DATABASE DESIGN

Data can be either Primary or Secondary Primary data are those which are collected for the first time & original in character Secondary data are those which have already been collected by some other persons & which are passed through the statistical machine at least once.
METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA The following are the commonly used methods for collecting primary data 1,Direct Personal Investigation 2,Indirect Oral Investigation 3,Mailed Questionnaires 4,Schedules sent through enumerators 5,Local correspondents

DIRECT PERSONAL INVESTIGATION

In direct personal Investigation the investigator himself personally goes to the spot of enquiry & collect information either through interview with the informants or through observation. It is essential that , the investigator should be polite , tactful, Intelligent & has a power of close observation . This method is applicable when the field of enquiry is small & greater accuracy is required Merits 1, The information obtained is more accurate & reliable as the enquiry is intensive & conducted personally 2,Response & Co- operation from the informants are more as the investigator personally approaches them 3,The interviewer establishes a personal contact & can twist the questions keeping in mind the reaction of the informants

 4, The language of the question can be adjusted according to the educational level of the informant 5, The data can be collected quickly & promptly even through telephones DEMERITS 1, There is chance for personal bias & prejudices on the part of the investigator & this may lead to disastrous results 2, This method is not suitable for extensive investigation particularly where the field of enquiry is vast & wide 3, It is expensive & time consuming method 4, The success of the method depends mainly on the personality involving skill , Intelligence , tact , diplomacy etc.. 5, The interviewers have to be thoroughly trained & supervised , If not the result obtained would be misleading 6 , out of fear & shame the informants may be reluctant to give the required

2.INDIRECT ORAL INVESTIGATION

In this method data are collected through indirect sources The investigator collects the data indirectly by interviewing the third person or witnesses who are supposed to be in close touch with the original informants or incidence This method is generally used in those cases where the information to be obtained is of a complex nature, the area to be covered is vast or the informants are reluctant to part with the desired information or the incidence concerned is not accessible. This method is usually adopted by GOVT, semi govt organisations

3.MAILED QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD

In this method a list of relevant questions relating to the problem under investigation is prepared & sent to the various informants by post A self addressed envelop & a covering letter requesting to furnish the necessary information are also sent to the informants along with the questionnaire This method is applicable in cases where the informants are literate & are spread over a wider area

4.SCHEDULES SENT THROUGH ENUMERATORS

Under this method , information is collected by sending schedules through the enumerators or interviewers. A schedule is also a set of questions relating to the problem under study but are asked & filled in a face to face situation between the enumerators & informants

5.THROUGH LOCAL CORRESPONDENTS

under this method the investigator appoints local agents or correspondents in different places to collect information. These correspondents collect & transmit the information to the central office where the data are processed Newspaper agencies generally adopt this method Various govt departments Cheap & suitable for extensive investigation It may not ensure very accurate results because of the personal prejudices & bias of the correspondents