Family Tree Analyzer is a portable free tool which can analyse a family tree (in GEDCOM form) and produce various reports on it.
You'll first need to save your data in the GEDCOM format. If you're using family tree software then you can probably do that via a Save or Export option. If your tree is on the web, then check the site for export features (at Ancestry, select Tree Pages > Tree Settings > Export Tree).
Launch Family Tree Analyzer, click File > Open and select your GEDCOM file. We saw a lot of errors when doing this from an Ancestry export, mostly relating to "unrecognised date formats", but don't worry if you notice anything similar: it doesn't seem to matter.
Once the file has been parsed then clicking the various tabs will tell you more about your data.
The "Individuals" tab just lists everyone in their tree, along with some core details, for instance. It's very basic, as reports go, but can still be useful. You can sort by any field, for instance, and so order the list by surname, birth date, death location and more.
The "Locations" tab displays the various places referenced in the tree (residences, places of birth and so on). Double-clicking any of these displays the related person, handy if you've forgotten who it was who died in Australia (or wherever). And if you need more detail then there are buttons to highlight any location on Google or Bing maps.
The Data Errors tab runs some basic sanity checks on your data. Was an individual born or married after their death, or buried before it? Do you have facts dated before they were born? Did they live to be more than 120? There are 14 checks along these lines, you can choose what you want to run, and the program will highlight any problems for you.
Other reports just aim to help you with your research. For example, the "War Dead" tab highlights males who don't currently have a death date, but were of a likely fighting age during both World Wars, just as a reminder to check the military records. While the Census tab highlights everyone in your list that you'd expect to be alive at a particular census date, but aren't currently recorded, perhaps useful when you're deciding where to look next.
And there's more, too, including locations lists, details on incomplete death records, even census lists which might help enter data at LostCousins.com.
