CAPE Information Technology

Unit 2
Module 1 Specific Objective 3

Specific Objective 3: Explain how data storage and retrieval have changed over time;
Content: Concept of the terms; history of storage devices; formats of data (from
text-based to multimedia); volumes to be stored; compression utilities; access method and
speed.

Read up on History of Data Storage http://gadgets.fosfor.se/history-of-data-storage/

Formats of Data Text Based --------------- Multimedia Based

ACCESS METHODS

An access method defines the way processes read and write files. We study some of
these below.

Sequential Access This occurs when a number of records need to be

successively read.

For example, if a file has records which are not sorted, then to find a
particular record, that file would need to be searched from the
beginning, reading each record in turn until the wanted record is found.

Direct Access This access allows a user to position the read/write mark before reading or
writing. This feature is useful for applications such as editors that need to randomly access the
contents of the file.

What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with each method of
file storage?

What are the issues relating to the speed at which we access

information?