i2 Tips & Tricks: The Field Calculator functionality in i2 iBase

In this Tips and Tricks article, we take a closer look at the Field Calculator functionality of i2 iBase. With this functionality, you can quickly see in one place when transactions took place and what the amounts were.

Suppose you are investigating a money laundering case. Import organisation Zuid-West Import and transport company Truck Leon SA appear to be involved. In such a situation, it is relevant to identify whether there has been a flow of funds between the two organisations. To visualise this, you can query your i2 iBase database. Through a query, you can find out if and how many transactions took place between the two companies.

The result shows that multiple transactions took place between the companies. Only the transaction links are displayed as results, because in the query, the choice was made to select the output only on the transaction link. The other information regarding the companies or bank account numbers is irrelevant in this example.

Now, in the investigation, there may be some value in determining when the first and last transactions were. The lowest/highest/total amount of the transfer can also provide additional insights for your investigation. To get a quick overview of this data in one place, you can use the ‘Field Calculator’ functionality.

This functionality can be found by going to the 'Analysis' tab and selecting the 'Field Calculator' option. A new tab in i2 iBase will then open with the screen below.

The functionality can be applied based on all records in the database, a stored query or a stored set. The entity or link type will have to match what comes up as a result from the query or is stored in the set you want to use.

Because date/time and amount information are included in the query results, you have the ability to retrieve the following data when using the 'Field Calculator':

• By date:
  Earliest – the earliest date or time
  Latest – the latest date or time
• By amount:
  Lowest – the lowest value
  Highest – the highest value
  Average – the average value
  Sum Of – the total value
  Standard Deviation – the standard deviation

In the black field on the image above, you can find the calculated data, based on the query.

You can easily copy the 'Field Calculator' results to your report using the 'Copy to Clipboard’ option on the right-hand side.

More information on i2 iBase's capabilities? Then be sure to attend one of our i2 iBase training courses. Click here for more information on these training courses.