It A Level CHPT 1 Data Processing and Information

CHAPTER 1
DATA PROCESSING AND INFORMATION
COURSE: A LEVEL IT , CHAPTER 1 ( DATA PROCESSING AND INFORMATION) , TUTOR: THOMAS ESIZIMETOR, EMAIL: 1
t.esizimetor@oxbridgecollify.com / thomastigbafe@gmail.com / 08037979623
Learning Objectives
• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
 define the differences between data, and

information
 define static and dynamic data
 define direct and indirect data sources
 understand the advantages and disadvantages of
gathering data from direct and indirect data
sources
Learning Objectives (Contd.)
 understand how the accuracy, relevance, age,

level of detail and completeness of information
can affect its quality
 define encryption and describe different
methods of encryption
 evaluate the need for encryption and how it can
be used to protect data
 discuss encryption protocols
Learning Objectives (Contd.)

 define validation and analyse a range of
validation methods
 define verification and analyse verification
methods
 explain the need for both validation and
verification
 define proof reading
 explain the method of Data processing (batch,
online, real-time)
1.1 DATA AND INFORMATION
• Data: A collection (string) of text, numbers,

symbols, images or sound, in raw or unorganized
form that has no meaning on its own.
• Examples of data: P952BR , @bbcclick , 359 ,
23557.9
• The data P952BR could have several meanings. It

could possibly be:
 a product code
 a postal /ZIP code
 a car registration number.
• As it is not known what the data means, it is

meaningless
• Information: Data that has been processed are
given context and meaning, they become
information. Information is a processed data.
• For the data to become information, it needs to
be given meaning. Information is useful because
it means something.
Data Context Meaning
P952BR A product A product code for a can of noodles.

code
@bbcclick A Twitter The Twitter address for the BBC’s
handle weekly technology show, Click, which is
worth watching on BBC World News
and BBC2 to keep up to date
DISCUSSION POINT with technology.
359 Price in US The price of a mobile phone.

dollars
SOURCES OF DATA
 Direct data source (Primary source): Data

collected first-hand for a specific purpose
 Indirect data source (Secondary source): data
collected from a secondary source; originally
collected for a different purpose.
• Static information source: Static means ‘still’. It
is data that does not normally change. Static
data is either fixed or has to be changed
manually by editing a document.
• Examples:
 Text book
 title of a web page
 magazines
 CD-ROMs
 column headings for a football
league table (e.g. P, W, D, L, F,
A, GD)
 instructions on a data entry
screen.
• Characteristics of Static information source
 Sources where information does not change on

a regular basis.
 Information can go out of date quickly.
 Information can be viewed offline since no live
data is required.
 More likely to be accurate since information will
be validated.
• Dynamic information source: Dynamic means
‘moving’. It is data that updates as a result of the
source data changing. Dynamic data is updated
automatically without user intervention.
• Examples:
 live sports results on a website
(when a goal is scored, the
scores will update on the
website)
 news feeds on a mobile phone
app (when the news is
changed in the main database,
the news feed will be updated
on the phone)
• Examples:
 availability of tickets for a concert
(when somebody books a ticket,
the ticket is no longer available)
 train expected arrival times (these
will update automatically based
on the train’s position)
• Characteristics of Dynamic information
source
 Information is automatically updated when
source data changes.
 Information most likely to be up to date.
 An internet/network connection to source
data is required.
 Data may be less accurate since it is
produced very quickly so may contain errors.
• Direct data source (Primary source): Data
collected first-hand for a specific purpose. It is
data collected for a specific purpose or task and
is used for that purpose and that purpose only.
E.g. from observation, interviews, questionnaires
etc.
 Questionnaires: consists of a set of questions,
usually on a specific subject or issue. The
questions are designed to gather data from
those people being questioned.
 Interviews: is a formal meeting, usually
between two people, where one of them, the
interviewer, asks questions, and the other
person, the interviewee, answers those
questions.
 Observation: is a method of data collection in
which the data collectors watch what
happens in a given situation. The observer
collects data by seeing for themselves what
happens, rather than depending on the
answers from interviewees or the accuracy of
completed questionnaires.
 Data logging: is using a computer and sensors to
collect data. The data is then analyzed, saved
and the results are output, often in the form of
graphs and charts. Data logging systems can
gather and display data as an event happens.
The data is usually collected over a period of
time, either continuously or at regular intervals,
in order to observe particular trends.
• Example:
• A sports shop wants to find out what other shops are
charging for trainers. There are various direct
sources that this data can be collected from.
• These could include:
 visiting the other shops and noting down the prices
 visiting the other shops’ websites and noting down
the prices
 carrying out a survey of other shop owners to ask
their prices (although they are unlikely to want to
give these).
• Advantages of Direct Data Source
 Collected data will be relevant to purpose. You get
the exact data you need
 You only gather as much or as little as you need
 Original source is verified. You know exactly where
the data came from and so you can estimate how
reliable it is.
 You may be able to sell the data for other purposes.
 Data collected can be presented in required format.
 Data is more likely to be unbiased.
• Disadvantages of Direct Data Source
 Data gathering may take a long time to collect.
 Data gathering may be expensive as you hire
other companies to get it for you.
 It may involve having to purchase equipment
such as data loggers and computers.
 It may not be possible to gather original data
due to the time of year e.g. you want winter
snowfall data and the project is now in the
middle of summer.
•
COURSE: A LEVEL IT , CHAPTER 1 ( DATA
t.esizimetor@oxbridgecollify.com PROCESSING AND INFORMATION) , TUTOR: THOMAS ESIZIMETOR, EMAIL: t.esizimetor@oxbridgecollify.co
/ thomastigbafe@gmail.com
m / thomastigbafe@gmail.com / 08037979623
• Indirect data source (Secondary source): data
collected from a secondary source; originally
collected for a different purpose. E.g. from
journals, reports, newspapers , articles, internet,
electoral register, businesses collecting personal
information when used by third parties, etc.
• Example:
• The sports shop could use various indirect sources
to find out what other shops are charging for
trainers including:
 looking at till receipts from the shop (the price is
printed on the till receipt for the purpose of
providing proof of purchase, not for identifying
prices).
• Advantages of Indirect Data Source
 Data is immediately available and large samples
for statistical analysis more likely to be
available. Takes less time to gather than original
(direct) data.
 It may be cheaper to obtain than gathering
original data
 Makes extra use of original data you already
have by processing for a different purpose
 Archiving ensures that all the data you have
collected is available for uses you have not
considered just yet.
COURSE: A LEVEL IT , CHAPTER 1 ( DATA PROCESSING AND INFORMATION) , TUTOR: THOMAS ESIZIMETOR, EMAIL:
26
• Disadvantages of Indirect Data Source
 Original source is not verified. You may not know exactly
where the data came from and so it may be unreliable.
 Required data may not exist, or additional and irrelevant
data may exist which requires sorting.
 Data is likely to be biased due to unverified source
 Data may not be up to date.
 Extraction may be difficult if in different format.
 If you have to buy the data from a specialist company
then it may be more expensive that collecting it yourself.
 There may be only a small part of the data needed so
you have to extract what you want from a large data set.
 You may not be able to obtain exactly the data you want.
27
• QUESTION 1
• A school secretary has been handed some data
by a student:
• Prasad, Anoushka, SR132516, 52, 01/09/2000
• Explain why they are regarded as just items of
data. In your explanation give a possible context
for the data and describe how this would make
the data become information.
• ...............................................................................
...........................................................................[3]
•
1.2 QUALITY OF INFORMATION
• 1. Accuracy:
• Information that is inaccurate is clearly not good
enough. Data must be accurate in order to be
considered of good quality.
• Imagine being told that you need to check in at the
airport 45 minutes before the flight leaves, so you turn
up at 18:10 for a 17:05 flight only to find that you
were actually supposed to check in one hour early.
• Example: decimal point in the wrong place, for
example $90.30 instead of $903.00 could suggest a
product is much cheaper than it really is.
• 2. Relevance:
• Information must be relevant to its purpose.
Having additional information that is not required
means that the user has to search through the
data to find what is actually required.
• Example: being given a bus timetable when you
want to catch a train.
• 3. Age:
• Information must be up to date in order to be
useful. Old information is likely to be out of date
and therefore no longer useful.
• When using indirect data sources, always check
when the information was produced.
• Example: the number of residents in a town
based on a census from 2011, but 500 new
homes have been built in the town since then
• 4. Level of detail:
• There needs to be the right amount of information for it to
be good quality. It’s possible to have either too little or too
much information provided.
• If there is too much information, then it can be difficult to
find the exact information required. If there is not enough
information, then it is not possible to use it correctly.
• Example: A person orders a pizza. They ask for a large
pepperoni to be delivered. They forgot to say what type of
base they wanted and where it should be delivered to. The
pizza company does not have enough information to fulfil
the order.
• 5. Completeness:
• All information that is required must be provided
in order for it to be of good quality. Not having all
the information required means it cannot be
used properly.
• Example: A person has booked their car in for a
service over the phone. The mechanic tells them
the name of the street but doesn’t give the
building number.
• QUESTION 1
• Tick the four most accurate statements regarding the quality of information.
1.3 ENCRYPTION
• Encryption is when data is scrambled so that it

cannot be understood.
• Encryption only scrambles the data so that if it is
found, it cannot be understood. It does not stop
the data from being intercepted, stolen or lost.
• The purpose of encryption is to make the data
difficult or impossible to read if it is accessed by
an unauthorised user.
• Data can be encrypted when it is stored on disks
or other storage media, or it can be encrypted
when it is sent across a network such as a local
area network or the internet.
• Accessing encrypted data legitimately is known
as decryption.
• Encryption: the scrambling of data so it cannot be understood
without a decryption key so that it is unreadable if
intercepted. Encryption is a type of encoding.
• How Encryption protects data

• Encryption only scrambles the data so that if it is found, it
cannot be understood. It does not stop the data from being
intercepted, stolen or lost. However, with strong 256-bit AES
encryption it is virtually impossible for somebody to decrypt
the data and so it is effectively protected from prying eyes.
• Types of Encryption
• Symmetric Encryption
• This is the oldest method of encryption. It requires both
the sender and recipient to possess the secret encryption
and decryption key.
• With symmetric encryption, the secret key needs to be
sent to the recipient. This could be done at a separate
time, but it still has to be transmitted whether by post or
over the internet and it could be intercepted.
• Asymmetric Encryption
• Asymmetric encryption is also known as public-
key cryptography. Asymmetric encryption
overcomes the problem of symmetric encryption
keys being intercepted by using a pair of keys.
• This will include a public key which is available to
anybody wanting to send data, and a private key
that is known only to the recipient. They key is
the algorithm required to encrypt and decrypt the
data.
• For example, Thomas sends a message to Helene.
• Thomas encrypts the message using Helene’s public key.
Helene receives the encrypted message and decrypts it
using her private key.
• This method requires a lot more processing than
symmetric encryption and so it takes longer to decrypt the
data.
• When encrypted data is required by a recipient, the computer
will request the digital certificate from the sender. The public
key can be found within the digital certificate.
• In order to find a public key, digital certificates are required
which identify the user or server and provide the public key.
• A digital certificate is unique to each user or server.
• A digital certificate usually includes:
 organisation name
 organisation that issued the certificate
 user’s email address
 user’s country
 user’s public key.
• Asymmetric encryption is used for Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL) which is the security method
used for secure websites. Transport Layer
Security (TLS) has superseded SSL but they are
both often referred to as SSL. Once SSL has
established an authenticated session, the client
and server wilt create symmetric keys for faster
secure communication.
• Encryption Protocol
• HTTPS
• Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is
the encryption standard used for secure web
pages.
• It uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport
Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt and decrypt
pages and information sent and received by web
users.
• Many websites use SSL/TLS to encrypt data
when sending or receiving it. This keeps attackers
from accessing that data while it is being
transferred.
• SSL/TLS should always be used when storing or
sending sensitive data over the internet, such as
when completing tax returns, buying goods
online, or renewing house and car insurance.
• Only going to websites which use SSL/TLS is good
practice. The SSL/TLS protocol enables the
creation of a secure connection between a web
server and a browser.
• Data that is being transferred to the web server is
protected from eavesdroppers (the name given
to people who try to intercept internet
communications).
• This is the encryption method that is used by
banks when a user logs onto online banking.
• A secure web page can be spotted by its
address beginning with https:// and in addition
some browsers display a small padlock.
• When a browser requests a secure page, it will
check the digital certificate to ensure that it is
trusted, valid and that the certificate is related to
the sire which it originates.
• The browser then uses a public key to encrypt a
new symmetric key that is sent to the web server.
The browser and web server can then
communicate using a symmetric encryption key,
which is much faster than asymmetric
encryption.
• The Purpose of Secure Socket Layer
(SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS)
• The three main purposes of SSL/TLS are to:
 encrypt data to protect it
 check that the people/companies exchanging
data are who they say they are (authentication)
 check the integrity of the data to make sure it
hasn’t been corrupted or altered.
• Uses of Encryption
• Disk Encryption (Hard Disk)
• Disk encryption will encrypt every single bit of data
stored on a disk. This is different to encrypting single
files. In order to access any file on the disk, the
encryption key will be required.
• This type of encryption is not limited to disks and can
be used on other storage media such as backup tapes
and Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash memory.
• It is particularly important that USB flash
memory and backup tapes are encrypted
because these are portable storage media and
so are susceptible to being lost or stolen. If the
whole medium is encrypted, then anybody
trying to access the data will not be able to
understand it.
• The data is usually accessed by entering a
password or using a fingerprint to unlock the
encryption.
• Email Encryption
• Email encryption uses asymmetric encryption. This
means that recipients of emails must have the
private key that matches the public key used to
encrypt the original email.
• In order for this to work, both the sender and
recipient need to send each other a digitally signed
message that will add the person’s digital
certificate to the contact for that person.
• Encrypting an email will also encrypt any
attachments.
• Disadvantages of Encryption
 Encryption takes more time and additional
processing power to load encrypted data.
 There is increase in the time it takes to load a
web page by several milliseconds.
 Encryption uses up valuable memory for both
the client and the server.
• QUESTION 1
• Tick the four statements which most accurately refer to encryption.
1.4 CHECKING THE ACCURACY OF DATA
• VALIDATION
• Validation is the process of checking data to
make sure it matches/conforms to acceptable or
define rules.
• Validation does not ensure the data is correct.
• Types/Method of Validation Checks
• There are a variety of different validation checks that
can be used to check whether data is acceptable;
 Presence check: A presence check is used to ensure
that data is entered. If data is entered, then it is
accepted. If data is not entered, then the user will be
presented with an error message asking them to enter
data. For example, When filling in a 'contact us’ form on
a website, it is essential that an email address is
entered.
 Limit check: ensures that data is within a defined range.
Contains one boundary , either the highest possible
value or the lowest possible value. A minor is <18 years.
An Adult is >=18. 57
 Range check: ensures that data is within a defined
range. Contains two boundaries , the lower boundary
and the upper boundary. This could be the highest
possible value or the lowest possible value. Number
of students >=5 and <=28
 Type check: ensures that data must be of a defined
data type. For example,
 If an age is entered, it must be an integer.
 If a grade is entered, it must be text with no numbers.
 If a price is entered, it must be
numerical/number/currency.
 If a date of birth is entered, it must be a date.
 Length check: ensures data is of a defined length or
within a range of lengths. For example, a password must
be at least six characters long. A grade must be exactly
one character long ( A ).
 Format check: ensures data matches a defined format.
For example, an email address must include an @
symbol preceded by at least one character and followed
by other characters. The following data would be valid:
 john@bldef.co
 a@b.dek
 Lookup check: rests to see if data exists in a list. When
asking a user for their gender, they can respond with
'Male’ or ‘Female’. A lookup validation rule would check
to see that the values are within this list. 59
 Consistency check: compares data in one field
with data in another field that already exists within
a record, to check their consistency. When
entering the gender of ‘M’ or ‘F’, a consistency
check will prevent ‘F’ from being entered if the
title is ‘Mr’ and will prevent ‘M’ from being
entered if the title is ‘Mrs’ or 'Miss’.
 Check Digit: is a number (or letter) that is added to
the end of an identification number being input. It
is a form of redundancy check because the check
digit is redundant (not needed for the
identification number, but just used for validation).
• VERIFICATION
• Verification is the process of checking that
the data entered into the computer system
matches the original source.
• Types of Verification
 Visual Checking: A method of verification can be

for the user to visually check that the data
entered matches the original source.
• This can be done by reading the data displayed
on screen and comparing it with the original
data. If the data matches, then it has passed the
verification process. If it does not match, then it
has failed the verification process and needs to
be re-entered.
• Visual checking does not ensure that the data
entered is correct. If the original data is wrong,
then the verification process may still pass.
 Double Data Entry: Another method of
verification is to input data into the computer
system twice. The two items of data are
compared by the computer system and if they
match, then they are verified. If there are any
differences, then one of the inputs must have
been incorrect.
• For example, when changing a password, most
systems will ask the user to enter the new
password twice.
• It is still possible to pass double entry verification

and for the data to be incorrect. If the data is
entered incorrectly twice, then the two values
may match. For example, if the CAPS key is left on
by mistake then both entries would match.
65
 Parity Checking: Parity Checking is one method
used to check whether data has been changed or
corrupted following transmission from one device
or medium to another device or medium.
• A byte of data, for example, is allocated a Parity
Bit. This is allocated before transmission takes
place.
• Even and Odd Parity
• Systems that use Even Parity have an even
number of 1-bits; systems that use Odd Parity
have an odd number of 1-bits.
• Before data is transferred, an agreement is made
between sender and receiver regarding which of
the two types of parity are used. This is an
example of a Protocol ( a Rule).
• Consider the following byte ( 8 bits ):
• If this byte is using even parity, then the parity bit

needs to be 0 since there is already an even
number of 1 -bits (in this case, four 1 -bits).
• If odd parity is being used, then the parity bit
needs to be 1 to make the number of 1 -bits odd.
• Therefore, the byte just before transmission would be:
• (Even parity)
• (Odd parity)
•
• If a byte has been transmitted from 'A' to 'B', and even
parity is used, an error would be flagged if the byte
now had an odd number of 1-bits at the receiver's end.
• Hash Total: Hash total can be used when
imputing asset of data.
• A hash total is calculated by adding together
values from an input field for all the records that
need to be input.
• Before input starts, the user will manually add up
the values. Once input is completed, the
computer will compare the hash total it
calculates automatically with the hash total
calculated manually before data entry.
• If the two totals are different, then a mistake has
either been made during data input or in the
manual calculation of the hash total.
• Example:
• A user is inputting these coursework marks for students.
• Candidate number: 18292
• Coursework mark: 74
•
•
• The user adds up the total of all the coursework marks to give a
hash total.
• 74 + 38 + 82 = 194
72
• The user then inputs the course work marks as
follows:
•
•
• The computer calculates the hash total to be
239. As 239 does not match 194 there was either
a data entry error or an error in the manual
calculation of the hash total.
• In this case the error occurred with the input of
candidate 18264 whose mark should have been
38 nor 83.
 Control Total: Control total are very similar to
hash total. Hash totals can use field and the sum
of the data used may not have any meaning,
• Control totals have some useful meaning. For
example, a control total could be the number of
items in the batch that is to be input, or the
total of prices for individual items on an order.
 Checksum : Checksum are the results of a
calculation on the contents of a file used to check
whether a file has been transmitted or copied
correctly. This can be especially useful if checking
that a hacker hasn’t disguised a malicious file as
a genuine one. Any slight change in a file will
mean that a different checksum is generated.
• Checksum is another way to check if data has
been changed or corrupted following data
transmission. Data is sent in blocks and an
additional value, the checksum, is also sent at the
end of the block of data.
• The need for both Validation and Verification
 It is possible to enter valid data that is still
incorrect. It is also possible to verify incorrect
data.
 By using both validation and verification, the
chances of entering incorrect data are reduced.
 If data that is incorrect passes a validation
check, then the verification check is likely to
spot the error.
• PROOF READING
• Proof reading is the process of checking
information.
• For example, when this book was written it was
checked for spelling errors, grammar errors,
formatting and accuracy.
• QUESTION 1
• Tick the four most accurate statements regarding validation and verification.
1.5 DATA PROCESSING
• There are many types of systems that process
data, and a variety of ways the processing can
be carried out.
• A system that processes data will have a
method to input the data, a method to process
the data and a method to output the data.
• Data Processing methods
• Three ways in which data can be processed
• These are:
 Batch
 Online Processing systems
 Real-time Processing systems
• 1. Batch Processing System
• A batch processing system is a system that
processes batches of data at set time intervals.
Data is collected from inputs and stored together
in what are known as batches.
• These batches of data are stored until a set time
when they will be processed and an output, or
outputs, created.
• The amount of data processed by batch processing
systems is normally quite large. By storing the data
together in batches, it means that the processing
can be carried out at a time when the system is in
less demand.
• No user interaction is required to process the data.
The system is automatically triggered at a set time.
• Advantages of Batch processing systems
 Repeated jobs are done fast in batch systems without user
interaction.
 Best for large organizations .
 Batch systems can work offline so it makes less stress on
processor.
 Processor consumes good time while processing that mean
it knows which job to process next. In batch systems the
processor knows how long the job is as it is queued.
 You can assign specific time for the batch jobs so when the
computer is idle it starts processing the batch jobs i.e. at
night or any free time.
 The batch systems can manage large repeated work easily.
• Disadvantages of Batch processing systems
 There is a time delay for the data processing, so the
output that will be provided is not always readily
available.
 Also, if there is an error with an input, this will not
be recognised until a later date when the data is
processed.
 Computer operators must be trained for using batch
systems.
 Batch systems are sometime costly.
 If some job takes too much time i.e. if error occurs
in job then other jobs will wait for unknown time.
• Examples of Batch Processing System
• i. A payroll system
• A factory will often have a system that will register
the time employees arrive at work, as well as the
time they leave. This will allow the amount of
hours an employee has worked to be calculated.
• Data about each employee’s working hours can be
stored in batches until the employees need to
receive their pay. The data can then be processed
to calculate the pay due for each employee and a
payslip can be output to show this.
85
• ii. Stock Control System
• A retail store will often have a system that will
register the stock that is sold in a day. This system will
normally be connected to the till (cash register).
When an item is sold in the store, the warehouse will
need to know that the item of stock will need
replacing. This way the store stays fully stocked.
• The information about each item sold can be batched
together and processed at the end of the day to be
sent as a report to the warehouse. The warehouse
will then know what stock to send the next day. 86
• 2. Online Processing System
• An online processing system is a type

of processing system that deals with
data in transactions. A certain amount
of data is input as a transaction. This
amount of data is usually small. Once
the data for the transaction is
collected it is processed and the next
transaction can occur.
• Examples are: electronic funds transfer,
automatic stock control, electronic data
exchange, business-to-business buying and
selling, online stores.
• Example of Online Processing System
• Online booking system
 An online booking system, for example an aeroplane
ticket booking system, will process data in
transactions. All the data about the customer, flight
and seat number will be collected in the transaction.
 This will then be processed and a ticket can be
provided as an output. As each transaction is
processed in turn, this avoids a seat on the aeroplane
being double-booked.
 Once a seat has been allocated to a transaction, until
that transaction is completed that seat cannot be
booked by anyone else.
• Advantages of Online processing systems
 Easy to use to do shopping online
 These systems have quick response time
 It is easy to use just form filling and your job get
processed automatically by web and database servers
 Online banks nowadays use online processing
systems for money transactions
 Usage of credit cards is also handled by these
systems
 You can access anything worldwide online and
purchase it on the spot by bank wire transfer, credit
cards, and online banks. All these systems are
handled by online processing. 90
• Disadvantages of Online processing systems
 There occurs millions of requests to banks at a time which
is difficult to handle
 During purchases if servers hang out for few seconds then
transactions get interrupted.
 All user data like credit card details, email addresses are
kept on database servers so if website get hacked or data
loosed then it creates problem.
 If any hardware failure occurs in online processing systems
then visitors of website get in trouble and online
transaction get stopped and effected
 Electricity/power problem is another issue.
 Some issue also get involved during creation of new
accounts by visitors. 91
• 3. Real-Time Processing
System
• A real-time processing system
processes data as soon as it
has been input. They are
normally used when the
immediacy of the data is vital.
• Examples are: e.g. central
heating/air conditioning
systems, guidance systems
(for rockets, etc.)
• Advantages of Real-Time processing systems
 There is little or no down time in these systems.
 Real-time processing provides immediate updating of
databases and immediate responses to user inquiries.
•
• Disadvantages of Real-Time processing systems
 There are only limited tasks run at the same time and the
concentration of these system are on few application to
avoid errors and other task have to wait.
 RTOS used lot of system resources which is not as good and
is also expensive.
 RTOS uses complex algorithms to achieve a desired output
and it is very difficult to write that algorithms for a designer.
• Examples of Real-Time Processing System
• i. Computer games
• When playing computer games the input from
the user needs to be processed immediately, so
that it can take effect and the game can be
controlled.
• Each time a user asks a game character to move
forward by pressing a key or button, it needs to
do this immediately.
• ii. Air traffic control
• An air traffic control system is a real-time processing
system. Each piece of data that is input into the system,
for example the location of all the planes currently in the
air, is processed immediately so that their location can be
known by everybody using the system.
• This is imperative as this data will need to be given back to
each plane that is currently in flight to make sure no
collisions occur.
• Comparison of different methods of processing
• It is important to give both sides of the argument and to take into
account the specific context and the user’s needs when comparing
methods.
Real-time processing Batch processing
In real-time processing, there is no significant In batch processing, the processing can take
delay in response. place well after the initial inputs have been
entered
In real-time processing, information is always up In batch processing, the information is only up
to date, so the computer or microprocessor is to date after the master file has been updated
able to take immediate action. by the transaction file.
Because real-time processing and online Batch processing only uses the CPU at less
processing occupy the CPU constantly, it can be busy times and is therefore cheap to run.
very expensive.
Real-time processing needs expensive, complex Batch processing can make use of lower
computer systems. specification computers
Data is collected instantaneously with real-time Gathering data for batch-processing systems
processing systems. can take a long period of time and occupy
more people, and so can be more expensive.
TYPES OF FILE
• For data to be processed it is

often stored first. This can be for
long periods of time or
momentarily.
• There are two main file types that

are used to store data,
 Master files
 Transaction files.
• 1. Master File: The master file will store all of the
more permanent data about the customer or the
employee. Data stored in master files is normally
more permanent in nature.
• A master file is normally a collection of fields
about a main element of a data system, for
example a customer or an employee.
• Example of a Master File
• Employee ID- 001
• Firstname- Love
• Surname- Bryant
• Department – Information Technology
• Pay rate - $50 per hour
• Pay to date- $20590
• NOTE: There will normally be a key field ( primary

key) present in a master file, such as the employee
number in the example above. The key field will be
used to match transaction files to the correct master
99
• 2. Transaction files: This contains day-to- day
information generated from business activities .
• The data stored in these files is normally used to
update the master file. It is more temporary in
nature. The key field is again present in the
transaction file in order to allow it to be matched
to the correct master file.
• Transaction files are useful as they can act as an
audit trail for a company to see what updates
have been made to the master file at various
times.
• Example of a Transaction File

• Employee ID - 001
• Date - 10/01/2020
• Hours worked – 8
• Updating a Master file using a Transaction file
• There are occasion when the data in a master file
has to be updated, for example so that a new
worker will get paid. We will assume that the
changes will happen on a weekly basis.
• It is likely that the transaction file would contain
any needed updates as well as the payroll data and
there would only be one transaction file, but to
make it simpler to understand, we will assume that
the updating of the master file happens first and
then the payroll runs immediately afterwards.
• The three types of transaction involved in
updating a master file in the scenario we have
outlined are when:
 a worker moves to different department, their
record must be amended or, changed
 a worker leaves the company, their record will
need to be removed or deleted
 a new worker starts with the company their
record will need to be added.
• We can give each type of update a letter.
Changing an existing record in the master file will
be C whereas deleting a record from the master
file will be D and adding a new record to the
master file will be A.
• At the end of each week, the computer system
will process the data stored in the transaction file
and make any changes that are necessary to the
master file, thereby producing an updated master
file.
• We can demonstrate this, using the following
small sample of data.
• Transaction file
ID Transaction Employee name Department
2 D Julia Bolero Sales
4 C Nigel Ndlovu Buying
7 D Adrienne Pascal IT
11 A John Ward Stores
12 A Paolo Miserere IT
EOF End of file marker
• Master file
ID Employee name Department
1 Jose Fernandez Buying
2 Julia Bolero Sales
3 Louis Cordoba Sales
4 Nigel Ndlovu Stores
5 Bertrand Couture Buying
6 Lionel Sucio Stores
7 Adrienne Pascal IT
8 Gurjit Mandare Stores
9 Igbal Sadiq IT
10 Tyler Lewis IT
• In order to update the master file, a new blank
file will be created and act as the new master file.
• The following very basic algorithm will be
followed.
• Algorithm for updating a Master file using a Transaction file
• 1 First record in the transaction file is read

• 2 First record in the old master file is read
• 3 REPEAT
• 4 IDs are compared
• 5 IF IDs don’t match, old master file record is written to new master file
• 6 IF IDs match transaction is carried out
• 7 IF transaction is D or C, old master file record is not written to new
master file
• 8 IF transaction is C, data in transaction file is written to new master file
• 9 IF IDs match, next record from transaction file is read
• 10 Next record from master file is read
• 11 UNTIL end of old master file
• 12 Any remaining records of the transaction file are written to the master
file.
• Old master file
2 Julia Bolero Sales
4 Nigel Ndlovu Stores
7 Adrienne Pascal IT
9 Igbal Sadiq IT
10 Tyler Lewis IT
• The new master file
4 Nigel Ndlovu Buying
9 Igbal Sadiq IT
10 Tyler Lewis Buying
11 John Ward Stores
• Records 2 and 7 have been deleted.

• Record 4 has been changed.
• Record
COURSE: 111 (has
A LEVEL IT , CHAPTER beenAND
DATA PROCESSING added
INFORMATION) , TUTOR: THOMAS ESIZIMETOR, EMAIL: 110
• APPLICATION OF THE TYPES OF FILE TO DATA
PROCESSING SYSTEM
 In real-time and online processing systems, the
transaction file is compared to the master file, by
finding the matching key field, as the data is
processed by the system.
 In a batch processing system, the transaction
files are stored until a suitable time is available
to update the master files. The system will then
run through each transaction file and match it to
the correct master file in order to update the
master.
111
• QUESTION 1
• A supermarket uses a computer to automatically update stock
levels. Each record in the Productfile contains the fields shown.
• Product file
• When the Number_in_stock of a product item falls to the

Reorder_level, that product must be reordered. The
Reorder_quantity is the number of items of the product that must
be reordered.
• The Supplier file contains the contact details of all the suppliers.
• Supplier file
• Only some of the records in the Product and Supplier files are
shown
• Describe, using the Oaters record as an example,
the steps the computer would follow to update
the Product file after a point of sale terminal
reads the bar code for a packet of Oaters.
• ................................................................................
................................................................................
.............................[7]

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It A Level CHPT 1 Data Processing and Information

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CHAPTER 1

DATA PROCESSING AND INFORMATION

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

 define the differences between data, and

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

 understand how the accuracy, relevance, age,

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Data: A collection (string) of text, numbers,

• The data P952BR could have several meanings. It

• As it is not known what the data means, it is

P952BR A product A product code for a can of noodles.

359 Price in US The price of a mobile phone.

 Direct data source (Primary source): Data

 Sources where information does not change on

• Encryption is when data is scrambled so that it

• How Encryption protects data

 Visual Checking: A method of verification can be

• It is still possible to pass double entry verification

• If this byte is using even parity, then the parity bit

• An online processing system is a type

• For data to be processed it is

• There are two main file types that

• NOTE: There will normally be a key field ( primary

• Example of a Transaction File

• 1 First record in the transaction file is read

• Records 2 and 7 have been deleted.

• When the Number_in_stock of a product item falls to the

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