New Applicability 'Ghosting' Simplifies Regulatory Change Review

October 30th, 2017

While frequent updates to regulatory content is without doubt one of the premier benefits of ProActivity, these updates occasionally require clients to re-evaluate regulatory applicability in Dakota Profiler. The nature of the update sometimes necessitates that applicability questions be retired, historically creating a potential gap between a client’s response to the retired question and the new applicability question.

Recently, we explained how ghosting in Dakota Auditor revealed key information from a previous audit for use in a current audit. We are now announcing ghosting in Profiler - to be ready for use by the end of 2017.

When you open an existing profile to answer any new or revised applicability questions, Profiler will reveal the explanation, including any attachments, for the corresponding retired question. In conjunction with the green-highlighted citations reflecting where regulatory changes have occurred, this readily-available explanatory information facilitates reaching a correct applicability determination. On a question-by-question basis, you elect to import this information into the current profile. If no changes are necessary, you can answer the question and maintain the supporting explanation with a single click! Where changes are needed, you merely modify the previous response with the new information.

While Dakota has long advocated adding explanatory text to applicability responses, especially when the issue could be in doubt, clients may have been discouraged from doing so because of having to re-enter data. Now that ghosting will preserve such information, it is important to re-emphasize the value of adding explanations and supporting information.

Click here to download an overview of this new feature. If you have questions about any of the features of Dakota Profiler, please contact Dakota's Compliance Services team for assistance.