Commercial Data Processing is carried out in large companies where computers have been introduced to improve the efficiency of the business. E.g. Banks Airlines Mailorder Supermarkets

Why do we need Commercial Data Processing Volume of documents Speed of processing Repetitive tasks Speed of access Management information very large amounts of data to be processed computers accurate and fast information can be found quickly when stored on a computer and can be accessed by terminals far from the mainframe accurate information is available which allows important decisions to be made Computers do not make errors and are able to work 24 hours a day

Data and Information Data is a collection of numbers, characters and symbols that a computer can use. It is meaningless to humans unless an explanation is given Information is data that is in a form that means something to humans. e.g Numerical value telephone number stock code number someones earnings e.g Obviously a date

The Data Processing Cycle Data Collection Data Preparation Data Input Data Processing Data Storage Data Output

Data Collection clocking on at work Data can be collected by:- filling in a form ( a source document) scanning shopping at a supermarket checkout