Tomorrow's accountant - expert aided?

Article Abstract:

Expert systems are a group of computer programs which try to duplicate the knowledge of a human expert. Ways in which they can be helpful to an accountant are to store and use information in order to solve problems, make judgements, reach conclusions, answer questions and advise. An essential part of any expert system is its knowledge base which would include the acquired knowledge of human experts expressed in rules. The inference part of the system is the module that scans the knowledge base and draws conclusions based on the "rules" it finds there, and the enquiry module allows the user to question the system and receive answers based on these "rules." An accountant who is looking for an appropriate expert system should judge suitability by considering the following matters: (1) Does the system have a well defined domain? (2) Do the tasks that need doing nearly always get the same answer to varied problem conditions? (4) Do the tasks require objectivity? (5) Would the tasks overload human capability? and (6) Do users want the system? Research in this area is still in the early stages but accountants should keep aware of findings that would be of use to the profession.

Equipment and supplies, Accountants, Artificial intelligence, accounting

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Knowledge based systems: expertise on tap

Article Abstract:

Expert systems, more accurately known as knowledge-based systems (KBS), are useful in that they can handle up to 80% of a complex task, such as diagnosing, classifying, or identifying patterns, thus freeing up the time for human experts to pursue other tasks. Most of the development of KBS applications for the accounting profession have come from the large UK accounting firms of Coopers and Lybrand, Deloittes, Arthur Andersen, Touche Ross, and Ernst and Young. Ernst and Young has developed the VAT Intelligent Assistant (VATIA), which helps auditors by providing an easily accessible data base of value-added tax (VAT) regulations relevant to their clients. VAT regulations are complex, and VATIA helps auditors know which regulations apply to specific situations, as well as providing the expertise of other auditors who are not present. KBS is also effective when applied to underwriting, which is a major field of KBS applications.

Product development, Auditing, Value-added tax, Ernst & Young L.L.P., Accounting software, VAT Intelligent Assistant (Accounting software)

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Assessing professional expertise: DBMS v. expert system

Article Abstract:

An expert system is described which was developed to assess which members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland might qualify for an insolvency permit. An IBM PCXT microcomputer and Ashton-Tate''s dBASEIII data base management system (DBMS) were used to record and compute relevant data supplied by insolvency permit applicants. Expert system benefits include: decision support, easy-to-read knowledge base, no redundant data, good statistical properties, immediate advice, the ability to ask 'what if' questions, explanations, easy editing, and the speed of building a knowledge base. DBMS benefits include: implementation speed, ease of maintaining applications, personalized mailings, strong record-keeping capabilities, standard output listings, and a powerful command language. The benefits of combining DBMS and expert systems are described.

Licensing agreements, Database administration, Bankruptcy, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland

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