Electronic data processing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:23, 4 April 2004

Revision as of 07:02, 8 April 2004

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Software is available off the shelf: apart from Microsoft products such as Office, or Lotus, or whatever, there are specialist packages for payroll and personnel management, account maintenance and customer management, to name a few. These are highly specialised and intricate components of larger environments, but they rely upon common conventions and interfaces.

Data storage has also standardised. Relational databases are developed by different suppliers to common formats and conventions. Common [[PDFfile format]] formatss can be shared by large main-frames and desk-top personal computers, allowing online, realtime input and validation.

In parallel, software development has fragmented. There are still specialist technicians, but these increasingly use standardised methodologies where outcomes are predictable and accessible. At the other end of the scale, any office manager can dabble in spreadsheets or databases and obtain acceptable results (but there are risks).