Standard Grade Computing

1. Standard Grade Computing Commercial Data Processing

2. Introduction Commercial Data Processing deals with how LARGEcompanies and organisations use computers in their businesses. • Examples of large companies and organisations: • supermarkets (ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons) • chain stores (Currys, Comet, Argos) • banks (Royal Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale, Abbey) • airlines (British Airways, Ryanair, Qantas) • organisations (police, Inland Revenue, DVLA)

3. Mainframe Computer Key facts about a mainframe: A large computer system that can process huge amounts of data accurately and at very high speeds Has hundredsofdumb terminals attached to it Has a very large amount of RAM (many Gigabytes) Has more than one processor Has a huge backing storage capacity (Gigabytes or Terabytes)

4. Need for CDP (1) Volume of Documents – large companies and organisations need to process a huge amount of data every day Speed of processing – computers are ideal for accurate processing of data at very high speeds. Human beings process data slowly in comparison Repetitive tasks – computers are great at performing the same task over and over again without making mistakes. Humans get tired and make mistakes when they do the same task continuously

5. Speed of Access – the data stored on a computer can be found and accessed very quickly. Human beings searching for data in paper based systems (eg filing cabinets) takes much longer Example: A supermarket manager might want to know how many tins of Heinz beans were sold in a week and how much money (£££) the company made from selling beans Need for CDP (2) Management Information – computers process data and turn it into information. Managers can use the information to run their businesses more effectively

6. Data Processing Cycle (1) The data processing cycle is the order that data is processed in. The data processing cycle is made up of 4 stages: • Data collection and preparation • Data input • Data processing and storage • Data output

7. Data Processing Cycle (2) What is data? Data are the numbers, symbols and characters that can be processed by a computer. Data on its own has no meaning to human beings. Examples of data: 01001110 .-.-.--.-.-.---…--.-. 2532302822 What is information? Information is data that has been processed by a computer into a human readable format. Examples of information: £25 12 January 2006 250 Centigrade

8. 6 03 30 9 Data Processing Cycle (3) Information (for people) = data (for computers) + meaning This piece of data: becomes 30 March 1969 when processed into information by a computer

9. An order form for a catalogue is an example of a source document. Data Collection and Preparation Data can be collected in many different ways. If data is written down or printed on a piece of paper, that piece of paper is called a source document.

10. Data Input (1) Data needs to be input into the computer BEFORE it can be processed. Inputting data directly into a computer means that fewer mistakes will be made. Here are some ways of inputting data into a computer: • bar codes • mark sense cards • magnetic stripes • smart cards • magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) • optical character recognition (OCR)

11. Bar Codes country of origin manufacturer 5 012345 678956 product check digit Data Input (2) Can be found on books, groceries, newspapers etc Made up of black and whitevertical bars that hold coded information Coded information is read by reflected laser light The 4 pieces of coded information on a bar code are:

12. Mark sense cards Ayrshire General Hospital Lunch Menu Name: Joe Bloggs WARD: 2a DIET ] TO CHOOSE EXTEND THE BAR TO THE BRACKET ] 1 Scotch Broth ] 2 Chicken Soup ] 3 Orange Juice ] 4 Poached Haddock in Milk ] 5 Chicken Curry ] 6 Ham Salad ] 7 Jelly and Ice Cream ] 8 Trifle ] 9 Apple Pie Data Input (3) Marks are made on cards that can be read by special card reading equipment ………………………………………………………. Mark cards can be used in multiple choice exams and to choose your food when you are in hospital ……………………………………………………….

13. Magnetic stripes Signature J Bloggs Data Input (4) A magnetic stripe is a narrow band of magnetic material on which data is held Can be seen on the back of credit cards, bank card and train tickets Stores information like sort codes and account numbers

14. Smart Cards Platinum Credit Card Second Direct 675940 00001234567 VISA They have a microchip that can hold and process information VALID FROM EXPIRES END 01/06 06/08 Miss Jane Bloggs Data Input (5) These cards can be used as bank cards, credit cards, store cards and identity cards They can store personal information and hold digital cash More secure than magnetic stripe cards because they are difficult to forge.

15. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) Data Input (6) Is the process where characters are printed on forms in magnetic ink People and computers can read the characters When a cheque is paid into a bank a magnetic ink character reader is used to input the information into a computer

16. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) UK GAS Customer Ref. No. MR J RAE 216 024 4567 Date Meter Reading Gas Supplied Charges Present Previous 100’s cu ft Therms 182.42 31 JAN 1878 1502 376 397.432 STANDING CHARGE 9.40 CREDIT TARIFF £ 191.82 BANK PAY Customer Ref. No. Customer Acc. No. Amount Due 216 024 4567 118 3467 £ 191.82 Cashier’s Stamp and initials Cash Signature Cheques Total £ Please do not write or mark below this line or fold this counterfoil 191825 2160244567 00 2160244567 00191825 Data Input (7) A device called an opticalcharacter reader is able to recognise letters and numbers (eg ABC or 1234) and read them directly into a computer An OCR system CAN’Tread letters or numbers that have been printed badly

17. Data Input (8) Validation is a pre-input check on data to make sure that it is sensible and accurate Examples: Check Digit Length Check Range Check Verification involves using two different human operators to enter the same data. The computer compares both sets of data that have been entered and, if it finds a mistake, both sets of data must be entered again

18. Data Input (9) A check digit is an extra digit that is calculated from an original number and is then put on the end of the number. Example : let’s make up a check digit for the number 2954 We add all the digits together 2 + 9 + 5 + 4 = 20 To make the total divide exactly by three, we MUST add an extra digit (in this case a 1) at the end of the number to make the total 21. This is because 21 divides exactly by three So the check digit is a 1 Adding the check digit to the original number gives 29541

19. Data Input (10) Length Check Thisinvolves checking thenumber ofcharacters(numbers, letters and spaces) entered into a computer. If too many or too few characters are entered then an error message will be displayed Example A date needs to be entered into the computer in the format ddmmyyyy – which is 8 characters long Only dates with exactly 8 characters (eg 30031969) are valid If you made a mistake and typed in 303031969 the computer would not accept the data and give an error message

20. In Higher Computing a valid range of marks for a test is between 0 and 20 Data Input (11) Range Check A range check can be made on numeric data like ages, money and test marks to check that the numbers are sensible and in the correct range Examples: A valid age range for secondary school pupils should be between 11 and 18

21. field Employee No 001 Job Title Systems Analyst Name Ian Wright record Salary £40,000 file Data Processing and Storage (1) File – is an organised collection of structured data on the same topic. The units that make up a file are records. Record – is an organised collection of structured data on a person or thing (entity). A record is like a single card in a card index. Field – a single piece of information that appears on a record.

22. backup Original file stored on hard disk Backup copy stored on a separate hard disk Data Processing and Storage (2) Backup – this is a copy of your original data file • A backup is needed in case the original data file is accidentally or deliberately lost • There should be more than one backup copy of a file • Backup copies should be stored in a fireproof safe for extra security

23. Employee No 001 update Employee No 001 Job Title Systems Analyst Job Title Systems Analyst Name Ian Wright Salary Name Ian Wright £50,000 Salary £40,000 old record new record Data Processing and Storage (3) Update – this means adding new data or making changes to old data that is already stored in a data file Example:Ian Wright gets a salary increase from £40,000 per year to £50,000 per year. This means that his record in the employee data file needs to be updated:

24. 002 Employee No Employee No 003 Job Title Programmer Job Title Data Input Clerk Name Laura Wood Name Cameron Rae £35,000 Salary Salary £15,000 Systems Analyst 004 Employee No Job Title Computer Operator Employee No 001 Name Helen Black Job Title Salary £27,000 Name Ian Wright £40,000 Salary Magnetic tape Direction of Search Data Processing and Storage (4) File access methods Sequential access is used to store data files on magnetic tape The records in the data file are storedone after the other To access a particular record the computer would have to go through all the records in sequence from the beginning until it was found

25. Magnetic disks and optical disks are two examples of direct access media Data Processing and Storage (5) Direct/Random access data files stored for direct access can be read directly without having to work through all the records from the beginning Interactive processing is when data is processed or updated as a transaction is entered and any queries are replied to at once Examples: booking holidays and automated teller machines (ATM’s)

26. Example – when lots of people can access their bank’s account database at the same time ATM in Glasgow ATM in Kilmarnock Bank account details stored in a database on a mainframe computer in Edinburgh ATM in Aberdeen ATM in Ayr Data Processing and Storage (6) Multi-user database – this is a database on a network that can be accessed by many users at the same time To allow multi-user access the database file must be stored centrally on either a mainframe computer or a file server

27. Data Output Output to Paper – print-outs are created for staff and customers. High speed printers are used to create the print-outs Examples – bank account statements, electricity and gas bills and wage slips Output to Screen – screen output is used to allow the computer to communicate with the operator Output to file – output can be saved as a new file for processing later. The new file would be stored on tape or disk.

28. Social Implications (1) Job losses because computers have replaced people doing traditional jobs (eg typists) Retraining – workers that are left need to be trained how to operate, program and maintain the computer system(s) Effects on business – companies will enjoyhigher productivity and higher profits

29. Social Implications (2) Job types and careers: Programmer – designs, writes and tests the programs that process all the data Engineer – maintains the computer system(s) and repairs them if they break down Network manager – is the person in overall charge of the network Systems Analyst – looks at manual or legacy systems and decides on the hardware and software to be used by a company

30. Computer viruses are rogue programs that replicate themselves and can destroy and corrupt data Social Implications (3) Computer crime: Hacking involves illegally breaking into a computer system. If data is damaged it is called cracking Computer Misuse Act is a law that tries to prevent these crimes from happening Computer Fraud normally involves stealing money electronically

31. www.churchill.com (insurance) www.pcworld.co.uk Technical Implications (1) E-commerce – is the process of buying and selling goods and services on the Internet Examples:

32. Technical Implications (2) On-line shopping – is another name for e-commerce Involves visiting a web site and using a shopping basket to store the items you have selected and want to buy When the purchase is complete the web site will send an e-mail to confirm the order has been placed How do you pay for on-line shopping? Credit cards(VisaandMastercard) Debit cards (SwitchandDelta)

33. For companies - selling on the Internet is cheaper than selling on the high street Customers can shop 24 hours a day from the comfort of their own home Fraud can take place when a credit or debit card is stolen and the number on it is used to buy something on the net – this type of activity is called card not present fraud A customer may not be at home when the goods are delivered Technical Implications (3) Advantages of on-line shopping: Disadvantages of on-line shopping:

34. Technical Implications (4) On-line banking – is the process of accessing your bank account and carrying out transactions on the Internet (eg pay bills and move money) Involves logging into a secure web site (small padlock should be at the bottom of the screen) Customer must enter a User ID and Password to enter the site Advantage– on-line banks DO NOT need to have branches in the High Street which saves the bank money Disdvantage– the service can be impersonal (ie no face to face contact with a person)

35. Your banks computer The shops computer Technical Implications (5) Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) This is where you pay for goods and services without using cash When you buy something, the money that you owe the shop is transferred electronically from your bank account into the shops bank account You need to have a bank card that supports this type of payment

36. Technical Implications (6) Point of Sale (POS) POS is the name given to to a computerised system that collects data automatically from the checkout, or point of sale, as the customer buys goods At the checkout a scanner reads the unique bar code on the item that has been sold The product code for the item is then sent to the till which is connected to a computer that recognises all the product codes for items in the shop The till, using information from the computer, can then display the name and price of the product

37. Economic Implications (1) Initial costs are the costs (amounts of money) involved in buying the equipment needed to computerise a large business Examples: Hardware – computers, printers, bar code readers Software – operating systems, application packages, bespoke software

38. Economic Implications (2) Running costs are the costs (amounts of money) involved in keeping the system operational day in and day out Examples: Electricity Paper Toner and ink

39. Security and Privacy Implications (1) Accuracy of information and privacy Large companies hold data about employees and customers Companies must register with theInformationCommissionerwho is responsible for the Data ProtectionAct A principal of the Data Protection Act is that information must be accurate and up to date Information held in a computer data file must be kept private. Information about how much someone earns or how much credit they have been given SHOULD NOT be shown to anyone else

40. Security and Privacy Implications (2) Physical security Computers and data files cab be kept secure by: Locking doors– a swipe card and/or pin number may have to be used to enter the computer room Locking keyboards– some keyboards can be locked so that they can’t be used by unauthorised people

41. Encryption Software how are you krz duh brx Security and Privacy Implications (3) Software security Passwords – a password should not appear on the screen (eg ******** ) and should be changed regularly Encryption – this means to turn information into a code to prevent it from being read by unauthorised users Example:

42. Security and Privacy Implications (4) Sale of customer lists Some companies sell their lists of customer names and addresses to other companies to make money This is why we get so much junk mail nowadays NOTE – you have the right to stop your name being used in this way

43. Advantages (1) Comparison with a manual system A computerised CDP system has the following advantages: • accuracy –less likely to make mistakes/processes data more accurately than people • speed –data is processed more quickly using computers • volume of documents –computers can handle a larger number of documents than people

44. sales dept wages dept Employee details entered personnel dept Advantages (2) Single entry multiple use This means data is entered once into the computer and can then be accessed for a number of different uses within an organisation Example – a new salesman gets a job for a big company and his details are entered into the computer. Different departments can now access and use the data.

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