Automated tracker and analyzer

Abstract

A utility that can be embedded within a system or application, or run as a stand-alone utility, provides a method for identifying causal relationships for one or more events. For instance, if an anomaly is occurring for a subset of events in a series of events, certain information about potential causes can be collected in conjunction with the series of events and, the information can be analyzed to determine if there is a cause and affect relationship leading to the occurrence of the anomalies.

1 . A processor implemented method of processing accounting data in which ancillary information, in conjunction with a series of transactions, is collected and analyzed to identify a correlation measure between the ancillary information and the series of transactions, the processor operating in response to executing program instructions, the method comprising the acts of:
 receiving a selection of a transaction that is part of a first series of transactions;   receiving ancillary information to be associated with the first series of transactions by one or more of the following methods:
 receiving the input of ancillary information directly entered by a user for the first series of transactions; 
 receiving a system initiated request to collect ancillary information from a first set of data sources; 
 receiving ancillary data from one or more data sources of the first set of data sources wherein the one or more data sources operate to define the ancillary data and autonomously provide the ancillary data to the system; and 
 receiving the input of ancillary information entered from multiple users in response to a system request imposed upon the multiple users; 
   whereby, for a plurality of transactions in the first series of transactions, the received ancillary data and the transactions are analyzed to identify a correlation measure.   
     
     
         2 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction is at least one of a group comprising a financial transaction, a business transaction, and an accounting transaction and, the method can be enabled and disabled by a user. 
     
     
         3 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 1 , additionally comprising the act of identifying the plurality of transactions of the first series of transactions by applying a filter to the first series of transactions. 
     
     
         4 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 1 , additionally comprising the act of defining a schedule for the collection of the ancillary data. 
     
     
         5 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 4 , wherein the schedule identifies collection times around the transaction. 
     
     
         6 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 1 , additionally comprising the act of receiving a selection of a transaction that is part of a second series of transactions, and wherein the act of receiving ancillary information to be associated with the first series of transactions additionally comprises one or more of the following methods:
 receiving the input of ancillary information directly entered by a user for a second series of transactions;   receiving a system initiated request to collect ancillary information from a second set of data sources; and   receiving ancillary data, similarly defined as the received ancillary data for the first series of transactions, from one or more data sources of the second set of data sources wherein the one or more data sources autonomously provide the ancillary data to the system;   wherein the second set of data sources comprises the first set of data sources.   
     
     
         7 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 6 , wherein the act of receiving ancillary information to be associated with the second series of transactions includes two or more of the methods and, wherein the second series of transactions comprises the first series of transactions. 
     
     
         8 . An accounting system for identifying a correlation measure between ancillary information associated with a series of transactions, the accounting system comprising:
 a memory element configured to store accounting data and program instructions;   a source interface to one or more data sources, the data sources configured to provide accounting data related to a transaction and to provide data entries not defined or requested by the processor;   a user interface; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the memory element, the source interface, and the user interface, the processor configured to collate data from the source interface of the data sources via a data request, the processor, in response to executing program instructions contained in the memory element, being configured to:   identify a transaction that is part of a first series of transactions;   define a data entry to collect for the first series of transactions;   request, from a first set of data sources, the defined data entry for the identified transaction;   receive, from any subset of the first set of data sources, the defined data entry for the identified transaction;   receive, from any subset of the first set of data sources, a source defined data entry for the identified event; and   for a plurality of transactions in the first series of transactions, analyze the defined data entries, the source defined data entries and the transactions for a correlation measure.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is additionally configured to identify the plurality of transactions of the first series of transactions by applying a filter to the first series of transactions. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is additionally configured to define a schedule for the collection of the defined data entries. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the schedule identifies collection times around the event. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is additionally configured to:
 identify a transaction that is part of a second series of transactions;   define a data entry to collect for the second series of transactions, the defined data entries for the second series of transactions similarly defined as the source defined data entry of the first series of transactions; and   request, from a second set of data sources, the defined data entry for the identified transaction; and   wherein the second set of data sources comprises the first set of data sources.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the second series of transactions comprises more transactions than the first series of transactions. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the transaction is at least one of a group comprising a financial transaction, a business transaction, and an accounting transaction. 
     
     
         15 . A processor implemented method of processing accounting data in which ancillary information, in conjunction with a series of transactions, is collected and analyzed to identify a correlation measure between the ancillary information and the series of transactions, the processor operating in response to executing program instructions, the method comprising the acts of:
 receiving a selection of a transaction that is part of a first series of transactions a selection of a transaction that is part of a second series of transactions;   receiving ancillary information to be associated with the first series of transactions and the second series of transactions by one or more of the following methods:
 receiving a first input of ancillary information directly entered by a user for the first series of transactions, and a second input of ancillary information directly entered by a user for the second series of transactions; 
 receiving a system initiated request to collect the first input of ancillary information from a first set of data sources, and to collect the second input of ancillary information from a second set of data sources; 
 receiving the first input of ancillary data from one or more data sources of the first set of data sources wherein the one or more data sources operate to define the ancillary data and autonomously provide the ancillary data to the system; and 
 receiving the second input of ancillary data, similarly defined as the received first input of ancillary data, from one or more data sources of the second set of data sources wherein the one or more data sources autonomously provide the ancillary data to the system; and 
 receiving the first input of ancillary information and the second input of ancillary information entered from multiple users in response to a system request imposed upon the multiple users; 
   whereby, for a plurality of transactions in the first series of transactions and the second series of transactions, any received ancillary data and the transactions are analyzed to identify a correlation measure.   
     
     
         16 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 15 , additionally comprising the acts of identifying the plurality of transactions of the first series of transactions and the second series of transactions by applying a filter to the series of transactions. 
     
     
         17 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 15 , additionally comprising the acts of defining a schedule for the collection of the ancillary data. 
     
     
         18 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 17 , wherein the schedule identifies collection times around the transaction. 
     
     
         19 . The method of processing accounting data of  claim 15 , wherein receiving ancillary information to be associated with the first series of transactions includes two or more of the methods and, wherein the second series of transactions comprises the first series of transactions.