What is a file processing systems

Also these departments are not dependent on each other. So it create lots of duplicates value about that student and when he needs any change for his name or class then he has to go to both the departments to make these changes happen otherwise it will create problem for him. In file processing system, various copies of same data may contain different values. Data is not consistent in this system, it means if a data item needs to be changed then all the files containing that data need to be modified.

It may create a risk of out dated values of data. For Example : If you change student name in library then his name should be changed in all the departments related to the student. Accessing anomalies means that it is not easy to access data in a desired or efficient way. It makes supervision of department very difficult. If a user wants information in a specific manner then he requires creating a program for it.

Also Read: Characteristics of Database Approach. A collection of data is integrated if it meets certain consistency constraints. A programmer always puts these constraints in the programs by adding some codes. It should be recorded in such a way that. In the traditional approach, before to computer, all pieces of information were stored in papers. When we need information, we used to search through the papers.

If we know a particular date or category of information we are searching for, we go to that particular session in the papers. When we want to update or delete some data, we search for it and modify them or strike off them. If the data is limited, then all these tasks are easy. Imagine library information or information about a student in school, or a banking system! The focus is on the individual processing needs of a particular department or area within an organisation. Each application is designed with its own set of data files.

The data may already be present in files for other applications but would need to be restructured to meet the needs of the new application.

When a new application is required it is simpler to develop new file structures along with the new application. In a manual system each person or area finds it easier to keep their own files with the data organised in the way that is most useful to them rather than use files already existing which may be physically located at some distance or in a less useful format. Traditional files often exist in environments where there is no overall plan to guide the growth of applications. We need to briefly examine traditional file processing for several reasons.

There are still file systems in use in organisations. Organisations see no need to change what is already working for them. Some are small businesses that may not see any requirement to change or indeed find it economical to do so. A manual file system may also be used as backup systems for the database systems in many cases.

Many of the problems that occur with the use of file processing systems can also occur when using database systems if these problems have not been eliminated in the design phase. For example, problems with inconsistent data can occur with both approaches.

A file system is a method for storing and organizing computer files and the data they contain to make it easy to find and access them. File systems may use a storage device such as a hard disk or CD-ROM and involve maintaining the physical location of the files.

In our own home, we probably have some sort of filing system, which contains receipts, guarantees, invoices, bank statements, and such like. When we need to look something up, we go to the filing system and search through the system starting from the first entry until we find what we want. Alternatively, we may have an indexing system that helps to locate what we want more quickly.

For example we may have divisions in the filing system or separate folders for different types of item that are in some way logically related. The manual filing system works well when the number of items to be stored is small. It even works quite adequately when there are large numbers of items and we have only to store and retrieve them. However, the manual filing system breaks down when we have to cross-reference or process the information in the files.

The file based system was developed in response to the needs of industry for more efficient data access. Here, flat files are files containing records having no structured relationship among them. Here is the list of some important characteristics of file processing system:.

There are following problems associated with the File Based Approach:. Separated and Isolated Data: To make a decision, a user might need data from two separate files.

First, the files were evaluated by analysts and programmers to determine the specific data required from each file and the relationships between the data and then applications could be written in a programming language to process and extract the needed data. Imagine the work involved if data from several files was needed. Duplication of data: Often the same information is stored in more than one file.

Uncontrolled duplication of data is not required for several reasons, such as:.