DefensibleDataCollectionTechniquesintheEnterprise·Chapter6 165 Last, you will need to consider how to collect this information for analysis. As we mentioned earlier, simply imaging the server on which the data is held or copying the files may not be helpful. Here are some items to consider: Do you have the same or equivalent software available to examine the data? For example, if the databases are stored in Microsoft Access, do you have a copy of that software? If this system was created by the company or is a heavily customized version, can the company provide you with the software? Does the system have any export capabilities? Are you able to run reports against the system to mirror the query you are seeking? What reports are run a regular basis? Has any data been purged from the active system that will require you to restore backups? Are you able to copy (sometimes called transforming the data) from its existing system to one that's more familiar? Once you have the data in a format that you can utilize, you should consider interrogating it to ensure that it is what it seems and your understanding of how the business logic is applied to query the data is accurate. One way to do this is to ask for control totals. For example, have a company employee confirm for you how many disbursements were made in a certain period. Compare that