Data Analytics Across the ÃÛÌÒapp Accounting Curriculum
As companies increasingly rely on data to drive strategic business decisions, it’s important that students have the skills and knowledge to turn data into a competitive advantage.
Using a range of projects across the accounting curriculum, students will learn how to analyze data through hands-on exercises, video tutorials, and software instruction, preparing them to make sound, evidence-based decisions that drive business performance.
Take a closer look at the data analytics projects in MyLab Accounting below.
Introductory Accounting Course Projects
For Principles of Accounting and Introduction to Financial AccountingÌý
Projects that utilize Excel cover the following topics:
- Transaction Analysis
- Fixed Asset Analysis
- Gross Profit Analysis
Projects that utilize Excel, Tableau and PowerBI cover the following topics:
- Sales transaction analysis
For Principles of Accounting and Introduction to Managerial AccountingÌý
Projects that utilize Excel cover the following topics:
- Contribution Margin Analysis
- Segment Margin Analysis
Projects that utilize Excel, Tableau and PowerBI cover the following topics:
- Budgeting
- Performance Measurement
(NEW!) Taxation
In the taxation projects, students will utilize Excel-based tools to assess data for accuracy, then organize and filter large quantities of information in order to make the data appropriate for income tax calculations.
Students will then incorporate income tax concepts including the calculation of net income, taxable income and taxes payable utilizing the outputs of their data analysis in excel. This assignment also includes data visualization and incorporates tax planning concepts for a business.
Available for Byrd/Chen, Canadian Tax Principles, 2020-21e
The Merger
For Accounting Information Systems, Cost Accounting, or full Data Analytics courses
In this comprehensive project, students work with a dataset (from approx. 1.7M payroll records) of two merging companies. Students will manipulate data to make important accounting decisions. They will:
- Get to practice Extraction/Translation/Load or ETL
- Learn about the importance of data integrity of the ETL process
- Get experience importing, storing, organizing, and analyzing data in a database
Instructors also receive a manual on how to assign, implement, and grade each project.
Learn more about The Merger: A Data Analytics Project, 1st edition by Ashley Davis.
Auditing
The ColAlta pipeline simulation provides students a downloadable data set and Excel-based data analytics projects
Available for Arens/Elder/Beasley/Hogan, Auditing and Assurance Services, 14th Canadian Edition
Cost Accounting
Solver Problems in Appendix 11B provide students with Excel and data analytics exposure
Available for Datar/Rajan, Horngren’s Cost Accounting, 8th Canadian Edition
Accounting Information Systems
A section on Data Analytics (Part II) updates discussion of relational databases not only as the basis for transaction processing systems, but also as one of the sources for Big Data and Analytics. It also discusses the Extract, Transfer, and Load (ETL) process and various data analytic techniques.
Available for Romney/Steinbart, Accounting Information Systems, 15th edition