What is data?

Data is the raw material that can be processed for any computing machine. For example −
Employee name, Product name, Name of the student, Marks of the student, Mobile number,
Image etc.
Representation of Data:

 Computers are classified according to functionality, physical size and purpose.

 Functionality, Computers could be analog, digital or hybrid. Digital computers process data
that is in discrete form whereas analog computers process data that is continuous in
nature. Hybrid computers on the other hand can process data that is both discrete and
continuous.
 In digital computers, the user input is first converted and transmitted as electrical pulses
that can be represented by two unique states ON and OFF. The ON state may be
represented by a “1” and the off state by a “0”. The sequence of ON’S and OFF’S forms the
electrical signals that the computer can
understand.
 A digital signal rises suddenly to a peak voltage of
+1 for some time then suddenly drops -1 level on
the other hand an analog signal rises to +1 and
then drops to -1 in a continuous version.

 Although the two graphs look different in their

appearance, notice that they repeat themselves at equal time intervals. Electrical signals
or waveforms of this nature are said to be periodic. Generally, a periodic wave representing
a signal can be described using the following parameters

 Amplitude(A)
 Frequency(f)
 periodic time(T)

Amplitude (A): this is the maximum displacement that the waveform of an electric signal can
attain.

Frequency (f): is the number of cycles made by a signal in one second. It is measured in hertz. 1
hertz is equivalent to 1 cycle/second.

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page 1

Periodic time (T): the time taken by a signal to complete one cycle is called periodic time. Periodic
time is given by the formula T=1/f, where f is the frequency of the wave.

 When a digital signal is to be sent over analog telephone lines e.g. e-mail, it has to be
converted to analog signal. This is done by connecting a device called a modem to the
digital computer. This process of converting a digital signal to an analog signal is known
as modulation. On the receiving end, the incoming analog signal is converted back to digital
form in a process known as demodulation.

Concepts of data representation in digital computers

 Data and instructions cannot be entered and processed directly into computers using
human language. Any type of data be it numbers, letters, special symbols, sound or
pictures must first be converted into machine-readable form i.e. binary form. Due to this
reason, it is important to understand how a computer together with its peripheral devices
handles data in its electronic circuits, on magnetic media and in optical devices.

Data representation in digital circuits

 Electronic components, such as microprocessor, are made up of millions of electronic

circuits. The availability of high voltage(on) in these circuits is interpreted as ‘1’ while a low
voltage (off) is interpreted as ‘0’.

Data representation on magnetic media

 The laser beam reflected from the land is interpreted, as 1. The laser entering the pot is
not reflected. This is interpreted as 0. The reflected pattern of light from the rotating disk
falls on a receiving photoelectric detector that transforms the patterns into digital form.
The presence of a magnetic field in one direction on magnetic media is interpreted as 1;
while the field in the opposite direction is interpreted as “0”. Magnetic technology is mostly
used on storage devices that are coated with special magnetic materials such as iron oxide.
Data is written on the media by arranging the magnetic dipoles of some iron oxide particles
to face in the same direction and some others in the opposite direction

Data representation on optical media

In optical devices, the presence of light is interpreted as ‘1’ while its absence is interpreted as ‘0’.
Optical devices use this technology to read or store data. Take example of a CD-ROM, if the shiny

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page 2

surface is placed under a powerful microscope, the surface is observed to have very tiny holes
called pits. The areas that do not have pits are called land.

Reason for use of binary system in computers

 It has proved difficult to develop devices that can understand natural language directly
due to the complexity of natural languages. However, it is easier to construct electric
circuits based on the binary or ON and OFF logic. All forms of data can be represented in
binary system format. Other reasons for the use of binary are that digital devices are
more reliable, small and use less energy as compared to analog devices.

Bits, bytes, nibble and word

The terms bits, bytes, nibble and word are used widely in reference to computer memory and
data size.

 Bits: can be defined as either a binary, which can be

0, or 1.It is the basic unit of data or information in
digital computers.
 Byte: a group of bits (8 bits) used to represent a
character. A byte is considered as the basic unit of
measuring memory size in computer.
 A nibble: is half a byte, which is usually a grouping
of 4 bytes.

 Word: two or more bits make a word. The

term word length is used as the measure of the number of bits in each word. For example,
a word can have a length of 16 bits, 32 bits, 64 bits etc.

Types of data representation

 Computers not only process numbers, letters and special symbols but also complex types
of data such as sound and pictures. However, these complex types of data take a lot of
memory and processor time when coded in binary form.
 This limitation necessitates the need to develop better ways of handling long streams of
binary digits.
 Higher number systems are used in computing to reduce these streams of binary digits
into manageable form. This helps to improve the processing speed and optimize memory
usage.

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page 3

Number systems and their representation
o A number system is a set of symbols used to represent values derived from a common
base or radix.
o As far as computers are concerned, number systems can be classified into two major
categories:

Decimal number system

o The term decimal is derived from a Latin prefix deci, which means ten. Decimal number
system has ten digits ranging from 0-9. Because this system has ten digits; it is also called
a base ten number system or denary number system.
o A decimal number should always be written with a subscript 10 e.g. X10
o But since this is the most widely used number system in the world, the subscript is
usually understood and ignored in written work. However, when many number systems
are considered together, the subscript must always be put so as to differentiate the
number systems.
o The magnitude of a number can be considered using these parameters.

 Absolute value
 Place value or positional value
 Base value (radix)

Binary number system

It uses two digits namely, 1 and 0 to represent numbers. unlike in decimal numbers where the
place value goes up in factors of ten, in binary system, the place values increase by the factor of
2.binary numbers are written as X2.consider a binary number such as 10112.The right most
digit has a place value of 1×20 while the left most has a place value of 1×23.

Octal number system

Consists of eight digits ranging from 0-7.the place value of octal numbers goes up in factors of
eight from right to left.

Hexadecimal number system

This is a base 16 number system that consists of sixteen digits ranging from 0-9 and letters A-F
where A is equivalent to 10,B to 11 up to F which is equivalent to 15 in base ten system. The
place value of hexadecimal numbers goes up in factors of sixteen.

 A hexadecimal number can be denoted using 16 as a subscript or capital letter H to the

right of the number .For example, 94B can be written as 94B16 or 94BH.
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page 4
Symbolic representation using coding schemes

 In computing, a single character such as a letter, a number or a symbol is represented by a

group of bits. The number of bits per character depends on the coding scheme used.
 The most common coding schemes are:

a) Binary Coded Decimal (BCD),

b) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) and
c) American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII).
d) UTF

Binary Coded Decimal

 Binary Coded Decimal is a 4-bit code used to represent numeric data only. For example, a
number like 9 can be represented using Binary Coded Decimal as 10012 .
 Binary Coded Decimal is mostly used in simple electronic devices like calculators and
microwaves. This is because it makes it easier to process and display individual numbers on
their Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens.
 A standard Binary Coded Decimal, an enhanced format of Binary Coded Decimal, is a 6-bit
representation scheme which can represent non-numeric characters. This allows 64 characters
to be represented. For letter A can be represented as 1100012 using standard Binary Coded
Decimal

Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange code (EBCDIC)

 Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange code (EBCDIC) is an 8-bit character-coding

scheme used primarily on IBM computers.
 A total of 256 characters can be coded using this scheme. For example, the symbolic
representation of letter A using Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange code is
110000012.

American standard code for information interchange (ASCII)

 American standard code for information interchange (ASCII) is a 7-bit code, which means that
only 128 characters can be represented. However, manufactures have added an eight bit to
this coding scheme, which can now provide for 256 characters.
 This 8-bit coding scheme is referred to as an 8-bit American standard code for information
interchange. The symbolic representation of letter A using this scheme is (1000001)2.

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page5

UNICODE ( Universal Code):
Unicode assigns each character or symbol a unique numeric value, which is known as a code point.
The Unicode standard defines a set of encoding schemes, which are used to represent the code points
as sequences of one or more bytes in memory, on disk, and over network connections.
The most commonly used Unicode encoding schemes are a UTF-8, UTF-16,
16, and UTF
UTF-32. UTF-8 is a
variable-length
length encoding scheme that uses one to four bytes to represent a character, depending on
the character's code point value. UTF-16
UTF 16 uses two or four bytes to represent each character, while
UTF-32 uses four bytes for every character. UTF-8
UTF 8 is the most widely used encoding scheme on the
web and in many software applications, due to its compatibility with ASCII and its efficient use of
space.
Unicode encoding enables the representation of text in multiple languages,
languages, including those with non
non-
Latin scripts such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, and Devanagari, among others. Unicode has been
adopted as a standard by many industries, including computing, telecommunications, and publishing.
UTF (Unicode Transformation Format)rmat) is a character encoding standard that allows computers to
represent and display text in various languages and scripts using a single character set. UTF files can
be formatted in several ways:
UTF-8: This is the most commonly used format for encoding text in UTF. It uses 88-bit code units to
represent characters and supports all Unicode characters. It is backward compatible with ASCII.

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page6

UTF-16: This format uses 16-bit code units to represent characters and can support all Unicode
characters, including those outside the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP). It is often used for encoding
text in languages with large character sets.

UTF-32: This format uses 32-bit code units to represent characters and can support all Unicode
characters. It is less commonly used than UTF-8 and UTF-16.

Binary Codes
In the coding, when numbers, letters or words are represented by a specific group of symbols, it is
said that the number, letter or word is being encoded. The group of symbols is called as a code. The
digital data is represented, stored and transmitted as group of binary bits. This group is also called
as binary code. The binary code is represented by the number as well as alphanumeric letter.

Advantages of Binary Code

Following is the list of advantages that binary code offers.
 Binary codes are suitable for the computer applications.
 Binary codes are suitable for the digital communications.

Classification of binary codes

The codes are broadly categorized into following four categories.
 Weighted Codes
 Non-Weighted Codes
 Binary Coded Decimal Code
 Alphanumeric Codes
 Error Detecting Codes
 Error Correcting Codes

Weighted Codes
Weighted binary codes are those binary codes
which obey the positional weight principle. Each
position of the number represents a specific
weight. Several systems of the codes are used to
express the decimal digits 0 through 9. In these
codes each decimal digit is represented by a group
of four bits. ExampleL 8421, 2421, and 5211

Non-Weighted Codes

In this type of binary codes, the positional weights are not assigned. The examples of non-weighted
codes are Excess-3 code and Gray code.

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page7

Excess-3 code
The Excess-3 code is also called as XS-3 code. It is
non-weighted code used to express decimal
numbers. The Excess-3 code words are derived
from the 8421 BCD code words adding (0011)2 or
(3)10 to each code word in 8421. The excess-3
codes are obtained as follows −

Gray Code
It is the non-weighted code and it is not
arithmetic codes. That means there are no
specific weights assigned to the bit position. It
has a very special feature that, only one bit will
change each time the decimal number is
incremented as shown in fig. As only one bit
changes at a time, the gray code is called as a
unit distance code. The gray code is a cyclic
code. Gray code cannot be used for arithmetic
operation.

Representation of signed binary numbers

In computer technology, there are three common ways of representing a signed binary number.

1. Prefixing an extra sign bit to a binary number.

2. Using one’s compliment.
3. Using twos compliment.

Prefixing an extra sign bit to a binary number (Signed Magnitude representation)

 In decimal numbers, a signed number has a prefix “+” for a positive number e.g. +2710 and “-
“for a negative number e.g.-27
 However, in binary, a negative number may be represented by prefixing a digit 1 to the
number while a positive number may be represented by prefixing a digit 0. For example, the 7-
bit binary equivalent of 127 is 11111112. To indicate that it is positive, we add an extra bit (0)
to the left of the number i.e. (0)11111112.
 To indicate that it is negative number we add an extra bit (1) i.e. (1)11111112.

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page8

  The problem of using this method is that the zero can be represented in two ways
i.e.(0)00000002 and (1)00000002. So this notation is ambiguous notation.

Ones compliment

 In binary numbers, the ones compliment is the bitwise NOT applied to the number. Bitwise
NOT is a unary operator (operation on only one operand) that performs logical negation on
each bit. For example, the bitwise NOT of 11002 is 00112e.
 0s are negated to 1s while 1s are negated to 0s.

Twos compliment

 The twos compliment of a number is obtained by getting the ones compliment then adding a 1.
For example, to get the twos compliment of a decimal number 4510,
 First convert it to its binary equivalent then find its one’s compliment. Add a 1 to one’s
compliment i.e.

(45)10=(00101101)2
Bitwise NOT (00101101) =11010010
Two’s compliment = (11010010)2+(1)2= 110100112

DATA REPRESENTATION MCQ

1) A hexadecimal number is represented by

A) three digits B) four binary digits C) four digits D) All of these E) None of these
2) Decimal number system is the group of ............ numbers.
A) 0 or 1 B) 0 to 9 C) 0 to 7 D) 0 to 9 and A to F E)None ofthese
3)Hexadecimal number system has .......... base.
A) 2 B) 8 C) 10 D) 16
4) Hexadecimal number system consists of
A) 0 to 9 B) A to F C) Both a and b D) Either a or b E) Neither a nor b
5) Which of the following statements is true?
A) 1 gigabyte is equivalent to 1024 kilobyte B) Mb stands for megabyte
C) Octal number systemhaving 8 digits D) Decimal number system cannot contain binary digits

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page9

6) The number system based on '0' and '1' only, is known as
A) binary system B) barter system C) number system D) hexadecimal system
7) What is the value of the binary number 101?
A) 3 B) 5 C) 6 D) 101 E) 7
8) Which of the following is octal number equivalent to binary number (110101)2?
A) 12 B) 65 C) 56 D) 1111 E) 00
9) Which of the following is hexadecimal number equivalent to binary number (1111 1001)2?
A) 9F B) FF C) 99 D) F9 E) EC
10) Which of the following is a binary number equivalent to octal number (.431)8?
A) (100011001)2 B) (.100011001)2 C) (100110100)2 D) (.100110001)2
11) Which of the following is an octal number equal to decimal number(896)10?
A) 0061 B) 6001 C) 1006 D) 1600 E) 0601
12) Which of the following is invalid hexadecimal number?
A) AOXB B) A0F6 C) 4568 D) ACDB E) 60AC
13)Which of the following is a hexadecimal number equal to 3431 octal number?
A) 197 B) 917 C) 791 D) 971 E) 719
14)There are how many types of number system?
A) One B) Two C) Three D) Four E) Five
15)How many values can be represented by a single byte?
A) 4 B) 16 C) 64 D) 256 E) 512
16)Modern computers represent characters and numbers internally using one of the following
number systems.
A) Penta B) Octal C) Hexa D) Septa E) Binary
17)Which of the following is not a computer code?
A) EBCDIC B) ASCII C) CISC D) UNICODE
18)The coding system allows non-English characters and special characters to be represented
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) P a g e 10
A) ASCII B) UNICODE C) EBCDIC D) All of these

19)MSD refers as
A) Most Significant Digit B) Many Significant Digit
C) Multiple Significant Digit D) Most SignificantDecimal
20) Binary system is also called
A) base one system B) base two system C) base system D) binary system
21)The negative numbers in the binary system can be represented by
A) Sign magnitude B) 1's compliment C) 2's compliment D) All of these
22)Today's mostly used coding system is/are
A) ASCII B) EBCDIC C) BCD D) Both a and b
23)(1010)2 equivalent decimal number is
A) 8 B) 9 C) 10 D) 11
24)The digits of the binary system are called
A) bytes B) bits C) nibbles D) number
25)Data representation is based on the......... number system, which uses two numbers to represent
all data
A) binary B) biometric C) bicentennial D) byte
26)Conversion of decimal number (42)10to its octal number equivalent is
A) (57)8 B) (42)8 C) (47)8 D) (52)8
27)Most commonly used codes for representing bits are
A) ASCII B) BCD C) EBCDIC D) All of these
28)Determine the octal equivalent of (432267)10
A) (432267)8 B) (346731)8 C) (2164432)8 D) (1514213)8
29)The method used for the conversion of octal to decimal fraction is
A) digit is divided by-8 B) digit is multiplied by the corresponding power of 8
C) digit is added with-8 D) digit is subtracted with-8

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) P a g e 11

30) Conversion of decimal number (99)10 to its binary number equivalent is
A) (1100011)2 B) (100011)2 C) (1110001)2 D) (1111000)2
31)Conversion of octal number (3137)8to its decimal equivalent is
A) (1631)10 B) (1632)10 C) (1531)10 D) (1931)10
32) LSD stands for
A) Long Significant Digit B) Least Significant Digit
C) Large Significant Digit D) Longer SignificantDecimal
33)Determine the decimal equivalent of (456)8
A) (203)10 B) (302)10 C) (400)10 D) (402)10
34)Conversion of decimal number (93)10to hexadecimal number is
A) (2D)16 B) (5D)16 C) (62)16 D) (31)16
35)Numbers that are written with base 10 are classified as
A) decimal number B) whole number C) hexadecimal number D) exponential integers
36)To convert binary number to decimal, multiply the all binary digits by power of
A) 0 B) 2 C) 4 D) 6 E) 8
37)Conversion of decimal number (15)10to hexadecimal number is
A) (14)16 B) (13)16 C) (F)16 D) (7F)16 E) (FF6)
38)Code 'EBCDIC' that is used in computing stands for
A) Extension of BCD information code B) Extended of BCD interchange code
C) Extension of BCDinterchange conductD) Extended BCD information conduct
39)In EBCDIC code, maximum possible characters set size is
A) 356 B) 756 C) 556 D) 256 E) 156
40)To perform calculation on stored data computer uses ......... number system.
A) decimal B) hexadecimal C) octal D) binary
41)In the binary language, each letter of the alphabet, each number and each special character is
made up of a unique combination of
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) P a g e 12
A) 8 bytes B) 8 KB C) 8 character D) 8 bits

42)What type of information system would be recognised by digital circuits?

A) Hexadecimal system B) Binary system C) Both a and b D) Only roman system
43)Which of the following is an example of binary number? [IBPS Clerk 2011]
A) 6AH1 B) 100101 C) 005 D) ABCD E) 23456
44)Which of the following is not a binary number? [IBPS Clerk 2011]
A) 001 B) 101 C) 202 D) 110 E) 011
45)The octal system [IBPS Clerk 2011]
A) needs less digits to represent a number than in the binary system
B) needs more digits torepresent a number than in the binary system
C) needs the same number of digits to represent anumber as in the binary system
D) needs the same number of digits to represent a number as in the decimal system
46)The most widely used code that represents each character as a unique 8-bit code is [IBPS Clerk
2011]
A) ASCII B) UNICODE C) BCD D) EBCDIC
47)Conversion of binary number (1001001)2to hexadecimal is [SBI PO 2011]
A) (40)16 B) (39)16 C) (49)16 D) (42)16
48)Conversion of binary number (101110)2to hexadecimal is [SBI PO 2011]
A) (35)16 B) (46)16 C) (2E)16 D) (50)16
49)Decimal equivalent of (1111)2is [IBPS Clerk 2012]
A) 11 B) 10 C) 1 D) 15E) 13
50)The binary equivalent of decimal number 98 is [IBPS Clerk 2012]
A) 1110001 B) 1110100 C) 1100010 D) 1111001
51)A hexadigit can be represented by [IBPS Clerk 2012]
A) three binary (consecutive) bits B) four binary (consecutive) bits
C) eight binary (consecutive) bits D) sixteen binary (consecutive) bit
52)Conversion of decimal number (71)10to its binary number equivalent is [IBPS Clerk 2012]
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) P a g e 13
A) (110011)2 B) (1110011)2 C) (0110011)2 D) (1000111)2

53)Conversion of decimal number (61)10 to its binary number equivalent is [IBPS Clerk 2012]
A) (110011)2 B) (11001110)2 C) (111101)2 D) (11111)2
54)Computer uses the ......... number system to store data and perform calculations [IBPS Clerk 2013]
A) binary B) octal C) decimal D) hexadecimal
55)ASCII stands for [IBPS Clerk 2011,2014]
A) American Special Computer for Information Interaction
B) American Standard Computer forInformation Interchange
C) American Special Code for Information Interchange
D) American Standard Code for Information Interchange
56)A device that converts from decimal to binary number is known as [IBPS Clerk 2014]
A) instructor B) decoder C) AND gate D) converter E) decoder
57)Which of the following is not a binary number? [IBPS Clerk 2014]
A) 11101 B) 110 C) 233 D) 1001 E) 100110
58) Which of the following is a binary number? [SBI Clerk 2014]
A) 36 B) 10 C) 45 D) 29 E) 12
59. How many symbols does the hexadecimal system use ( IA 2018)
(A) 6 (B) 10 (C) 16 (D) 60
60. To convert a decimal number into octal, we do( IA 2018)
(A) divide decimal number with 8 (B) multiple decimal number with 8
(C) divide decimal number with 16 (D) multiple decimal number with 16
61. The hexadecimal subtraction of (1056)16 from (A427)16 results in
(A) (A3B1)16 (B) (9331)16 (C) (3711)16 (D) (93D1)16
62. The term gigabyte refers to :
(A) 1024 byte (B) 1024 kilobyte (C) 1024 hexabyte (D) 1024 megabyte
63. 2’s complement of (1000)2 is
(A) 0001 (B) 0101 (C) 0111 (D) 1000
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) P a g e 14
Answer Key
Q.N An
Q.No Ans Q.No Ans Q.No Ans Q.No Ans Q.No Ans Q.No Ans o s
1 B 11 D 21 D 31 B 41 D 51 B 61 D
2 B 12 A 22 D 32 B 42 C 52 D 62 D
3 D 13 C 23 C 33 B 43 B 53 C 63 D
4 C 14 D 24 B 34 B 44 C 54 A
5 B/C 15 D 25 A 35 A 45 A 55 D
6 A 16 E 26 D 36 B 46 A 56 D
7 B 17 C 27 D 37 C 47 C 57 C
8 B 18 D 28 D 38 B 48 C 58 B
9 D 19 C 29 B 39 B 49 D 59 C
10 B 20 B 30 A 40 D 50 C 60 A

Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) P a g e 15

Data Processing

Data in its raw form is not useful to any organization.

Data processing is the method of collecting raw data and translating it into usable information.
It is usually performed in a step-by-step process by a team of data scientists and data
engineers in an organization.
The raw data is collected, filtered, sorted, processed, analyzed, stored, and then presented in
a readable format.
Data processing is essential for organizations to create better business strategies and
increase their competitive edge.
By converting the data into readable formats like graphs, charts, and documents, employees
throughout the organization can understand and use the data.

Data processing is important for transforming meaningless raw data into meaningful
information for further analysis. But it has numerous other benefits, too. These include:
 More effective storage: Storing processed data in relational databases (as opposed to
unstructured, text-heavy documents) makes them much easier to store, manipulate and
explore using database tools like SQL.
 Easier to produce reports: Once a dataset is effectively processed, you can quickly
create reports, dashboards, and other summaries of its characteristics.
 Improved productivity: By being easier to navigate, processed data saves users from
having to heavily reprocess a dataset every time they want to use it.
 Sensible housekeeping: Data processing isn’t a one-off task, but an ongoing cycle.
Reprocessing helps maintain order and minimizes the number of errors or mistakes that
creep into your data.
 It’s more accurate: Regularly removing outliers, errors and unnecessary data points (and
using clearly defined data models) increases the accuracy of your insights.

Data Processing Cycle

The data processing cycle consists of a series of steps where raw data (input) is fed into a
system to produce output. Each step is taken in a specific order, but the entire process is
repeated in a cyclic manner. The first data processing cycle's output can be stored and fed as
the input for the next cycle, as the illustration below shows us.
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page1
Generally, there are six main steps in the data processing cycle:

Step 1: Collection
The collection of raw data is the first step of the data processing cycle. The type of raw data
collected has a huge impact on the output produced. Hence, raw data should be gathered from
defined and accurate sources so that the subsequent findings are valid and usable. Raw data can
include monetary figures, website cookies, profit/loss statements of a company, user behavior,
etc.

Step 2: Preparation
Data preparation or data cleaning is the process
of sorting and filtering the raw data to remove
unnecessary and inaccurate data. Raw data is
checked for errors, duplication, miscalculations or
missing data, and transformed into a suitable
form for further analysis and processing. This is
to ensure that only the highest quality data is fed
into the processing unit.
The purpose of this step to remove bad data
(redundant, incomplete, or incorrect data) so as to
begin assembling high-quality information so that
it can be used in the best possible way
for business intelligence.

Step 3: Input
In this step, the raw data is converted into
machine readable form and fed into the
processing unit. This can be in the form of data
entry through a keyboard, scanner or any other
input source.

Step 4: Data Processing

In this step, the raw data is subjected to various
data processing methods using machine learning
and artificial intelligence algorithms to generate a desirable output. This step may vary slightly
from process to process depending on the source of data being processed (data lakes, online
databases, connected devices, etc.) and the intended use of the output.
Step 5: Output
The data is finally transmitted and displayed to the user in a readable form like graphs, tables,
vector files, audio, video, documents, etc. This output can be stored and further processed in the
next data processing cycle.
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page2
Step 6: Storage
The last step of the data processing cycle is storage, where data and metadata are stored for
further use. This allows for quick access and retrieval of information whenever needed, and also
allows it to be used as input in the next data processing cycle directly.
Now that we have learned what is data processing and its cycle, now we can look at the types.

Types of Files in Data Processing:

There are numerous types of files used for storing data needed for processing, reference or back
up. The main common types of processing files include

 Master file

A master file is a file that contains relatively permanent records about particular items or
entries. For example, a customer file will contain details of a customer such as customer ID,
name and contact address.

 Transaction (movement) file

A transaction file is used to hold data during transaction processing. The file is later used to
update the master file and audit daily, weekly or monthly transactions. For example in a busy
supermarket, daily sales are recorded on a transaction file and later used to update the stock
file. The file is also used by the management to check on the daily or periodic transactions.

 Reference file

A reference file is mainly used for reference or look-up purposes. Look-up information is that
information that is stored in a separate file but is required during processing. For example, in
a point of sale terminal, the item code entered either manually or using a barcode reader
looks up the item description and price from a reference file stored on a storage device.

 Backup file

A backup files is used to hold copies (backups) of data or information from the computers
fixed storage (hard disk). Since a file held on the hard disk may be corrupted, lost or changed
accidentally, it is necessary to keep copies of the recently updated files. Incase of the hard
disk failure, a backup file can be used to reconstruct the original file.

 Report file

Used to store relatively permanent records extracted from the master file or generated after
processing. For example you may obtain a stock levels report generated from an inventory
system while a copy of the report will be stored in the report file.

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  Sort file

It stores data which is arranged in a particular order.Used mainly where data is to be

processed sequentially. In sequential processing, data or records are first sorted and held on
a magnetic tape before updating the master file.

Types of Data Processing

There are different types of data processing based on the source of data and the steps taken by
the processing unit to generate an output. There is no one-size-fits-all method that can be used
for processing raw data.

Type Uses

Data is collected and processed in batches. Used for large

Batch Processing amounts of data.
Eg: payroll system

Data is processed within seconds when the input is given. Used for
Real-time
small amounts of data.
Processing
Eg: withdrawing money from ATM

Data is automatically fed into the CPU as soon as it becomes

Online Processing available. Used for continuous processing of data.
Eg: barcode scanning

Data is broken down into frames and processed using two or more
CPUs within a single computer system. Also known as parallel
Multiprocessing
processing.
Eg: weather forecasting

Allocates computer resources and data in time slots to several

Time-sharing
users simultaneously.

Data Processing Methods

There are three main data processing methods - manual, mechanical and electronic.

1. Manual Data Processing

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 This data processing method is handled manually. The entire process of data collection,
filtering, sorting, calculation, and other logical operations are all with human intervention
and without the use of any other electronic device or automation software. It is a low-cost
method and requires little to no tools, but produces high errors, high labor costs, and lots of
time and tedium.

2. Mechanical Data Processing

Data is processed mechanically through the use of devices and machines. These can
include simple devices such as calculators, typewriters, printing press, etc. Simple data
processing operations can be achieved with this method. It has much lesser errors than
manual data processing, but the increase of data has made this method more complex and
difficult.

3. Electronic Data Processing

Data is processed with modern technologies using data processing software and
programs. A set of instructions is given to the software to process the data and yield
output. This method is the most expensive but provides the fastest processing speeds with
the highest reliability and accuracy of output.

Examples of Data Processing

Data processing occurs in our daily lives whether we may be aware of it or not. Here are some
real-life examples of data processing:

 A stock trading software that converts millions of stock data into a simple graph
 An e-commerce company uses the search history of customers to recommend similar
products
 A digital marketing company uses demographic data of people to strategize location-specific
campaigns
 A self-driving car uses real-time data from sensors to detect if there are pedestrians and
other cars on the road

Electronic data processing (EDP)

Electronic data processing (EDP) refers to the gathering of data using electronic devices, such as
computers, servers or calculators. It is another term for automatic information processing. It
also involves analyzing data and summarizing and recording the output in a (human) usable form.

Electronic data processing advantages

As noted, the main advantage of EDP systems is that they enable the rapid processing and
analysis of large volumes of data. EDP tools also reduce the cost of
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paper document management and storage as they remove the need for physical storage
locations, printing, couriering, etc.

Many EDP tools support user-friendly document search and streamline

business workflows. Users can collaborate on projects and track the status of data. They can gain
useful insights for their specific requirements in a format that makes the most sense to them.

EDP tools reduce the need for manual effort and also minimize the
presence of redundant or bad data, which enables better enterprise decision-making. Finally,
some EDP systems can store vast quantities of data and make it readily available for further
analysis and presentation.

Elements of electronic data processing : EDP systems comprise four key elements.
1. Hardware

Hardware refers to all the physical parts of the EDP system, including devices and peripherals.
The most common digital devices used in EDP are the following:

 end-user computing devices, such as laptop computers, desktop PCs and smartphones, that
can capture data and enable data entry;
 a central server that is required to support data processing and analysis; and
 audio and video devices that are used when data is to be captured in multimedia format.
In addition, EDP systems may also include the following:

 scanners to convert paper-based data into digital format;

 barcode scanners and point-of-sale systems to capture product pricing data for billing; and

 medical devices and sensors that collect patient data for diagnosis and treatment.
2. Software
In EDP, software makes the hardware work and ensures that the expected output is produced.
Different types of EDP software are available for various applications and business needs,
including the following:
 data entry
 accounting and bookkeeping
 analytics
 scheduling and time management
 inventory management

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3. Procedures

In addition to hardware and software, EDP involves procedures or steps for data collection,
aggregation, conversion, sorting, analysis and reporting.

4. Personnel

The final element of EDP is personnel. Although EDP tools are designed to replace manual labor
with automation to minimize human intervention, people are still required to use the systems and
to apply the generated insights to business decision-making.

Electronic data processing applications

Two of the most common applications of EDP are in inventory stock monitoring and supply
chain logistics systems. Modern-day retail and e-commerce supply chains are extremely long
and complex, due to the number of elements in the supply chain and the vast quantities of data
generated from start to end.
The data must be efficiently captured to ensure that orders are fulfilled on time
and the sales pipeline keeps moving. EDP systems enable the seamless flow of data to
streamline supply chain operations .Other industries and sectors where EDP has many
applications and use cases are the following:
 telecommunications and electronics
 education
 healthcare, pharmaceuticals and clinical research
 hospitality and tourism
 financial services
 law and order
 natural sciences, e.g., paleontology and geology

MCQ Data Processing

1). What is the initial stage belonging to a. Data Distribution b. Data Source
EDP?
c. Data Output d. Data Collection
a. Data Distribution b. Data Source
3). What is the stage next to the collection in
c. Data Output d. Data Collection EDP?
2). Accurate gathering of data is ensured by a. Data Distribution b.DataPreparation
____________ stage in EDP?
c. Data Output d. Data Collection
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4). How the data can be entered for d)All Mentioned Above
processing in EDPs? 11). Searching documents is easier in
____________?
a. Data Distribution b. Data Input
a) Electronic Data Processing
c. Data Output d. Data Collection
b) Manual Data Processing
5). Which stage is the processing in the EDP c) Mechanical Data Processing
system? d) Batch Processing
12). Processed data for hackers striking on
a. First b. Second
computers is ____________?
c. Third d. Fourth
a) Lost
6). What is eliminated in the system of EDP? b) Saved
c) Doesn't Harm
a. Repeated Entries
d) Doesn't Affect
b. Duplication of Efforts 13). Data processed in _________________
can be utilized for analysis and presentation?
c. a & b
a) Electronic Data Processing
d. Retrieving Information b) Manual Data Processing
7). Stored information is quickly retrieved in c) Mechanical Data Processing
_______________? d) Batch Processing
14). PDFs process of publishing automates
a) Electronic Data Processing easily using _____________?
b) Manual Data Processing
c) Mechanical Data Processing a) Electronic Data Processing
d) Batch Processing b) Manual Data Processing
8). Total cost to manage data using EDP in c) Mechanical Data Processing
the system is _____________? d) Batch Processing
15). Student records are maintained using
a) High _________________?
b) Enhanced
c) Less a) Electronic Data Processing
d) Increases b) Manual Data Processing
9). Round robin sequence for assigning of c) Mechanical Data Processing
time slices in ______________ EDP? d) a & b
16). What are the various areas where EDP
Time Sharing
a)
is used?
b) Real-time Processing
c) Multi-Processing a) Schools
d) Batch Processing b) Hospitals
10). EDPs facility reduces c) Telecommunication
__________________? d) All Mentioned Above

a) Efforts Duplication
b) Doesn’t Allow Repeated Entries
c) Doesn’t Store Enormous Data
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17). EDP created can d) Cost Effective
_____________managing data’s cost? 24). Which one provides the fastest speed in
terms of processing data?
a) Increase
b) Reduce a) Electronic Data Processing
c) Enhance b) Manual Data Processing
d) Intensifies c) Mechanical Data Processing
18). What is used in telecommunication d) a & b
companies in bill formatting? 25). What provides accurately processing of
data?
a) Electronic Data Processing
b) Manual Data Processing a) Electronic Data Processing
c) Mechanical Data Processing b) Manual Data Processing
d) a & b c) Mechanical Data Processing
19). ATMs belongs to the category of d) a&b
___________________EDP?
Q.No Ans Q.No Ans Q.No Ans
a) Time Sharing
1 d 11 a 21 a
b) Real-time Processing
c) Batch Processing 2 d 12 a 22 a
d) Distributed Processing 3 b 13 a 23 a
20). _______________ is enabled data 4 b 14 a 24 a
processing rapidly? 5 d 15 a 25 a
6 c 16 d 26
a) Electronic Data Processing
7 a 17 b 27
b) Manual Data Processing
c) Mechanical Data Processing
8 c 18 a 28
d) a & b 9 c 19 b 29
21). Banking transactions are the examples 10 d 20 a 30
of _____________?
a) Electronic Data Processing
b) Manual Data Processing
c) Mechanical Data Processing
d) a & b
22). What is not the characteristic of EDP?
a) Slow Processing Speed
b) Highly Reliable
c) Accurate Output
d) Expensive
23). Electronic Data Processing is
________________?
a) Expensive
b) Cheap
c) Less Costly
Notes By: Shishav Jain(8949988236) Page9