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STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION
Units 3a and 3b
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WHY DO WE FILE• Information must be:
• Kept tidy
• Able to be found easily and quickly when needed
• Kept safe
• Stored in an accessible place
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FEATURES OF A GOOD FILING SYSTEM
• Quick and simple to use• Not take up too much
space• Able to meet future needs• Located in a convenient
place• Documents should be safe
and tidy
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INFORMATION CAN BE STORED
• In a manual, paper based form (hard copy)
• In electronic format (soft copy)
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MANUAL STORAGE OF INFORMATION
Vertical filing
cabinets Horizontal filing
cabinets
Filing traysLever Arch
files
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A PROCEDURE FOR MANUAL FILING• File regularly
throughout the day• Before filing, check
for a release mark:• F for file• Tick• Initials• “File” stamp• Line through
• Staple papers to be kept together
• Sort documents in order
• Place in correct file in chronological order
• Replace removed documents with an absent marker
• Lock cabinets containing confidential documents
• Old documents should archived to free up space
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FILING ORDERAlphabetical Order Numerical Order
Folders in order of surname Customers etc allocated a number
Direct – no index needed Alphabetic index required
Easy to understand and use May require some training to understand
Suitable for small organisations
Suitable for large organisations
Difficult to add new customer
Index required – may be slower to find things
Chronological order – date or time order:Place documents in file most recent at the top – it is the most likely to be needed!
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ELECTRONIC STORAGE OF INFORMATION
Memory Stick
Floppy Disc CD Rom
Zip disc
Hard Disc
DVD
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HOW CAN FILES BE STORED ELECTRONICALLY?
• Using an Application package• Database• Word Processing• Spreadsheet• Desk Top Publishing• Presentation
• Scanning in information• Downloading from the Internet• Saving images
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DATABASE
• A database is an electronic filing system • A file/table holds all the information needed on
a particular topic.• A record is a collection of information about one
thing eg Employee• A field is a column containing all the same
information• Fields can be formatted to hold particular types
of information, eg date, number, currency etc• You can enter as much information as you need• You can Add, Delete and Alter the field type
easily
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EXAMPLES OF DATABASESI can look up
your information on our database – what is your
account number please?
My name is Mr Bain and I can
look up my student details
on Click and Go – our student
database
I have all my patient details
on a database – this allows me to print
prescriptions
I see from out
database that you are allergic to penicillin!
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WORD PROCESSING
• Word processing is the storage of text documents
• Advantages• Information can be edited, added to and deleted quickly
and easily• Graphics can be added to documents to make them look
more interesting• A variety of formats (eg bold, italics etc) fonts and sizes
can be used• Documents can be stored and recalled at
a later date• Most useful in the Admin department for creating
letters, leaflets, posters, reports etc
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SPREADSHEET
• A spreadsheet is a software application which is used to manage numbers and carry out calculations. It calculates using formulae. Spreadsheets can produce graphs.
• Advantages• Calculations carried out instantly• Calculations accurate if formula is correct• Data can be easily converted to graphs and charts• Most useful in Finance and Sales department for wages,
sales records, stock records, invoices, graphs illustrating movement of sales
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SCANNING DOCUMENTS
• Many large organisations scan alldocuments received and work with the scanned documents which are then available for all authorised staff via the network.
• Many official forms have to becompleted in black ink which probably means they will be scanned when they are received. Paper documents can then be archived or shredded to save space.
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IMPORTANCE OF FILE MANAGEMENT
Files prepared on the computer are stored electronically. It is important that a proper system of file management is used so that computer files can be found again when required. Decide
• How to name the file• Where to save it
• Set up appropriately named folders• Set up sub-folders within the folders• Insert the filename and path at the foot of documents to help
locate them at a later date• Clear out unnecessary documents regularly• Back up documents daily
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MANUAL VERSUS ELECTRONIC
Electronic ManualSaves space – no need for cabinets Little training required
Documents can be accessed by many users
People prefer to read paper
Databases can be searched and sorted very quickly
Lost documents cannot be replaced
Documents located quicker than going to filing cabinets
Takes time to locate documents
Records can be added, deleted and edited much more quickly than on paper
Confidential – use of log-in and passwords
Back-ups easily made
Takes time to train staff to use system
Faults can lead to delays in finding info
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VIRUSES
• Organisations using electronic filing must keep themselves protected from viruses
• It is easy to lose important data if staff are not trained to deal with viruses• Use virus scanning software• Update virus software regularly to catch new
viruses• Do not open e-mail attachments from an unknown
source• Do not allow staff to bring in discs/CDs/memory
sticks – they may be infected
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MICROFILMING
• Some organisations use microfilming to archive documents which are no longer needed or to preserve delicate/very old documents
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EVALUATION OF FILING METHODS
Factor Manual Electronic
Cost •Type of equipment (and cost) will depend on type of documents•No of filing cabinets required
•Equipment – installation and maintanance•Training costs•Security costs
Space •Is there enough space for vertical cabinets•Will expansion cause a problem
•Lockable cabinets required for back-up storage
Training •Filing staff may need to be trainied in indexing rules (if this system is used)
•Training on hardware and software
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TO SUM UP …
• Why do we file• Features of a good filing s
ystem• Manual storage of inform
ation• A procedure for manual fi
ling• Filing order• Electronic storage of
information• Database
• Word Processing• Spreadsheet• Scanning documents• File management• Manual versus electronic• Viruses• Microfilming• Evaluation of methods