SELECTION OF DATA ENTRY EQUIPMENT Introduction Purpose of this Report The purpose of this ADP The the report is to provide Federal managers an aid for selecting data entry equipment. cost of data entry represents from 30 to 40 percent of total EDP budget in typical installations. Since data entry is more labor-intensive than most EDP operations, proper equipment selection can produce substantial savings in operator costs. The process of data acquisition, transcription and entry is continually evolving. Keeping track of this market becomes more challenging every year. The types of products being marketed are extremely varied The number of vendors who are participating in this market is quite large, as is the size of the market itself. It is estimated that by the end of 1978 there were over 2,000,000 data entry devices installed in the United States. It is also estimated that the overall installed base will grow at 17 percent per year over the next five years. Because of this enormous growth rate, in numbers and technology, new opportunities are continuously being presented for use of more efficient and economical advanced data entry systems in many Federal agencies. It is expected that this report will make it easier for the Federal ADP manager to take better advantage of these opportunities. Organization, až thịa Beport chapters--Basic Keyboard This report is divided into three Input Devices, Reader Type Devices, and and Special Special Input Devices. These three chapters provide equipment profiles for the different data entry methods. Each chapter is subdivided into keyboard-to-disk, equipment optical (such categories character readers, voice recognition systems, etc.), within the equipment profiles, the following information is provided: A general description of the equipment category including its definition, characteristics, and options normally available. (Most equipment referred to in this guideline operates from 60 Hz, 115 volt power sources and requires less than 2 kilowatts.) but The basic information needed by an ADP manager to select equipment categories meeting the requirements of a data entry application is presented. It should be stressed that this report is not intended to provide comprehensive specifications for every data entry device (or system), Father to introduce the types of data entry equipment that are available. There are several other reference sources (such as Auerbach, Datapro, and Data Entry Today) which cover specific data entry devices in greater detail. Some other sources of information about data entry are: others. and Studies such as those done by "Computerworld" Manufacturers' brochures and presentations. Courses by organizations such as the Data Processing Management Association and the American Management Association. Meetings with others interested in the advancement of data entry, such as DEMA (the Data Entry Management Association). GSA's National Archives and Records Services program of paperwork modernization, including the use of source data automation techniques. . The organizations' own data entry, data processing, or user personnel. Once an equipment category has been selected, these reference sources should be used to research individual devices or systems in order to determine which are best suited for the application. Eactors in Data Entry Equipment Salaction The selection Process is complex, especially in large agencies with many departments originating transactions in multiple locations. Three levels of selection factors can be identified 18 primary, secondary, and tertiary factors according to their relative importance. The three primary factors in the selection equipment are: Transaction volume Point of data origin • Transaction class data entry significant however, of data origin should be Transaction volume is probably the single most considered together becaus individual remote locations within an agency may generate sufficiently large transaction volumes to justify specialized equipment or even the installation of multiple data entry systems at single remote location. Volume analysis can help determine whether or not an optical character reader or distributed processing system can be Justified. For example, the data entry volume that originates from remote locations can help determine whether data entry can be economically decentralized, or whether data collection equipment is a viable alternative to centralized keying. For large agencies, the volume at each decentralized data entry location will govern which equipment type should be selected for each remote location. There are three basic classes of data entry transactions: 1. Record 2. 3. croating Creations File additions that involve a file or adding complete records to an existing file. Examples are new customer accounts, employees, new part numbers, new suppliers etc. where the input transaction consists of adding a record or account not already contained in the file. Record Modification: Record changes that involve The significance of classifying data entry transactions into these classes is that different categories of equipment are better suited for handling different types of transactions. As a general rule, transaction classes 1 and 2 must be entered using general purpose alphanumerie data entry equipment. Class 3 transactions can be keyed on the same devices as classes 1 and 2. However, class 3 3 transactions usually are much simpler nature, the data frequently consists of numerics only, and relatively few characters are required to accomplish each transaction. Consequently, other less costly, and in some cases, highly specialized devices have evolved for class 3 transactions, to enable fast and accurate operations by relatively unskilled operators. The secondary factors in equipment selection are are accuracy controls and administrative controls for ensuring proper administration. Accuracy controls are equipment features that may be designed into the equipment to enhance the accuracy of data entry. For example, field controls on keypunch equipment can prevent alphabetic characters from being entered in numeric fields or vice versa. Administrative controls include such items as accounting functions, data security provisions, and and various features that may be provided to limit or restrict data entry operations from improper employee actions. Iartiary factors in data entry equipment selection include media compatibility and communications considerations. For example, if a data transmission link is to be used between the data entry stations and the processing center, there are communication factors that must be considered to ens compatibility between the remote and central sit sites. Alternatively, locally-prepared magnetic media such as diskettes, cassettes, or cartridges may be required for accounting purposes to ensure the integrity of each remote data entry station, providing a basis for auditing as well as for archival storage. General Considerations When considering equipment for data entry applications, the following questions should be asked. data entry . Is the effective speed and accuracy of the equipment adequate to meet application throughput requirements? • W111 of multiple units be required? parallel Physical Specifications operation Is the currently available source of power adequate for the device? Are there any special, hard-to-satisfy requirements? environmental and . Will the necessary number of data entry stations related equipment fit the available space? Is portable equipment required for the intended application? Must special fonts be used to prepare data for input? appropriate for the intended application? batch) Does the device support an adequate character set for the application? Is the character set compatible with with that 07 the installation's computer or will certain special conventions be required, such as keying a "%" to represent a "("? Are provisions included for entering characters are not contained in a standard character set? Output that Are the output facilities suitable with respect to type and size of medium, code, character set, and record length? Error Checks and Safeguards . How convenient are the error correcting procedures for the operator? Does the verification machine? proces require Separate Do the error detection facilities meet the accuracy requirements of the application? Training and Maintenance . Is operators? adequate customer training available for new Is maintenance available where the equipment will be located and with the responsiveness required by the application? sophisticated equipment make more equipment? Does its product line include current "state-of-the-art" systems? How expensive is upgrading the system? How much retraining or program and format changing will it involve? Table 1 is a summary of the more significant characteristics of the the principal categories of data entry equipment. The information in the table was obtained primarily from the following Chapters 1, 2, and 3 and is provided so that the reader may more easily compare the various systems. Economic Considerations Economic Justification of a data entry system should be based upon a cost/performance comparison between the proposed systems and the currently-installed system or among |