Evolution of File System Data Processing

Manual file systems are accomplished through a system of file folders and filing cabinets
With computerized file systems, a data processing (DP) specialist created a computer-based system to track data and produce required reports
File System Redux: Modern End-User Productivity Tools
- Business users widely use spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel to enter data in a series of rows and columns to manipulate data
- A common misuse of spreadsheets is as a substitute for a database

Term	Definition - Basic File Terminology
Data	Raw facts, such as a telephone number, a birth date, a customer name, and a year-to-date (YTD) sales value. Data has little meaning unless it has been organized in some logical manner.
Field	A character or group of characters (alphabetic or numeric) that has a specific meaning. A field is used to define and store date.
Record	A logically connected set of one or more fields that describes a person, place, or thing. For example, the fields that constitute a record for a customer might consist of the customer’s name, address, phone number, date of birth, credit limit, and the unpaid balance.
File	A collection of related records. For example, a file might contain data about the students currently enrolled at Alamo College.

Problems with file systems challenge the types of information that can be created from data as well as information accuracy: