1. Data Capture

2. Keyboard data entry the most common input device
suitable for a wide range of applications
entering programs
typing all kinds of documents using a word processor
entering personal details of customers or patients at a hospital, etc.

3. Keyboard data entry – Disadvantages
Data entered at a keyboard is commonly copied from a source document, and as such
It is easy to make transcription errors – that is, copy the data wrongly from the document
It is time-consuming
Data entry operators who enter data all day every day are prone to repetitive strain injury (RSI), a condition which renders them unable to do any further data entry

4. Key-to-disk systems Computer
keyboard
Disk storage
Magnetic tape storage
Supervisor’s console
In organisations where large amounts of data are collected on forms which then have to be keyed in for later processing (a batch processing system) an entire computer system consisting of a processor, dozens of terminals and central disk storage may be dedicated entirely to data entry. One terminal is nominated as the supervisor’s terminal, from whose screen the supervisor can see exactly what every data entry operator is working on and how many keystrokes per hour and how many errors everyone is making. Completed batches of data are stored on disk from where they are either downloaded to the main computer over a communications link, or transferred to magnetic tape which is physically removed and taken to the main computer room

5. Voice data entry The user speaks the text into a microphone
Special software interprets the text and displays it on a screen
Text may be edited using the keyboard and exported to a word processing package such as Word.
The accuracy of the voice recognition system is improved by ‘training’ it to a particular user’s voice

6. Scanners and OCR
An optical scanner can be used to scan graphical images and photographs
Software can then be used to edit or touch up the images
Scanners can also be used to read typed or even hand-written documents

7. Scanners and OCR (continued)
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software can then be used to interpret the text and export it to a word processor or data file
Scanners are also used to input large volumes of data on preprinted forms such as credit card payments, where the customers account number and amount paid are printed at the bottom of the payment slip.

8. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
All banks use MICR for processing cheques.
Along the bottom of a cheque the bank’s sort code, customer account number and cheque number are encoded in special characters in magnetic ink.
The amount of the cheque is encoded in magnetic ink when it is handed in at a bank. The cheques can then be processed extremely fast by high-speed MICR devices that read, sort and store the data on disk.

9. MICR(continued) MICR has several advantages for processing cheques:
It is hard to forge the characters
The characters can be read even if the cheque is crumpled, dirty or smudged
The characters are readable by humans, unlike bar codes

10. Other data capture methods
Magnetic stripe
Smart cards
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
Bar code reader or scanner
Hand-held input devices
Digitiser (Graphics tablet)

11. Benefits of using bar codes
Fast-selling items automatically reordered to meet demand
Slow-selling items can be identified preventing build-up of unwanted stock
Effects of repositioning a given product within a store can be monitored
Historical data can be used to predict seasonal fluctuations very accurately

12. Other uses of bar codes Warehousing Transport and distribution
bar coded containers of raw materials are stored in racks of bins which are also bar coded.
Transport and distribution
individual packages are bar coded
Manufacturing
work in progress tracked using bar codes

13. More uses of bar codes Marketing Medical Libraries
bar coded multiple choice questionnaires
Medical
bar codes used to identify blood and other samples
Libraries
used to record loans and track stock
Banking, insurance and local government
for document control and retrieval.