank of England’s consultation on introducing a digital pound received 50,000 responses.
Exclusive Leveraging maths and stats in Excel for deeper data insights – part 6
  • 05 Dec 2023
  • John Tennent
The final part of this series will explore normal distribution curves and probabilities of success.
Exclusive Data sharing as a policy intervention
  • 21 Nov 2023
  • David Bholat
The recent and spectacular advances made in generative artificial intelligence have been possible because of shared data.
Exclusive Leveraging maths and stats in Excel for deeper data insights – part 5
  • 30 Oct 2023
  • John Tennent
Part 4 of this series explored a range of calendar functions for budgeting and interpreting monthly performance data. The fifth part of this series will delve techniques for forecasting revenue and bass diffusion curves to forecast future volumes and market shares.
Exclusive Histogram Hiccoughs part 2
  • 27 Oct 2023
  • Liam Bastick
Last time, I provided several reasons why Excel’s built-in Histogram charts can cause problems. This time, I consider workarounds to achieve the same visualisations.
Exclusive Histogram Hiccoughs Part 1
  • 27 Oct 2023
  • Liam Bastick
The Histogram chart helps us to analyse the distribution of the data, where we have many data points that can be grouped into categories, or “buckets”. We begin by looking at the standard Excel Histogram chart, which is available in Excel 2016 onwards.
Exclusive Leveraging maths and stats in Excel for deeper data insights – part 4
  • 27 Sep 2023
  • John Tennent
Part 3 of this series explored regression analysis and methods to identify ‘lines of best fit’ through data and then use this to extrapolate future values. The fourth part of this series will deep dive into a range of calendar functions that help with budgeting and interpreting monthly performance data.
SPONSORED CONTENT Cyber risk management – a board level responsibility
  • 22 Sep 2023
  • Mitigo
Mitigo highlight why senior leaders must take responsibility for their cyber risk management to counter a growing threat.
How to get started with generative AI
  • 12 Jul 2023
  • ICAEW Insights
With the increasing immersion of generative AI into the workplace, Franki Hackett, Head of Data Ethics at Engine B and Sarah Schlobohm, Data and AI Leader, discuss the skills accountants need to use it effectively.
What skills do you need to become a Financial Analyst?
  • 11 Jul 2023
  • ICAEW
Financial analysis combines two disciplines (finance and data analysis) to help businesses generate revenue. This guide explores the skills you need to become a successful Financial Analyst.
Exclusive Leveraging maths and stats in Excel for deeper data insights - part 1
  • 03 Jul 2023
  • John Tennent
This is part 1 of a series of articles that will show you the practical application of using the maths and statistics functions in Excel to derive deeper insights into data.
ICAEW's mid-tier research highlights shifts in technology adoption
  • 29 Jun 2023
  • Ian Pay
Ian Pay, Head of Data Analytics and Tech at ICAEW, outlines the aims of the research and key themes that have emerged from the findings.
Enhancing interconnectedness for audit teams and clients
  • 06 Jun 2023
  • ICAEW
New digital tools are transforming the way auditors and clients work, with greater collaboration and frictionless workflow heralding a new audit journey.
Retail in real-time: Getting ahead with data analytics
  • 15 Dec 2022
  • RSM
Find out how retailers can harness unstructured data alongside traditional metrics to influence every decision from forecasting and design, to timing marketing campaigns and product drops.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Improving the quality of sustainability data
  • 14 Dec 2022
  • ICAEW Insights
The Open Data Institute has been working on sharing best practice in order to improve sustainability data. Getting consistency and quality out of that data still poses a challenge.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Time management skills for technological advances
  • 15 Nov 2022
  • ICAEW Insights
The benefits and challenges with technology adoption are often two sides of the same coin. ICAEW’s Head of Data Analytics and Tech, Ian Pay, explores some practical steps to overcome the technology paradox.
INSIGHTS VIEWPOINT Head in the clouds: cyber risks and data protection
  • 28 Oct 2022
  • ICAEW Insights
There is a common misconception that in moving to cloud-based systems, your technology environment is less secure. ICAEW’s Head of Data Analytics and Tech, Ian Pay, explores why this isn’t necessarily the case.
Exclusive 5 Tips to Get Accurate Business Valuations (from the Specialists at Valuation Platform, Valutico)
  • 10 Oct 2022
  • Valutico
Valutico is the world’s leading all-in-one valuation platform, developed by data scientists and valuation experts. Valutico’s specialists noticed some common errors that occur when practitioners are conducting business valuations, and they’ve summarized five mistakes to avoid below.
Exclusive One-step data shop for small cap investment
  • 02 Aug 2022
  • ICAEW Corporate Finance Faculty
Setting up MarktoMarket five years ago was a bold decision for its CEO Doug Lawson and his co-founder Martin Clarke. But Lawson tells Marc Mullen how filling that big data gap in the small-cap segment of the market is proving invaluable for advisers
Exclusive TECH NEWS Slicing One Element on a Chart Only
  • 22 Jul 2022
  • Liam Bastick
Consider a scenario where create a chart, say, a line chart, but you only want one element (one of the lines) to be modified using a slicer. To illustrate, let’s have some data:
Displaying 1-50 of 138 results