• Powerful analyses are, by definition, complex. As is stated in other areas of this manual, complex routines normally require scripting. This means that users must learn Picalo's scripting language, its available functions, and their parameters.
• Most analysts don't want to learn the complex algorithms and concepts, such as scripting. In a perfect world, we'd all learn how to script and write detailed algorithms. But the reality is that most analysts do not have the time or interest to walk the learning curve.

Detectlets solve this paradox by allowing the power users to support the regular users. In most organizations, there are at least two or three technical individuals who are willing to scale the learning curve required to create powerful and complex analyses. These individuals use the declarative Detectlet language to prepare custom wizards for their organizations. Once these modules are installed on other analysts' computers, they are widely available throughout the organization.

When a Detectlet is run, it first gathers the information required to run the analysis function. Once the information is gathered and verified, the analysis function is called. Detectlets always create a table (or list of tables). Upon successful completion, an "Interpreting the Results" window displays that helps you interpret the resulting table.

Picalo automatically detects any Detectlets installed on your computer. Be sure to look through the available Detectlets in your installation as they provide powerful analyses at the click of a button. The Detectlets menu provides access to these routines.

If you are technically skilled, please help create additional detectlet libraries. Picalo provides the foundation for a worldwide repository of detectlets for all types of domains. It is impossible for the Picalo designers to know what fraud routines work in every country, every domain, and every business. While some fraud schemes seem common to most areas, others are highly specialized to very specific medical fields, areas of the world, etc.

If you have any technical skills at all and are using Picalo in your work, you are under a (friendly) moral obligation to codify your analyses as Detectlets and submit them for others to use. If each user submits just a few well-thought-out detectlets, we'll all benefit and be more effective in our work.

The standard build of Picalo comes with a few example Detectlets (currently related to Benford's Law of numbers. These Detectlets provide examples of additional Detectlet libraries that can either be downloaded or purchased and added to Picalo. Individuals and companies that develop Detectlets are free to license their libraries as they wish (free, open source, or charge). Available libraries are listed on the main Picalo web site.

To use additional Detectlet libraries, you must download and install them from this site. Installation of new libraries is easy. Once you have downloaded a library, select Detectlet | Install from the Picalo menu and browse to the .py or .zip file. Most Detectlet libraries are provided as .zip files. The Detectlets will be immediately available from your menu -- there is no need to restart Picalo.