3 things you can audit with an ERP system

Something very useful for organisations that use an ERP system is auditing the various data in the system.

This data auditing helps system users maintain the ERP system’s performance.

It also helps protect data security and control access to various data very well.

An ERP system’s data auditing can check various details, as in the following examples:

1. Auditing the recording and editing of data in the system

2. Auditing the volume of data

3. Auditing access to data in the system

The details of each point are as follows:

1. Auditing the recording and editing of data in the system

This topic is about auditing to see whether data in the system has been edited.

If data has been edited, the system user can check who accessed and edited this data.

Auditing data edits in the ERP system is done to verify the accuracy of the data — who changed the data, when the person made the change, and how the changed data was changed.

2. Auditing the volume of data

Auditing the volume of data, including auditing the volume of transactions in the system, helps maintain the ERP system’s performance very well.

For example, auditing the transaction volume of data during the 9:00–10:00 period today compared with yesterday, to see whether the ERP system’s speed today is running normally or slower than usual.

The audit can be done by checking the transaction volume in the system during the 9:00–10:00 period today and comparing it with the transaction volume during the 9:00–10:00 period yesterday, with staff performing the same volume of transactions.

If the transaction volumes on the two days are found to be similar, it may mean the system’s speed is running normally.

But if comparing the transaction volume of today and yesterday over the same period

shows that today’s transactions are clearly fewer than yesterday’s, while staff intend to perform the same volume of transactions as yesterday,

then it’s possible the ERP system today is lagging and running slower than usual — which then requires a deeper investigation into what caused the lag, and fixing that cause.

3. Auditing access to data in the system

Managing access permissions and authorisations for ERP users can be done because the ERP system records access data and permission activity for auditing and tracking.

In addition, users can test access by the following test method:

Use a tester who does not have rights to access the ERP system, and have them try to access the system to see whether they can — in order to check whether the system strictly follows the access-permission policy the organisation has set.

Granting access to data should only be granting permissions as necessary, to reduce the risk of granting excessive system access.

In summary, auditing ERP use in the areas of auditing data recording and editing, auditing the volume of data, and auditing access to data, as described,

will be very beneficial to organisations using an ERP system, in order to maintain the system’s performance and let the organisation use the ERP system to achieve the highest results.