2011 Review of Thomson Reuters Checkpoint

Thomson Reuters - Checkpoint
800-950-1216
YourCheckpoint.ThomsonReuters.com 

BEST FIT:
Tax and accounting professionals that prefer a uniform platform for tax and accounting research

STRENGTHS:

• High level of user-specific customization
• Single platform for multiple primary, proprietary & third-party research content providers
• Strong search capabilities

POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:

• Based on subscription level, users may experience content overload
• Search options may be overwhelming upon initial use, but should degrade over time

From the December 2011 Review of Tax & Accounting Research Systems

Thomson Reuters Checkpoint (previously branded as Checkpoint) is the tax and accounting research offering from Thomson Reuters. A new version, including a number of feature enhancements, was released in June 2011. A notable interface enhancement is the transformation from a tab-driven site to a menu-driven site, which may lead to a more productive research experience. The shortcut list at the top of the screen has also received some enhancements, including additional shortcuts to popular options and clickable drop-down menus. Many other enhancements have been made, each with the goal of enhancing productivity.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS - 5 Stars
When users login to Thomson Reuters Checkpoint, they are navigated to the home screen by default. This home screen has recently been redesigned and is fully customizable for each user login ID. At the top of the screen is a list of shortcuts with a menu bar below that contains a variety of categories. Both remain visible throughout the product regardless of the current screen view. When users hover over the menu bar, a shortcut menu appears with further navigation options. On the far right side of the menu bar is a new Site Navigator. This enhancement allows users to type in search terms to locate features and subscription content and does not perform queries across that content.

Search is a primary function of the service and is accessed through the search option on the above mentioned menu bar. When a user hovers over this option, a submenu appears and shows all library content to which users are currently subscribed. From here, users may perform search queries from specific libraries or across multiple libraries. Search terms may be entered as Boolean queries or plain English text. A thesaurus tool is also included to build search term strings. When a search is performed, the default presentation is to display a categorized source list based on subscribed content.

To the right of each category is the number of search term hits contained within that category. Users also have the option to view all documents and sort the results by relevance. When this option is selected, search results are displayed in a more traditional internet search presentation with contextual descriptions containing search terms.

A table of contents search is also available, which follows a traditional book feel and allows users to navigate by chapters within each content library. This is useful for users who are more certain of a document location or need to browse general research areas. Generally, this level of research will benefit the senior staff members.

CONTENT - 5 Stars
Thomson Reuters Checkpoint provides access to one of the widest ranges of content available. Subscribers have access to federal and state technical code and regulations, court cases, tax tables and rates, and a variety of tax planning libraries. Proprietary content is also offered through RIA, Warren Gorham & Lamont (WG&L) and PPC, which is designed primarily for accounting and auditing professionals. BNA portfolio analysis may also be integrated, allowing access to all the content on a single and searchable uniform platform.

Several newsletters are available and may be viewed online within the service or pushed to users via email. The delivery options of each newsletter are fully controlled by the user, though content is largely restricted based on content subscriptions. Newsletters are available daily, weekly, monthly and as published.