Stratification
Definition
The grouping of numeric values into defined ranges (strata) to reveal the distribution of a dataset. In fraud detection, large concentrations of transactions just below a threshold or in an unexpected value band are the primary flag.
Related terms
- CAATs
- Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques: software-driven procedures applied to electronic data files that test the full population of transactions rather than a sample, covering...
- Duplicate detection
- A systematic search for records that share key fields (invoice number, vendor, amount, date) that should be unique, surfacing duplicate payments, double...
- Gap test
- A test that identifies missing numbers in a document sequence (check numbers, invoice series, purchase orders) where continuity is expected; gaps often...
- Join-and-match
- A cross-table technique that links two or more data files on a common key, such as matching vendor bank account numbers against...
- Ratio analysis
- Calculation of financial ratios across periods or business units to identify statistically unusual deviations that might indicate manipulation: cost ratios, gross margin...
- Sequence analysis
- Verification that a numbered series progresses in expected order without skips, reversals, or unexpected repetitions. It is the positive counterpart to gap...
Explained in
- Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATs)The grouping of numeric values into defined ranges (strata) to reveal the distribution of a dataset. In fraud detection, large concentrations of transactions j...