Data Management

Data is the raw material with which the systems analyst works, developing procedures (which may be thought of as analogous to processing machinery) to forge the data into the end product—information. Traditionally each analyst has been responsible for the collection and storage of the data for ‘his’ applications. This approach is inherently wasteful in that it leads to duplication and inconsistency when data is required for different purposes. More significantly, data collected in this way is difficult to process and present in ways other than that originally envisaged. In consequence computer-based systems tend to be difficult to modify and often prove incapable of responding to ad hoc requests for information within reasonable time and cost limits even if the basic data is available in computer-readable form.