The Process Of A Computer Based Data Collection System

A database is the end result of a data collection system, and one of the methods of collection is a computer based data collection system, also called an automated data collection system. When you need data, you want to obtain it in an organized fashion so that it is usable and easily accessible. If the computer or other automation is used to collect the data, and organize it, the data is usually presented in a table or spreadsheet format. From the table or spreadsheet format the data can be manipulated and organized so that it is easy to determine patterns. One computer based data collection system we are all familiar with is the e-mail address book. Every time you send or receive and e-mail, the address is collected and stored in your e-mail address book, organized or sortable by name or e-mail address. The e-mail program is designed and coded to have it find all the addresses and store them in a spreadsheet format. One that spreadsheet is created you may access it. However, you never see the spreadsheet format, because the program has designed and built in an interface which display the information in a dialog box.

The end result of this, computer based data collection system is a two fold result, a full collection of all e-mail address you have sent to or received from, in a organized format, and the ability to auto-complete the address you start typing.

The Value of a Computer Based Data Collection System

There are several values in using a computer based data collection system, a couple that are not obvious. The first value, is that using a computer to create a computer based data collection system, saves the company from having to have an employee find the data and input it. Thus, for the cost of a computer you can avoid the costs of an employee, but there is a down side. The computer cannot reason and you will have some junk data in your computer based data collection system.

The next value in a computer based data collection system is the computer can process and collect, huge amounts of data without anywhere near the same man-hours. Once again, though, you will have some junk data.

Once you have all of this data, the computer based data collection system can produce it in several formats, and sorted by the criteria you select.

The not very obvious value is that collection of data can be done surreptitiously. A computer can be set to monitor any function that goes through its processor, and can log anything about that function. This allows for a computer based data collection system to produce information about a function, without the operator being aware.