1

1.1 Data and information

1 Describe the difference between data and information. Q1a-Spec 1
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[2]
• Data usually refers to raw data/unprocessed data
• Information is data that has been processed in such a way as to be meaningful…
• …to the person who receives it
• Information is data that has structure and context
2 There are different types of data.……………………………………………..Q1b-Spec 1
Tick four correct statements in the following table.

✓
1 True and false are examples of Boolean data
2 A field containing the value 253 would be a field containing text data
3 245.6 is an integer
4 All numbers are stored as decimals
5 ‘13 cm’ is an example of alphanumeric data
6 An integer stored in a field is a form of numeric value
7 Currency is a type of numeric data
8 A real number is an integer which has already been used in a database
9 How many times a student has taken an exam would be stored as a Date/time data type [4]
10 A percentage value is usually stored as text as it has a percentage sign
• Ans 1,5,6,7
3 A school secretary has been handed some data by a student: Q3-m17-P12

Prasad, Anoushka, SR132516, 52, 01/09/2000

Explain why they are regarded as just items of data. In your explanation give a possible context for the
data and describe how this would make the data become information.
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• They are just a collection of text, numbers and symbols
• with no meaning
• A possible context is that the data is about the student and represents
• their family name, first name, student id, their latest maths mark and their date of birth
4 A newspaper story is regarded as static data. Q3-S17-P12
Using another appropriate example, describe what is meant by static data.

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• Data that does not change
• It can be read without being written back to a file/not changed when written back
• Limited amount of information in a static information source
• because as soon as it is created it is difficult to have information added to it
• Static data tends to go out of date quickly.
• Appropriate example such as a CD ROM contains static data.
5 A CD-ROM encyclopaedia is considered to be a static information source whereas a website encyclopedia
is considered to be a dynamic information source.Q3-S17-P13

Explain the differences between static and dynamic information sources.

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• Static information sources are carefully checked for accuracy..
• as once the data are used it is difficult to change
• There is a limited amount of information in a static information source…
• as soon as it is created it is difficult to have information added to it
• A dynamic data source can have information updated quite quickly
• The data in a dynamic data source is usually up to date/static data tends to go out of date quickly
• There can be many contributors to a dynamic data source such as a web site…
• …so the information can be inaccurate.
6 A student is researching the topic of her new assignment. She has been provided with a series of hard copy
magazine articles. She has been told by her tutor that these are probably more reliable than searching the
World Wide Web for information. Q3P12M19
Compare and contrast the use of these two types of data sources for her research.
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• Static information sources/magazines are more carefully checked for accuracy
• Once the data are created they cannot be changed easily
• There is a limited amount of information in a static information
• source/magazine/greater amount of information on the World Wide Web
• As soon as static data source/magazine is created it is very difficult to have information added to it
• A dynamic data source/website can have information updated quite quickly
• The data in a dynamic data source/website is usually up to date/ static data tends to go out of date
quickly
• There can be many contributors to a dynamic data source/website so the information can be
inaccurate
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7 Items of data could be the following:Q3P11S19

Explain, by describing what is meant by information, why these are just items of data.
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• Data on its own has no meaning
• Only when it is interpreted does data take on meaning and become information
• Data consists of raw facts and figures
• Data has to be processed (into sets) to become information
• Data needs to have a context in order to become information
• Data can be in the form of numbers, characters, symbols, images as shown in the example (must
have three)
• Information is what you get after a piece of data is processed and organised
• and is easily interpretable unlike the examples given
• Marks are available for explained examples of how data becomes information
8 Some people get confused when trying to establish what is data, information or knowledge. The sequence
of numbers 192.168.1.254 could be an example of data. Q4P12S19
Using this example, or another of your choice, explain how data, information and knowledge are linked.
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[4]
Max three from:
• Data consists of raw facts and figures as it does not have any meaning until it is processed and given a
context
• Information is data that is assigned a meaning / presented within a context that gives it meaning,
relevance and purpose
• Knowledge is know-how and learning of contextualised information
Max three from:
• The example does not have a meaning / context
• The context could be they form an IP address which makes this information
• Only when it is apparent that IPv4 addresses always consist of four numbers separated by full stops
and each number must be between 0 and 255 does this become knowledge
• Or equivalent statements for their own example (1 for example explained as data, 1 for context
explained, 1 for explanation of how it can become knowledge).
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9 Tick the four most accurate statements regarding the benefits of gathering data from direct data sources.
Q1P11W19
✓
1 You only have to gather as much or as little data as you need
2 It allows data to be gathered from subjects to which the data gatherer does not have physical
access.
3 You can obtain the data faster than using an indirect data source
4 You have full control over the method used to collect the data
5 A much larger sample size can be used than is possible with indirect data sources
6 A direct data source is quicker to search
7 There may be an opportunity to sell the data to other people for them to use
8 You do not have to spend time interviewing people or giving out questionnaires
9 A CD ROM of historical data is a direct data source
1 The source of the data is known exactly, making it easier to judge its reliability
0 [4]
Ans 1,4,7,10
10 Using a news website as an example, describe what is meant by dynamic data. Q4P11W19

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• Dynamic data refers to data that is changed ...
• The data's state is never expected to be the same when re-input
• Data on a news website is updated regularly/ as and when necessary/ automatically/often up to date
• There is an unlimited amount of information in a news website ...
• ... it can have information added to it when new facts come to light
• May be considered by some to be unreliable as data may be not authentic/rumour/may not have been
verified/there can be many contributors to a dynamic data source/website so the information can be
inaccurate
11 Tick the four most accurate statements regarding gathering data from indirect data sources. Q1P12W19

✓
1 It may involve having to purchase more data loggers
2 Several people would have to be employed to carry out interviews
3 It always takes longer to gather data from an indirect data source
4 It is impossible to ensure that data was collected from a representative sample
5 The data may be out of date
6 The sample size is always smaller than if you used a direct data source
7 The purpose for which data was collected originally may be quite different from the
purpose of the current research
8 There may be no data available. The data required has simply never been recorded
9 The coding used in the data is never explained
10 Compared to direct data sources, using indirect data sources is always very expensive
when preparing and carrying out the gathering of data
[4]
Ans 4,5,7,8
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12 A CD-ROM encyclopedia is considered to be a static information source whereas a website encyclopedia is
considered to be a dynamic information source.………………….Q3-S17-P13

Explain the differences between static and dynamic information sources.

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• Static information sources are carefully checked for accuracy..
• ..as once the data are used it is difficult to change
• There is a limited amount of information in a static information source…
• …as soon as it is created it is difficult to have information added to it
• A dynamic data source can have information updated quite quickly
• The data in a dynamic data source is usually up to date/static data tends to go out of date quickly
• There can be many contributors to a dynamic data source such as a web site…
• …so the information can be inaccurate.
13 A health inspector, Josefine, is investigating the health of students. She wishes to study the effect on them
of traffic on roads passing close to the school. One road seems to be causing more problems than others.
She is going to collect data regarding the amount of traffic and its effect on their health. Q3-W17-P11

(a) Describe, with specific reference to the investigation, how she could gather data from direct data
sources.
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• She could give questionnaires to students who walk to school using that particular road asking about
their general health/number of days missed through illness
• She could give questionnaires to students who walk to school using other roads asking about their
general health/number of days missed through illness
• She could interview students who walk to school using that particular road asking about their general
health/number of days missed through illness
• She could interview students who walk to school using other roads asking about their general
health/number of days missed through illness
• She could observe/keep a count of traffic coming down the busy road
• She could observe the amount of traffic/keep a count of traffic coming down the other roads
• She could use sensors to detect the flow of traffic going down the busy road
• She could use sensors to detect the flow of traffic going down the other roads
• She could give questionnaires to residents who live in that particular road asking about their general
health
• She could give questionnaires to residents who live in other roads asking about their general health
• She could interview residents who live in that particular road asking about their general health
• She could interview residents who live in other roads asking about their general health.
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14 Describe the drawbacks of gathering data from direct data sources. Q3b-W17-P11
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• Data gathering may be expensive as other companies may have to be hired to get it
• It may involve having to purchase equipment such as data loggers/computers/printers
• Compared to indirect data sources using direct data sources may be very expensive in preparing and
carrying out the gathering of data
• Costs can be incurred in producing the paper for questionnaires
• It takes longer to gather data than to acquire data from an indirect data source
• By the time the project is complete/all the data is collected the data may be out of date
• The sample size may be small.
15 Tick the four most accurate statements regarding knowledge, data and information. Q1-M18-P12
✓
1 Knowledge is remembering a set of facts.
2 5, 10, 15, 20 are examples of information.
3 Knowledge is just learning items of data by rote.
4 Knowledge never requires the understanding of information.
5 Knowledge is the use of information to solve problems.
6 Information is data that needs to be processed to give it meaning.
7 Understanding that 25 is the fifth answer in the five times table requires knowledge.
8 Tacit knowledge is knowledge that is easy to pass on to someone else.
9 A list of all the books written by Shakespeare is just raw data.
10 Being aware that Pride and Prejudice was not written by Shakespeare requires knowledge. [4]

Ans 1,5,7,10
16 Tick the four most accurate statements referring to the meaning of data and information.Q1-S18-P11
✓
1 Data consists of raw facts and figures.
2 Information when processed becomes data.
3 Data is a collection of text, numbers, symbols, images or sound.
4 Data does not need to have meaning to become information.
5 Knowing that 159.5, 164.3, 162.9 and 172.3 are the heights in centimeters of pupils in a
school makes it a set of data.
6 Data cannot be interpreted until it is organized.
7 Data is never represented by binary in a computer.
8 Data must have a context to become information.
9 Data is the result of processing information, usually by computer.
[4]
10 A group of facts which are used in context is called a set of data.
Ans : 1,3,6,8
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17 Tick the four most accurate statements referring to dynamic and static data. Q1-S18-P12

1 Dynamic data is data that does not change.

2 Data that is read from and not written back to a file is called static data.
3 Data stored on a CD ROM is an example of dynamic data.
4 Data on a web page that is updated from time to time is an example of dynamic data.
5 It is very difficult to add information to a static information source after it has been created.
6 There is a limited amount of information in a dynamic information source compared to a
static one.
7 Dynamic information sources are never checked for accuracy.
8 A static information source can have information updated quickly.
9 The data in a static data source is always up to date.
10 There can be many contributors to a dynamic data source so the information can be [4]
inaccurate.
Ans 2,4,5,10
18 Jasmine is carrying out a study of the effect of pollution on her local countryside. She intends to use data
from direct data sources as well as indirect data sources. Q4-S18-13

Describe what is meant by direct and indirect data sources using examples from this scenario.
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• A direct data source is a source where data is collected for a specific purpose or task
• Examples of direct data sources are questionnaires or data logging
• An indirect data source is when data is obtained from a third party not necessarily related to the
current task
• Direct data source
• It gives us data that is often called ‘original source data’
• Questionnaires could be distributed amongst farmers and local people asking about the effects of
pollution
• Interviews could be carried out with farmers and local people asking about the effects of pollution
• Data logging – sensors could be used to gather pollution data that could be processed and interpreted
• Indirect data source
• Means data that was collected for a particular reason but is then used for another purpose
• Could collect data from local government agencies which may have pollution data for the local area
• Could collect data from local environment groups.
19 Data on a CD ROM is regarded as static data.Q9M20P12
Using another appropriate example, describe the characteristics of static data.

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• Data that doesn’t change
• Limited amount of information in a static information source …
• …because as soon as it is created it is difficult to have information added to it
• Static data tends to go out of date quickly
• Appropriate example such as a newspaper story/textbook contains static data
20 Static information sources and dynamic information sources are often used for different purposes.
Q3S20P11
Define what is meant by static and dynamic data. Using a school or college as an example, describe
situations which could use a dynamic information source and those where a static information source
could be used.
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• Static data is data that is unchanged as it is often read from a file without changing it.
• Static data may be read without being written back to a file or source or is not changed when written
back.
• Dynamic data refers to data that is changed so that it is updated as and when necessary.
• With dynamic data, the data's state is never expected to be the same when re-input.
• Static data could be used in a history assignment…
• …as with a static information source, information tends to be reliable/history tends to remain the
same as does static data.
• Dynamic data could be used in a report to the head on current exam performance/school attendance
figures…
• …as these will change on a weekly (if not daily) basis
21 Using numerical examples, describe what is meant by the following terms. Q3S20P12
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Data:
• Data consists of raw facts and figures which require processing for interpretation/it does not have any
meaning until it is processed and given a context.
• The number 5 would be an item of data.
Information:
• Information is data that is presented within a context that gives it meaning, relevance and
purpose/Information is data that is accurate and timely, specific and organised for a
purpose/Information is contextualised, categorised, calculated and condensed data.
• The context could be prime numbers and 5 is a prime number.
Knowledge:
• Know-how and learning of contextualised information/knowledge is the appropriate collection of
information, such that its intent is to be useful.
• Only when it is apparent that prime numbers have only two factors does this become knowledge
22 Companies often carry out investigations into the public’s likes and dislikes. Investigations such as this can
be done using direct sources or indirect sources of information. Q5S20P13
(a) Describe the advantages of gathering data from indirect data sources.
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• It may allow a larger set of data to be examined using less time and money than direct data collection
would require.
• It allows data to be gathered from subjects to whom the data gatherer does not have physical access.
• A larger sample size can be used…
• …direct data gathering could have limitations due to the availability of the people being interviewed…
• …using indirect data sources the sample could be increased giving rise to greater confidence in the
findings.
• There is a relatively low cost as travelling expenses and time taken to collect data using a direct data
source can be great.
• Information can be of a higher quality as data collected indirectly has already been collated and
grouped into meaningful categories.
• Poorly written responses to questionnaires or interview transcripts do not have to be read through to
create the data source.
(b) Describe the disadvantages of gathering data from indirect data sources.
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• The various purposes for which data was collected originally may be different to the purpose of the
current research…
• …so unnecessary data may need to be filtered out.
• There may be no data available as the data required has simply never been recorded.
• There may be sampling bias as data from only one section of the community may have been collected
(and data from a representative cross section of the community may be required).
• There may be coding difficulties…
• …as different sources being used means there will be differences in the content.
• …as there may be a lack of standardisation across the data required.
• …as different sources will have different amounts of data.
• If it has already been coded the coding may be difficult to understand.
• Indirect data sources may also vary in reliability, depending on who collected the data and how old the
data are.
23 (a) Data can exist in two states, dynamic or static. Q1aP11S21
Tick the most accurate statement referring to dynamic data.
✓
1 A sentence in a textbook that says, ‘The American Declaration of Independence was in 1776’ is an
example of dynamic data
2 Data that is read from and not written back to a file is called dynamic data
3 A hard copy newspaper is an example of a dynamic data source
[1]
4 Dynamic data can be updated quickly
Ans 4
(b) Tick the scenario that involves the use of an indirect data source.
✓
1 Handing out a questionnaire to factory workers to find out about working conditions
2 Using sensors to monitor pollution in a river
3 Asking businesses for their customers’ details to produce a mailing list
4 Observing the number of customers entering a store to see how busy it is
[1]

Ans 3
24 (a) A researcher has to choose between using a direct data source or an indirect data source. The data
collected may be confidential and may need to be encrypted when sent over the internet.
Tick the statement that best describes the use of a direct data source. Q1aP13S21
✓
1 Searching the World Wide Web to find weather data
2 Interviewing residents living on a street to find out how busy the traffic on the street is
3 Examining the census results for previous years
4 Looking at a list of names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote
[1]
Ans 2
(b) Data can exist in two states, dynamic or static. Q1bP13S21
Tick the most accurate statement referring to dynamic data.
✓
1 Dynamic data is data that never changes.
2 Data on a hard disk is an example of dynamic data.
3 ‘Canada has a border with the United States’ is an example of dynamic data.
4 Dynamic data is never checked for accuracy before publication.
[1]
Ans 2
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25 A government is proposing to build a new road between two large cities. They wish to collect
information on how it will affect the environment and the people living close to the proposed route.
They can collect this information using direct or indirect sources. Q4P1SP22

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using these types of sources for collecting the
information.
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Advantages Disadvantages
• Only as much or as little data is • Only as much or as little data is gathered as
gathered as needed needed
• Where the data came from is • Where the data came from is known exactly and
direct

known exactly and therefore how therefore how reliable it is

reliable it is • There may be an opportunity to sell the data for
• There may be an opportunity to other purposes
sell the data for other purposes

• Indirect data sources may allow a
larger set of data to be examined
• A larger sample size can be used
• Information may be of a higher
quality as it has already been
collated and grouped into
meaningful categories
• Poorly written responses to
indirect
• The various purposes for which data was collected
originally may be quite different to the building of
a road in this area and unnecessary data may need
to be filtered out
• There may be no data available since this may be
the first road to be built in the area
• There may be sampling bias as data from only one
section of the community may have been collected

questionnaires or interview • There may be coding difficulties as the purpose for

transcripts do not have to be
read through to create the data
source
which the data was collected may not be the same
as building a road in this area
• If it has already been coded the coding may be
difficult to understand Indirect data sources may
also vary in reliability, depending on who collected
the data and how old the data are
• Must have advantages and disadvantages of both
to gain full marks
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26 Phoebe is collecting data to find the level of pollution in a local river.Q1P11W21
(a) Tick the most accurate statement regarding data.
ü
1 A group of facts which are used in context is called a set of data.
2 Data can only consist of text and numbers.
3 Understanding that Paris, London and Berlin are capital cities of countries in
Europe makes this a set of data.
4 Data cannot be interpreted until it has a context. [1]
Ans 4
(b) Tick the most accurate statement regarding the relationship between data and information.
ü
Data without a context is called information.
Data is the result of processing information, usually by computer.
Data that has meaning becomes information.
Information, when arranged to make meaningful output, becomes data.
[1]
Ans 3
Phoebe will use sensors as direct data sources to collect the data. She will place sensors in the river
and collect the readings from a computer.
(c) Describe the benefits of gathering data from direct data sources in this scenario.
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• It ensures the data is relevant to the study
• The size of the data sample can be as big or small as needed
• Phoebe has full control over the method used to collect the data
• There may be an opportunity to sell the data to other people for them to use
• The source of the data is known, exactly making it easier to judge its reliability
(d) Describe the drawbacks of gathering data from direct data sources in this scenario.

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• Buying data loggers may be very expensive
• Compared to indirect data sources using direct data sources may be very expensive in preparing
and carrying out the gathering of data.
• It takes longer to gather data than to acquire data from an indirect data source
• The amount of data gathered may be inadequate and not give representative results
• The pollution could be seasonal and the time of year readings are taken may not provide the
required results
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27 (a) A company secretary has been given a piece of paper which has the following data written on it.
Q3P12W21
Johansen, Ingrid, 4578, 05/12/2020, 02493465782

Explain why these are regarded as just items of data. In your explanation give a possible context for
the data and describe how this data then becomes information.
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• They are just a collection of text, numbers and symbols
• As it stands, they have no meaning
• A possible context is that the data is about a new worker/customer
• They represent their family name, first name, worker’s ID, the date they joined the company
and their phone number (three marks for five reasonable fields, two marks for four
reasonable fields, one mark for two or three reasonable fields)
28 Students often confuse the concepts of data, information and knowledge. Q9P13W21
Consider the following:
5, 10, 15, 20
Explain, using this example, how data becomes information, and how information can then lead to
further knowledge.
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• The example is just a list of numbers separated by commas and is data
• This is data which consists of raw figures
• It does not have any meaning until it is given a context
• Information is data that has a context giving it meaning
• The context is that this is a set of numbers which could be part of the five times table
• Knowledge is know-how and learning of contextualized information/information which has had
human experience applied to it
• Understanding that 6, 12, 18, 24 follows a similar type of pattern and must therefore be part of
the six times table is further knowledge
 14
29 A journalist is researching background information on a story. His editor has provided some hard
copy books on the topic. The editor has told the journalist to use the World Wide Web as well,
because that could be more reliable than using the books. Q11P13W21
Compare and contrast the use of these static and dynamic sources for this research.
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Static information sources/books are more carefully checked for accuracy
With static sources once the data are created, they cannot be changed easily
Static

There is a limited amount of information in a static information

source/book/greater amount of information on the WWW
As soon as static data source/book is published it is very difficult to have information
added to it
A dynamic data source/website can have information updated quite quickly
dynamic

The data in a dynamic data source/website is usually up to date/ static data tends to go
out of date quickly
There can be many contributors to a dynamic data source/website so the information
can be inaccurate

For full marks, must have at least one from:

• Both sources require the use of sophisticated analysis techniques
• Both sources will provide a mixture of relevant and irrelevant information
• Both can be inaccurate
 15
1.2 Quality of information
1 Tick the four most accurate statements regarding the quality of information. Q 1M17-P12
✓
1 The more information that is collected the higher its quality.
2 Data collected from a third party always becomes high quality information.
3 The accuracy of the information collected affects its quality.
4 Information which costs a lot to collect is always high quality information.
5 A great deal of detail can sometimes lead to poor quality information.
6 Irrelevant information leads to poor quality information.
7 The problems arising from a lack of good quality information can be overcome by making
your filters more refined.
8 Good quality of information is always obtained from small groups of people.
9 Information collected 100 years ago is always good quality information.
10 The more complete the collected information is, the better its quality. [4]
• Ans 3,5,6,10
2 Give reasons why the information that Josefine collects may be inaccurate. Q3c-W17-P11
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• In questionnaires and interviews the questions may not have been very clear and the respondents may
have misunderstood them
• The questions might have been badly phrased
• so that the respondent thought they knew the answer Josefine wanted –
• resulting in similar answers from different respondents
• Questions may have been open-ended allowing the respondent to produce answers which could not be
quantified
• In a multi-choice type question there may not have been a sufficient number of alternatives
• The respondents selected for the study may not have been very representative
• There is the possibility that Josefine may have made errors when collecting it
• Josefine may have made errors when entering the collected data into the computer
• If the data was collected automatically by sensors the computer/microprocessor may not have been set
up properly to accurately interpret the readings.
3 (b) Companies rely on the quality of the information that they use to make decisions.
Describe how each of the following can affect the quality of the information. In your answers, give
detail about the possible effects on companies. Q3bP12W21
(i) The age of the information.
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• Information needs to be up to date
• Often information changes after a while so information which is out of date can produce
inaccurate results
• Businesses who base their planning on out-of-date information are likely to make bad decisions
• It is important that where future planning is involved, only accurate and up-todate information
is used
 16
(ii) The level of detail in the information.
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• To be helpful in solving the company’s problems, the information needs to have the correct
level of detail
• If there is too much detail, it is difficult to extract/find the exact information required
• If the information is not detailed enough, it may not contain the information needed

1.3 Encryption

1 (c) Tick the correct statement regarding the encryption of data.

1 Encrypting data prevents hackers from intercepting it.

2 Encryption is the conversion of data into a form that cannot be easily understood by
unauthorised users
3 The two main types of encryption are known as public key encryption and open encryption
4 Decryption is the process of further converting encrypted data into another more
complicated encrypted form [1]
• Ans 2
2 Tick the four statements which most accurately refer to encryption. Q2-m 17-P12

1 Encryption is used by hackers to discover passwords.
2 Encrypting a hard disk prevents viruses from deleting the information.
3 Encryption always makes use of a public key and a private key.
4 Encryption is the scrambling of the text in a message.
5 Encryption is the process of encoding messages in such a way that only authorised parties
can understand them.
6 Encryption prevents messages from being intercepted.
7 Encrypted information can only be understood if decrypted.
8 Encryption has speeded up internet browsing by using secure sites.
9 The recipient can only decrypt the message with the key provided by the originator.
10 All memory sticks are encrypted. [4]
• Ans4,5,7,9
3 Ian wants to apply encryption to all his emails. He is not sure whether to use asymmetric or symmetric
encryption. Q3-W17-P13
(a) Describe what is meant by the asymmetric method of encryption.
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 17
• Asymmetric encryption is often referred to as public key encryption
• The public key is used to encrypt the data.
• the corresponding private/secret key is used to decrypt the data
• The public key is published to everyone
• but the private key is kept secret
• Anyone with a copy of the public key can encrypt information
• but only the private key holder can read it
• It is not possible to deduce the private key from the public key.
4 Describe what is meant by the symmetric method of encryption. Q3b-W17-P13

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[3]
• Symmetric encryption only uses a single private/secret key
• This private/secret key must be shared and kept private by both the sender and the receiver
• This private/secret key is used for both encryption and decryption
• To use symmetric encryption sender and receiver must securely share a key before
sending/receiving a message.
5 Tick the four most accurate statements regarding encryption protocols. Q2-M18-P12
✓
1 None of the web browsers currently in use support TLS.
2 SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer.
3 TLS was used before SSL came into being.
4 TLS and SSL are protocols that provide security of communication in a network.
5 SSL uses asymmetric cryptography only.
6 Encryption protocols prevent hackers from intercepting a message.
7 TLS stands for Transport Layer Socket.
8 Client-server applications use TLS in a network to try to prevent eavesdropping.
9 Encryption protocols enable credit card payments to be made securely.
10 SSL does not require a handshake to be carried out. [4]
Ans 2,4,8,9
 18
6 Encryption can be used to protect data on a hard disk and in emails. Q13P12M19

Evaluate the need for this encryption.

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[8]
Disk encryption:
Advantages
• Files encrypted by one user cannot be opened by another user if they do not possess appropriate
permissions.
• After encryption a file remains encrypted regardless of where it is moved
• Encryption can be used on any files including executable files
• Users with permission to decrypt a file are able to work with the file without experiencing any
restrictions/difficulties
• Other users receive a restricted access notification when they attempt to access the encrypted file
Disadvantages
• If the password is lost or reset it becomes impossible to gain access to files on the drive
• If the operating system fails it becomes impossible to gain access to files
• If the operating system has to be reinstalled it becomes impossible to gain access to files...
• ...data can be lost irreversibly

Email encryption:
Advantages
• As modern technology becomes more sophisticated, so do hackers so sophisticated encryption is
essential
• Passwords on email accounts are not enough
• Email providers tend not to automatically encrypt email messages nor attachments
• Without encryption a person/malware could potentially read someone's emails
• The recipient’s email provider server may not be secured
• Without encryption, messages can be stored as plain text, making it easy for anyone to read and
understand
• When encrypting emails, the text stored in the message and files are scrambled up both in storage and
transit...
• ...the only way to unscramble and read the content is to use a decryption key
Disadvantages
• Hackers can still intercept and delete emails
• Encrypting emails to a new recipient using a private key requires the key to be sent which can be
intercepted by a hacker
• Managing digital certificates can become complex and time consuming.
 19
7 Evaluate the use of HTTPS in websites. Q9P12W19
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• Messages can’t be read by any third-party

• A certificate guarantees the information a browser is receiving originates at the expected
domain
Advantages

• It’s a guarantee that when a user sends sensitive data, it’s being sent to the
• ….right place, and not to a malicious third party
• HTTPS connections make man-in-the-middle attacks much more difficult to execute
• Search engines list HTTPS websites higher than sites without HTTPS
• The green padlock indicates that your site provider takes security seriously
• …and this gives users confidence
• HTTPS uses a lot of server resources ...
• ... requires processing power and memory for encryption
• HTTPS introduces latencies/delays
• SSL connections take longer to set up with more roundtrips
• Browser caching does not work properly
• Modern sites will run slowly without browser caching
Disadvantages

• Need to buy an SSL certificate issued by certificate authorities

• It is possible to make your own certificate but other users will not trust it so you need to buy
one
• Warnings can arise that despite using SSL a web page is partially serving insecure content
• The browser may not want users to think a site is totally secure but warning can be off-putting
to many users
• There are proxy caching problems
• Everything is encrypted including packet headers and content
• Any caching that might have happened between the points at which data is encrypted and
decrypted is blocked
 20
8 Tick the four statements referring to asymmetric encryption which are true. Q1P12S19
✓
1 It is often referred to as public key encryption
2 It uses a pair of keys, a public key and a private key
3 The public key and the private key are published to everyone who wants to send a message
4 Anyone with a copy of the public key can read encrypted data
5 It is possible to deduce the private key from the public key
6 SSL is a protocol that uses asymmetric encryption
7 Keys used in symmetric encryption are longer, compared to asymmetric keys
8 Asymmetric encryption is slower to convert than symmetric encryption and requires far more
processing power
9 Digital certificates are not used with asymmetric encryption
10 The use of an asymmetric key algorithm always ensures security of a message
[4]
Ans 1,2,6,8
9
Explain how encryption protects data stored on a hard disk. Q8S20P11

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[5]
• Can be either through use of symmetric or asymmetric encryption.
• Can be through the use of public and private keys.
• Causes data to be scrambled/encoded.
• Requires an encryption key to encrypt.
• Requires a decryption key to decrypt.
• Results in data which is not understandable/readable/protects sensitive data from being understood if it
falls in to the wrong hands.
10 For each of the two tables below, tick the most accurate statement referring to symmetric encryption.
(a) Q1S20P12
✓
1 Symmetric encryption is a newer method of encryption compared to asymmetric encryption
2 With symmetric encryption the public key is used to encrypt the data
3 With symmetric encryption you have to use the same key to encrypt every message
4 Symmetric encryption only uses a single private key
[1]
Ans 4
 21
(b)
✓
1 With symmetric encryption the private key must be kept private by both the sender and the
receiver
2 Symmetric encryption is often referred to as public key encryption
3 It is possible to deduce the private key from the public key
4 With symmetric encryption anyone with a copy of the public key can encrypt information
[1]
Ans 1
11 There are two types of encryption, symmetric and asymmetric. Q9S20P13
(a) Describe the use of public keys and private keys when used in the asymmetric method of encryption.

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• The public key is used to encrypt the data.
• The corresponding private/secret key is used to decrypt the data.
• The public key is published to everyone.
• The private key is kept secret.
• Anyone with a copy of the public key can encrypt information.
• Only the private key holder can read the information.
• It is not possible to deduce the private key from the public key.
(b) A part from the types of keys used, give two reasons why symmetric encryption is preferred in certain
situations.
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[2]
• Symmetric encryption takes a shorter amount of time to encrypt data than asymmetric encryption.
• Symmetric encryption requires far less processing power to encrypt...
• ...and decrypt the content of a message.
(c) The SSL/TLS protocol is an encryption protocol frequently used when data is transmitted over the
internet. Describe how the SSL/TLS protocol is used to ensure the security of the data. Q1cP13S21
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 22
• Transmitted data is encrypted so that a third party cannot eavesdrop and view the data
• Only the user's computer and the secure server can recognise the data
• Websites often use SSL/TLS certificates to verify their authenticity SSL/TLS use two keys to encrypt
data…
• …a public key known to everyone and a private key known only to the recipient
• When a web browser tries to connect to a website using SSL/TLS, it requests the web server to identify
itself
• The web server sends the browser a copy of the SSL/TLS Certificate
• Certificate Authorities are used to ensure the authenticity of the certificate
• The browser checks to see if the SSL/TLS Certificate is trusted
• If the SSL/TLS Certificate is trusted, then the browser sends a message to the Web server
• The server then responds to the browser with a digitally signed acknowledgement to start an SSL/TLS
encrypted session
• SSL/TLS requires a handshake to be carried out/the browser and the website carry out a (SSL/TLS)
handshake
12 Describe the differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption, explaining which is
more secure. Q4P12W21
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• Symmetric encryption only uses a single private key
• With asymmetric encryption the public key is used to encrypt the data
• With asymmetric encryption the private key is used to decrypt the data
• The public key is published to everyone
• With asymmetric encryption the private key is only accessible to the recipient
• With symmetric encryption the same key is used for both encryption and decryption
• Asymmetric requires more processing (power)/is a slower process due to its mathematical
complexity
• Asymmetric encryption requires a digital certificate/symmetric encryption does not

At least one from:

• Asymmetric is more secure Sender and receiver have their own key so there is no problem of
the key being intercepted by a hacker
• Even if the encryption/public key is stolen by a hacker they cannot decrypt the message as
decryption/private key is only available to the receiver
 23
13 Coding of data, such as G for green and B for blue, has some advantages and disadvantages.
(a) Tick the most accurate statement regarding an advantage of coding data in this way.
Q1P13W21

1 Data can become more difficult to interpret.

2 All codes are easy to forget.
3 It never leads to the coarsening of data.
4 Coding of data means time is saved when entering data. [1]
Ans 4
(b) Tick the most accurate statement regarding a disadvantage of coding data in this way.

1 Codes cannot be used in a flat file database.

2 More mistakes are made when entering data.
3 It is possible to run out of meaningful code combinations.
4 It is more difficult to use validation rules with the data. [1]
Ans 3
(c) A shirt manufacturer uses codes to store information about its shirts. For example, a blue
shirt with a neck of 40cm and a chest of 98cm could be coded as B4098.
Explain what each part of the code P4395 could mean and why there may be problems with
coding shirts in this way. Include in your explanation ways of improving this coding method.
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• P means pink/purple with neck 43cm and chest 95cm
• P could stand for any colour beginning with P – purple/pink
• Better to have two or three letters such as PI, PU
• Neck and chest could be transposed
• Better to have N43 or 43N followed by C95 or 95C
• May need 3 digits for chest …
• … with leading 0 for two digit chest/chest sizes < 100
 24
(d) Other methods are used to convert data. These include encryption and the use of codecs.
Analyse the effectiveness of these two methods.
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• Encryption is the scrambling of data …
• … into meaningless groups of symbols …
• … can’t be understood/read without the decryption key
• Is asymmetric and symmetric
• It uses public key and private key or just private key
• It allows protection of sensitive data …
• … such as credit card numbers and personal information from computer hackers
• Without encryption, information could be intercepted and altered or misused by
outsiders
Encryption

• It can be used to create digital signatures to authenticate e-mail

• If the encryption key is lost the data is effectively lost
• Encrypting data and creating the keys necessary to encrypt and decrypt the data
requires expensive systems
• Public key encryption is based on complicated mathematics …
• … making it very hard to both encrypt and decrypt data
• Many systems use a third party to certify the reliability of public keys …
• … if the certification authority is compromised, the criminal that did it could issue
false certificates fooling people into sending data
• Users can have a false sense of security …
• … forgetting that once the data is decrypted it becomes vulnerable to attack again
• Codecs are hardware/software needed to convert data so that it can be transmitted
down communication lines
• Used to compress and decompress /encodes and decodes data
Codecs

• Video and music files are large so are difficult to transfer across the Internet quickly
• Without codecs, downloads would take three to five times longer than they do now
• There are many different types of codec ...
• … it’s not always clear which codec is needed to play the video/music files
• It is common to need ten to twelve codecs to play a user's music and movies
 25
1.4 Checking the accuracy of data
1 Ashraf has used a word processor to type up an essay for his history assignment. He wishes to make sure
that there are no errors in the text he has written. Q4-S17-P12
Describe how he could proofread his essay.
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• Read the text carefully to find/correct typographical errors/mistakes in grammar/style/spelling
• Printing a copy is sometimes better than reading on screen
• Read the essay out loud he will hear other problems that he may not see when reading silently
• He could use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one he is reading
• which keeps him from skipping ahead of possible mistakes
• Use the search function of the computer to find mistakes he is likely to make
• Search for "it," for instance, if he confuses "its" and "it's", "there" for "their" or "they're"
• Check separately for each kind of error he is likely to make, moving from the most to the least
important
• Read through once backwards, sentence by sentence
• Read through again forward to be sure subjects and verbs agree.
2 When a new worker is added to the master file, the data must be validated. His hourly rate will be 50
Rupees. Q7c-M17 P12
Without using a type check, describe three other validation checks you would develop to make sure all
the data entered is sensible.

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• Length check on Workers ID number
• …..Must be exactly 6 characters long
• Lookup check on Department
• ……Must be one of Foundry, Cold rolling, Tube production, Extrusion or Hot rolling
• Range check on hourly rate
• …..E.g. be between 50 and 65
• Presence check on hourly rate (empty check)
• …Rate must be present to record to be accepted
 26
3 A school secretary has just been given some student data to enter into a school’s database of student
records. Q5-S17-P12
These include student numbers and dates of birth such as:
13542767 14/07/2000
11987643 13/10/2001
In order to ensure accuracy of the input, the data will be validated.
Possible validation checks which could be used are range checks, check digits and format checks.
Analyse the effectiveness of these checks in validating this data.
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• A range check could only be carried out on the student number if you knew the lowest and highest
number.
• Invalid numbers/non-existent numbers might be entered which are within the range so would be
accepted.
• A range check on each part of the date of birth could be carried out.
• Would prevent negative days/days greater than 31 being entered. (1 – 31)
• Would prevent months less than 1 or greater than 12 being entered. (1 – 12)
• Would prevent years less than 2000 or greater than 2001 from being entered.
• Would not prevent dates like 30/02/2000 or 31/06/2000 being entered. Both are invalid date
• Check digit can only be carried out on long strings of numbers – Student number is not really long
enough.
• Check digit would pick up transposed numbers which none of the other checks would.
• Date of birth is not in correct format for a check digit to be used.
• Format check could be used on date of birth nn/nn/nnnn.
• Format check would not pick up nonsensical dates of birth such as 68/99/3000.
• Format check would pick up data entry errors such as a three digit
• day/month/single digit day/month/two digit year.
4 A school marks all its exams out of 100.………………….Q10-s17-P13
It has recently introduced a system of positive marking for students in years 12 and 13 whereby students
will be awarded 10 marks for just sitting the exam and then, as normal, will be awarded further marks for
correct answers.

After the papers have been marked, the school secretary will enter the marks into a student database
together with the year the student is in and their date of birth, which must be entered in the form
dd/mm/yyyy. It is acceptable for data to be omitted for certain students.

Apart from type check or length check, describe four different validation checks which should be carried
out on the data to help prevent mistakes occurring.

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 27
• Range check for the exam mark
• ……No mark should be less than 10 or greater than 100
• Lookup check for year
• …….Years should match 12 or 13
• Format check for date of birth
• ……All dates of birth must be two digits followed by a slash followed by two
• …..digits followed by a slash followed by four digits
• Consistency check on year with date of birth
• …The date of birth can be checked to see that the year the student is in corresponds to that.
5 The secretary of a company is transferring workers’ records from paper to a new computer database. She
wishes to make sure the data in the database is accurate. To check the data she is using verification and
validation. Q3-S18-P12

Using an example, or otherwise, explain why she is using validation as well as verification.
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• Verification is checking that data that has been/is being entered into a computer has been copied
correctly from the data source
• Validation is checking that the data entered is reasonable/sensible
• Neither method checks that data is accurate/correct
• Although verification helps to stop users from making mistakes when entering data it cannot check
that the data was originally correct
• Validation is needed because although the data might be copied correctly, the original data might be
invalid.
• The date of birth might be in the form dd/mm/yyyy and the data might have been correctly copied as
1994/12/31 but this is not in the correct format
• a format check would have picked this up
• Common errors when copying data are transcription and transposition errors
• Verification would pick up a transposition error but most validation checks (except a check digit)
would not.
• Verification would pick up transcription errors but validation might not.
6 When data is entered into a database it needs to be checked for accuracy. One of the methods used to
help in this process is verification. Q3-S18-13

Compare and contrast the different methods used to carry out verification.
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• Both involve comparing data that has been/is being entered with another copy
• Both involve checking that data has been entered correctly not that it is correct
• Visual verification is visually checking the entered data against the source document
• Double data entry is usually two people entering the data/entered (by the same person) twice (and
each version compared against the other)
• Visual verification is carried out by a human/user/yourself
• Double data entry – verification is carried out by the computer
• Visual verification will enable the user to see mistakes if they have been made
• With double data entry the computer will alert user to the fact that a mistake has been made and they
decide which version has been copied correctly.
7 Tick the four most accurate statements regarding validation and verification. Q1-W18-P11

1 Verifying data is checking that data is correct.

2 Validating data is checking that data is correct.
3 Validation is the process of checking that the data entered into a system is the same as the
source data.
4 Visual verification is a type of verification.
5 A range check is an example of verification.
6 Validation is checking that data is sensible.
7 A range check is the best check to make sure transposition has not occurred when typing in
a bar code.
8 Visual validation is a type of validation.
9 Double data entry is a type of verification. [4]
10 A type check will prevent a letter of the alphabet being typed into a numeric field.
Ans: 4,6,9,10
8 A secretary has been given a list of product details. She was asked to type the details into a spreadsheet.
Unfortunately, when she typed them in, wrong data was entered into cells A7, A10, A16 and B10. Q8-W18-
P11

(a) Describe four validation checks which could have prevented these errors from occurring, including a
description of how they would have prevented the errors.
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• Check digit check for transposed digits in A7
• …67 instead of 76 would have resulted in a different check digit being calculated
• Type check to check for invalid characters in A10
• …xy would register as text in a numeric field
• Length check to check exact number of characters entered in A16
• ….Would have registered that only 10 characters entered
• Format check to check that correct format has been followed in B10
• …Would have trapped two letters and two digits entered instead of one letter followed by three digits
9 A teacher has reminded her students to proof read their assignments before they hand them in.
Define the term ‘proof reading’. Q5P12M19

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• Proof reading is the careful reading and rereading of a yet to be finally printed document
• …To detect any errors and mark corrections
• It is a relatively slow and methodical search for errors
• Errors such as spelling mistakes, typographical mistakes & grammatical errors (must have at least
two)
• Also checks for omitted words or word endings
• It may also involve checking of different elements of a layout
• ….Checking headings, illustrations and colours
10 By explaining what the purpose of each is, describe the differences between verification and validation.

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• Verification is checking that data that has been/is being entered into a computer has been copied
correctly from the data source.
• Validation is checking that the data entered is reasonable and sensible.
• Verification will not pick up the fact that the original data might be invalid.
• Verification would pick up a transposition error but most validation checks (except a check digit) would
not.
• Verification would pick up transcription errors but validation might not.
 30
11 Louise, a teacher, has been asked to write a text book and will need to submit a sample chapter to the
publishers. Before she submits this chapter, she wants to proofread it. Q5_W20_ P11
Describe how she should visually proofread this chapter.
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• Examining the text carefully to find and correct typographical errors and mistakes in grammar, style,
punctuation and spelling
• Print out a copy rather than read on screen Read the chapter out loud
• When she reads it out loud she will hear other problems that she may not see when reading silently
• She could use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one she is reading
• This avoids her skipping ahead of possible mistakes
• Check separately for each kind of error she is likely to have made, moving from the most to the least
important
• Read through once backwards, sentence by sentence
• Read through again forward to be sure subjects and verbs agree
When data is entered into a database, verification is often used. Q1cP11S21
(c) Analyse, including their effectiveness, the different methods of verification that can be used when
entering data into a database.
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Double Double data entry is where the data is entered twice by the same person…
data entry … The computer stores the data on its hard disk/SSD…
… the two versions are compared by the computer…
… discrepancies are highlighted as the second copy is entered…
… the computer generates an error message/alerts the user if the second entry does not
match the first Double data entry can be when two people enter the data
simultaneously…
… the two versions are compared by the computer as they are entered…
… discrepancies are highlighted immediately…
The keyboard freezes if there is a difference
Visual Visual verification is when a person compares the original source document visually…
verification …with the data on screen/database printout
If mistakes are spotted, they can be corrected by the person
Sometimes the data entered is printed out…
…and the printout is compared to the original paper document for differences/mistakes
Analysis
With double data entry data, the second copy must be entered in exactly the same order as the original
data entry otherwise errors will occur
With visual check data is only entered once…
…so it is normally a quicker process than double data entry…
Visual check tends not to identify all errors unlike double data entry which is much more reliable
A problem with double entry is that if the same error is made both times…
…the computer will not find a difference Visual checking can be unreliable… …as it is difficult to transfer
attention between screen and paper
 31
12 (a) Tick the most accurate statement referring to the use of a length check when validating data.
Q1P12S21
✓
It returns an error message if a data item is not in a lookup list.
It checks to make sure a data item is within an upper limit and a lower limit.
It checks that a data item consists of a set number of characters, not more or less.
It is only used to check numbers. [1]
Ans 3
(b) Tick the most accurate statement referring to the use of a check digit when validating data.
✓
It is used to check that the data in two fields correspond.
It checks the number of digits.
It is the digit added to the end of a long number after a calculation has been
performed.
It checks that a number is above a certain limit. [1]
Ans 3
(c) The table shows data relating to a company’s products. The data can only take the values
shown.

Analyse the effectiveness of the use of type checks and format checks to validate this set of data.
Do not refer to length checks or check digits in your answer.
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A type check checks that all data items are of the same type of character...
...either letters or numbers
A type check on the Weight could be carried out as the data must be numeric
A type check on the Year patented could be carried out as the data must be
type check

numeric...
...there are no letters in the Weight/Year patented fields
A type check would not prevent numbers out of range/incorrect numbers being
entered for Weight...
A type check would not prevent numbers out of range/incorrect numbers being
entered for Year patented...
A format check checks that a string follows a certain pattern...
...such as dd/mm/yyyy for somebody’s date of birth
A format check could be carried out on the Product number as it must be two letters
followed by three numbers
format check

A format check would not pick up a non-existent/incorrect Product number

...as long as it was two letters followed by a three numbers...
A format check could possibly be carried out on Weight as it has to be a digit
followed by one single decimal number
A format check could possibly be carried out on Year patented as it has to be four
digits...
...but it would still accept an out of range/incorrect year

1.5 Data Processing

1 A space agency pays scientists whose job is to enable rockets to be sent to the moon. Q11-W17-P11
Describe how batch and real-time processing would be used by the agency and its scientists.
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Batch processing would be used by payroll department to pay wages
Batch processing would be used if the scientists had collected a very large amount of data offline and need to
now process it all in one go
Transaction file of hours worked is kept
Master file of workers details/rate of pay per hour
Transaction file is used with master file to update master file/produce payslips
Jobs are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction
The input data are collected into batches and each batch is processed as a whole
Batch processing can occur when the computing resources are less busy
Batches can be stored up during working hours and then executed during the evening/whenever the
computer is idle
Batch processing is particularly useful for operations that require the computer or a peripheral device for an
extended period of time

Real-time processing would be suitable for controlling the rockets

Real-time processing causes a response within specified time constraints
Real-time responses are in the order of milliseconds, and sometimes microseconds
Real-time means that the inputs are processed and produce an output which in turn affects the input
Controlling rockets often involves the use of sensors and control systems
A computer system used for real-time processing is often used 24 hours a day for the same task
Real-time data processing gives the scientists the ability to take immediate action for those times when acting
within seconds is significant
If a rocket is off course for just a short period of time its speed is such it would be off course by a large
distance
If the rocket veers off course the computer would immediately fire engines to correct it.
2 (a) Tick the most accurate statement referring to batch processing.Q1M20P12
✓
1 The processing of data usually takes place when the computing resources are very busy
2 It is used in the control of traffic lights
3 It typically involves the use of sensors and control systems
4 It is typically used in the printing of electricity bills
[1]
Ans 4
(b) Tick the most accurate statement referring to real time processing.
✓
1 It would be suitable for controlling a car park barrier
2 It does not require an immediate response
3 It is never used 24 hours a day for the same task
4 It is where a group of transactions is collected over a period of time before being processed
[1]
Ans 1
Theatres often use interactive processing to allow customers to book seats.
(c) Describe what is meant by the term interactive processing.
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• Computers deal with each input after a short delay/give apparently immediate/real time responses
• The delay is caused by the computer accepting/dealing with other inputs
• The delay may be so brief that it seems to the user as if the transaction has happened straight away
• Interactive processing deals with one transaction at a time
• Once the transaction has taken place the database will be updated immediately/same time as the
booking
• The booking system takes a request for a seat and marks that seat as booked
• The computer sends a message to the user to inform him/her the seat has been booked

(d) Give reasons why interactive processing would be used instead of batch processing for booking seats in a
theatre.
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• Because the database is updated immediately it is impossible to have overbooking
• Seats can be booked at any time of day or night
• Customers know immediately if they have successfully booked a seat/get immediate confirmation
• Customers are able to re-book immediately if they are unsuccessful first time
3 Many companies use batch processing for producing workers' payslips.Q6S20P11

(a) Describe, using payroll as an example, what is meant by batch processing.

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• It is collecting the data and then processing it in one go/all at once.
• Jobs are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction.
• The input data/hours worked are collected into batches and each batch is processed as a whole.
• Batch processing/payroll is run when the computing resources are less busy.
• Batches can be stored up during working hours and then executed during the evening/weekend
whenever the computer is idle.
• Batch processing is particularly useful for payroll as it requires the computer/peripheral device for an
extended period of time.
• Transaction file of hours worked is kept for later processing – weekly/monthly.
• Master file of workers’ details/rate of pay per hour is only updated weekly/monthly.
• Transaction file is used with master file to update master file/produce payslips at the end of the
week/month.
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(b) Explain why batch processing is used instead of real-time processing for an application such as payroll.

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• Real-time processing requires/batch processing does not require constant use of the computer when it
might be needed for other tasks.
• Real-time processing requires immediate processing of data which is unnecessary with payroll.
• Hours worked would only be known at the end of each day so there is no point in using real-time
processing.
• The payroll only needs to be run at the end of the week/month so real-time processing is unnecessary.
• Real-time processing does not usually involve the processing of large volumes of data such as running a
whole company’s payroll.
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Master File/ Transaction file
4 Atat Iron Ltd uses computers to process its payroll. The company pays its workers weekly which involves the
updating of a master file. Q7-M17-P12
Two sets of data are shown below.
The first set represents part of a transaction file containing workers’ ID numbers and the hours worked by
those workers in a particular week.
The second set represents part of the master file used by the company. This shows the workers’ ID numbers,
departments they work in and the rate per hour at which they are paid in Indian Rupees ( ).

(a) Describe what processes must happen before the updating can begin.
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• Transaction file is validated
• Transaction file must be sorted
• in same order as master file/sorted on Workers ID number
•
(b) Using this data, explain how a transaction file is used to update a master file in a payroll system. You may
assume that the only transaction being carried out is the calculation of the weekly pay before tax and
insurance deductions.
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•• First record in the transaction file read belonging to 047006
• Reads first record in the old master file belonging to 031597
• These two records are compared
• If records do not match computer writes master file record to new master file
• Records do not match so next record of master file is read 047006
• If it matches transaction is carried out
• Computer calculates the pay rate of pay no. of hours worked, 55 x40
• using rate of pay 55 from master file􀂫
• using hours worked 40 from transaction file
• Processed record is written to new master file
• Next record 131654 is read from transaction file then compared to next master file record 131654
• This continues until the last record from the transaction file record 869891 is read
• After processing the last record of the transaction file 869891 all the remaining
• old master file records are written to the new master file in this case, one record 942378 •
5 Mumbai Stores is a company which has a chain of shops. The company stores the customers’ reference
number, and the value of the goods they have purchased, in a transaction file. Any payments the customers
have made on their account at the end of the month are also stored in the same file.Q7P12M19

Parts of the Transaction file and Master file are shown.

The Goods_bought field contains only the value of goods bought using the account’s credit facilities.

The Master file shows the customers reference number, the money they owe from the previous month
(Old_balance) and the money they now owe (New_balance).

The New_balance has to be calculated by using the Old_balance, Goods_bought and any
Payment made. All these values are in rupees.

Transaction file Master file

Customer_ref_no Goods_bought Payment Customer_ref_no Old_balance New_balance
943201 5500 4000 256431 0
256431 3800 3800 319852 10000
319852 9200 10000 433303 5000
433303 3200 5200 590871 4500
590871 4300 6800 599812 0
612759 3700 3700 612759 0
650897 2300 2300 650897 0
698915 4000 6600 678945 6800
751654 4400 4400 698915 2600
804782 5200 8200 712356 5100
751654 0
804782 4200
943201 0
963584 2400

(a) Describe the processes that must happen to the Transaction file before the Master file can be updated.
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• Transaction file is validated
• Transaction file must be sorted...
• ...in same order as master file/sorted on Customer_ref_no
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(b) Using this data, explain how the Master file is updated using the Transaction file shown. You may assume
that the only transaction being carried out is the calculation of the New_balance.

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• First record in the transaction file read...
• ....belonging to 256431
• Reads first record in the old master file...
• ...belonging to 256431
• These two records are compared
• If records do not match computer writes master file record to new master File...
• ...next record is read from master file and these two records are compared and process is repeated
• Records match so transaction is carried out
• Computer calculates the New_balance=Old_balance + Goods_bought – Payment...
• ...0 + 3800 – 3800 (0)
• Using Old_balance, 0 from master file
• Using Goods_bought 3800, Payment made, 3800 from transaction file
• Processed record is written to new master file
• Next record is read from transaction file...
• ...belonging to 319852
• then compared to next master file record....
• ... belonging to 319852
• This continues until the last record from the transaction file record is read ...
• ....belonging to 943201
• After processing the last record of the transaction file...
• ..belonging to 943201...
• ...all the remaining old master file records are written to the new master file􀂫
• ...in this case, one record 963584.
(c) Each customer has a credit limit of 20000₹. Customers must make a payment of at least 2000₹ each month.

Using examples from the Transaction file, explain why it would be appropriate to use a range check on one
field and a limit check on another field.

Please note, the Customer_ref_no is stored as text.

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• Use a range check on the Payment field between 2000 and 20000
• As customers must make a payment of at least 2000₹ and customers have a credit limit of 20000₹
• Have a limit check on the Goods_bought field as they cannot be more than 20000₹…
• ...customers have a credit limit of 20000₹
• It is impossible to spend less than 0₹…
• ...so a lower limit to the range is unnecessary
• A limit check has only one limit but a range check has two – an upper and lower limit
6 A company selling desktop computers uses batch processing to process its customer orders. The
company updates the stock master file every week. Q5P12W20
Two sets of data are shown below.

The first set represents part of a transaction file containing the computer ID numbers and either the
total number of items sold to customers or the amount of new stock delivered to the company in a
particular week. The type of transaction is given a code of either S or D. S means that the number of
computers in stock needs to be reduced. D means that new stock needs to be added.

The second set represents part of the master file used by the company. This shows the computer ID
numbers, the make of computer, the hard disk size and number in stock.

Using this data, explain the steps involved in updating the master file using this transaction file for
both types of transaction. You may assume that the transaction file has already been validated and
sorted.

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• First record in the transaction file / D20992 is read

• First record in the master file / D15609 is read
• These two records are compared
• If records don’t match, the computer writes the master file record to the new master file
• Records don’t match so the next record of the master file/ D20992 is read
• As it matches, a transaction is carried out
• The transaction is D so Quantity is added to the number in stock in the master file
• Using Number of 145 from master file
• Using Quantity 40 from transaction file
• Number_in_stock is now 185
• Processed record is written to the new master file
• Next record, D43487, is read from transaction file and compared to the next master file record,
D43487
• As it matches, a transaction is carried out
• The transaction is S so Quantity is subtracted
• Using Number of 120 from master file
• Using Quantity 45 from transaction file
• Number_in_stock is now 75 and the processed record is written to the new master file
• This continues until the last record from the transaction file, record T49443, is read
• After processing the last record of the transaction file, T49443, all the remaining old master file
records are written to the new master file, in this case, one record, T88350
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8

(a) The transaction file has been sorted so that the updating can begin. Describe what other
process must happen before updating can begin. Q9P12S21
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• The transaction file must be validated
(b) Describe the steps involved in updating the master file in this payroll system.
You must use examples from the files shown.
You may assume that the only transaction being carried out is the calculation of the weekly
pay using the formula:
Hourly rate × Hours worked
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1. The computer reads the first record in the transaction file belonging to 25306
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2. The computer reads the first record in the old master file belonging to 13487
3. The record from the transaction file is compared to the record from the master file
4. If the records don’t match, the computer writes the master file record to the new master file
5. The records don’t match so the next record of the master file is read, 25306
6. If it matches, the transaction is carried out/weekly pay is calculated
7. The records match so the computer calculates the hourly rate x hours worked, 25 x 35...
8. ...using the hourly rate, 25, from the master file and the hours worked, 35, from the
transaction file
9. The processed record is written to the new master file
10. The next record, 25376, is read from the transaction file...
11. ...then compared to next master file record, 25376
12. This continues until the last record from the transaction file, record 39286, is read/all the
transaction file records are read
13. After processing the last record of the transaction file, 39286, all the remaining old master
file records are written to the new master file...
14. ...in this case one record, 39875
9 b) Payroll is an example of batch processing. Q9bP1SP22
Explain why batch processing is preferred to online processing for this task.

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• For large systems the hardware required can be cheaper to buy than that in an online
system
• Batch processing can be carried out at a time when the computer would not normally be
used ...
• ... so a company can get more work out of the computer hardware it owns Batch processing
moves the time of processing to when the computing resources are less busy
• Batch processing requires less human supervision and input ...
• ... reduces the staff costs for the data operators
• The transaction file can be set up when it is more convenient to the person entering the
data
• Online processing is designed for continual input, processing and output whereas there are
fewer occasions for input with payroll