1. IGCSE ICT
Data Handling
Applications

2. Lesson objectives
Have an understanding of data handling applications and techniques used in everyday life:
address lists
surveys
tuck shop records
clubs and society records
school reports
school libraries

3. Why Use Computers to Handle Data?
Even if you don't work for a huge business, It can be useful to use computers to keep track of data.

4. Data that is stored on a computer…
(as opposed to data written on paper) can be easily:
organised / sorted in different ways
displayed / printed in a variety of styles and layouts
searched for specific things
updated - adding / changing / deleting items
backed-up - a copy can be made with just a few clicks
stored / moved - a memory stick is much smaller than a cupboard full of paper!

5. What Might You Store on a Computer?
Your Address Book
Most people need to keep track of lots of telephone numbers, postal addresses, address, etc. We can use a computer (don't forget your phone is a computer too!) to help keep this data organised in an address database.

6. The old way:
A few years ago, before we had PCs and mobile phones to store this information in, most people would have used a little address book.
However, this type of book was
easy to lose (no back-up),
a pain to update (you have to cross out names, tear out pages, etc.) and
slow to search through.

7. A typical computerised address book might store:
Name
Address
Phone number (home)
Phone number (mobile)
Phone number (work)
address
Birthday
Photograph Etc.

8. Features of address books
These help you organize the records so that you can quickly access the ones you want:
Place your entries into groups (e.g. 'Family', Friends', 'Work', etc.)
Search (by name, groups, address, etc.)
Synchronisation with other devices (computer, phone, PDA, etc.)
An electronic address book is much easier to keep up to date!

9. Surveys – who uses them & why?
Businesses who want to find out about the buying habits of customers
Organisations who want to try to discover what people like / want / think.
Market research before the launch of a new product
Politicians to find out what their constituents want
Businesses/organizations who want to
evaluate their products/services

10. Paper based surveys
Surveys can be performed using paper questionnaires, and then the results entered into the computer by:
Typing data in
Scanning the paper forms, using OMR technology

11. Advantages of using OMR
Fewer errors in data entry
Faster to get results
Much easier to do a statistical analysis
Less expensive – needs fewer people

12. Computer-based surveys
Alternatively, results can be entered into the computer directly, using an on-screen form (e.g. if using a tablet PC).The survey results are best stored on a computer so that they can easily be analyzed. Survey results on a computer allow:
Data to be quickly and easily queried (filtered)
Charts to be easily created
Summary reports to be created

13. Advantages of online surveys
No data preparation needed
Data is sent straight to a database for analysis
Validation can be
used to ensure
integrity
No printing costs

14. Sales Records for a Tuck Shop
It's important, when selling things, and dealing with cash, to keep track of the numbers involved.
A computer spreadsheet is a good way to record which items you have sold, and also to perform calculations on the data (calculate totals, averages, etc.).

15. A typical sales spreadsheet might contain
Item code
Item description
Item cost
Number sold
Total cost
Profit made

16. Why use spreadsheets?
Doing calculations manually can lead to mistakes. When money is involved, it's best to let a computer do the work.
“What if” analysis – projections/ changed parameters
Conditional formatting for warnings etc

17. Clubs & Society Records
Clubs / societies need to keep track of their members. A membership database allows the club / society to easily contact members, check that they have paid any fees, etc.

18. What data is stored?
A typical computerized membership database might store:
Membership number
Name
Address
Phone number
Fees to charge
Have fees been paid (Y/N)
Etc.

19. Why use computers?
If a letter needs to be sent to every member of the club / society, the names and addresses of the members can be taken from the membership database and automatically placed onto a letter. This is called a mail-merge.
A mail-merge is a very easy way to automatically create lots of letters that seem to be personally written for each person, but in fact are all the same letter, just with the name and address changed.

20. Also can be used to produce membership/ID cards
Check on subscriptions/send out reminders

21. Advantages of computerised systems
Take less time to search than manual systems
Paper based systems may have data missing
Paper based forms can be lost or misfiled
Less expensive (paper/printing costs)
Saves storage space

22. School Reports
A school typically keeps data on student academic performance in a computerized database. This allows the school to easily track how students progress, as well as making the creation of printed reports very easy (compared to hand writing every report)

23. A typical school report database might contain:
Student ID
Name
Homeroom group
Grades for Term 1
Attendance for Term 1
Comments by teachers
for Term 1
Grades for Term 2
Etc.

24. School Library Database
Even a small library, such as the one in a school, needs to keep track of which books are available, and who has borrowed any of them.A typical school library system would store the following information:
Books
ID number
Title
Author
Publisher
Fiction? (Y/N)
Genre
Borrowers
ID number
Name
Class
Date of birth
Fines to pay
Loans
Book ID
Borrower ID
Date borrowed
Returned? (Y/N)

25. The old way:
Before the use of computers, libraries used drawers full of little cards to keep track of library books. The system was hard to manage, and cards could easily get lost or mixed up.

26. A typical library database

27. Homework Go to bbc.co.uk/bitesize Make notes on Data and Information
Complete the test
Go to HowStuffWorks and make notes about online surveys:
Why are online surveys better – for both businesses AND consumers?
Advantages, disadvantages & dangers of online surveys
How companies can maintain survey integrity