The Audit Commander software is currently in "alpha" release and as such is a "work in progress". Some testing has been performed on both the Windows XP and Vista platforms using Excel, Access, SQLite and text files (comma separated and tab separated values). The software is free software (open source- (license) and is not intentionally "crippled". The software will remain free software (although training and support will not be free). Plans call for full "beta" testing starting in January, 2009. All comments, suggestions and recommendations are welcome.
The software has almost all of the functionality of the XL Audit Commander. It is designed for use with both Microsoft Access and Excel, as well as make use of other free software such as the "R" statistical system and SQLite.
Much of the statistical computation done by the system is through the use of the "R" system which is also open source software. The "R" system is used to develop plots and charts, as well as perform various statistical functions such as linear regression. An example document which illustrates this software shows various charts developed with "R". Although "R" runs on both Vista and XP, there are some limitations apparently imposed by Vista® (32 MB memory limitation) and thus not all "R" functionality is available under Vista®.
There is an alpha version of the software available for evaluation and testing. A registration form must be completed in order to obtain a copy. This registration form also provides access to the hand-out materials at the joint IIA/ISACA meeting held in Raleigh, NC on November 11, 2008.
I welcome all comments, questions and suggestions. I can be reached at 919-219-1622 on Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST and by e-mail at Mike.Blakley@ezrstats.com.
