STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION

Units 3a and 3b

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WHY DO WE FILE• Information must be:

• Kept tidy

• Able to be found easily and quickly when needed

• Kept safe

• Stored in an accessible place

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FEATURES OF A GOOD FILING SYSTEM

• Quick and simple to use• Not take up too much

space• Able to meet future needs• Located in a convenient

place• Documents should be safe

and tidy

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INFORMATION CAN BE STORED

• In a manual, paper based form (hard copy)

• In electronic format (soft copy)

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MANUAL STORAGE OF INFORMATION

Vertical filing

cabinets Horizontal filing

cabinets

Filing traysLever Arch

files

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A PROCEDURE FOR MANUAL FILING• File regularly

throughout the day• Before filing, check

for a release mark:• F for file• Tick• Initials• “File” stamp• Line through

• Staple papers to be kept together

• Sort documents in order

• Place in correct file in chronological order

• Replace removed documents with an absent marker

• Lock cabinets containing confidential documents

• Old documents should archived to free up space

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FILING ORDERAlphabetical Order Numerical Order

Folders in order of surname Customers etc allocated a number

Direct – no index needed Alphabetic index required

Easy to understand and use May require some training to understand

Suitable for small organisations

Suitable for large organisations

Difficult to add new customer

Index required – may be slower to find things

Chronological order – date or time order:Place documents in file most recent at the top – it is the most likely to be needed!

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ELECTRONIC STORAGE OF INFORMATION

Memory Stick

Floppy Disc CD Rom

Zip disc

Hard Disc

DVD

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HOW CAN FILES BE STORED ELECTRONICALLY?

• Using an Application package• Database• Word Processing• Spreadsheet• Desk Top Publishing• Presentation

• Scanning in information• Downloading from the Internet• Saving images

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DATABASE

• A database is an electronic filing system • A file/table holds all the information needed on

a particular topic.• A record is a collection of information about one

thing eg Employee• A field is a column containing all the same

information• Fields can be formatted to hold particular types

of information, eg date, number, currency etc• You can enter as much information as you need• You can Add, Delete and Alter the field type

easily

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EXAMPLES OF DATABASESI can look up

your information on our database – what is your

account number please?

My name is Mr Bain and I can

look up my student details

on Click and Go – our student

database

I have all my patient details

on a database – this allows me to print

prescriptions

I see from out

database that you are allergic to penicillin!

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WORD PROCESSING

• Word processing is the storage of text documents

• Advantages• Information can be edited, added to and deleted quickly

and easily• Graphics can be added to documents to make them look

more interesting• A variety of formats (eg bold, italics etc) fonts and sizes

can be used• Documents can be stored and recalled at

a later date• Most useful in the Admin department for creating

letters, leaflets, posters, reports etc

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SPREADSHEET

• A spreadsheet is a software application which is used to manage numbers and carry out calculations. It calculates using formulae. Spreadsheets can produce graphs.

• Advantages• Calculations carried out instantly• Calculations accurate if formula is correct• Data can be easily converted to graphs and charts• Most useful in Finance and Sales department for wages,

sales records, stock records, invoices, graphs illustrating movement of sales

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SCANNING DOCUMENTS

• Many large organisations scan alldocuments received and work with the scanned documents which are then available for all authorised staff via the network.

• Many official forms have to becompleted in black ink which probably means they will be scanned when they are received. Paper documents can then be archived or shredded to save space.

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IMPORTANCE OF FILE MANAGEMENT

Files prepared on the computer are stored electronically. It is important that a proper system of file management is used so that computer files can be found again when required. Decide

• How to name the file• Where to save it

• Set up appropriately named folders• Set up sub-folders within the folders• Insert the filename and path at the foot of documents to help

locate them at a later date• Clear out unnecessary documents regularly• Back up documents daily

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MANUAL VERSUS ELECTRONIC

Electronic ManualSaves space – no need for cabinets Little training required

Documents can be accessed by many users

People prefer to read paper

Databases can be searched and sorted very quickly

Lost documents cannot be replaced

Documents located quicker than going to filing cabinets

Takes time to locate documents

Records can be added, deleted and edited much more quickly than on paper

Confidential – use of log-in and passwords

Back-ups easily made

Takes time to train staff to use system

Faults can lead to delays in finding info

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VIRUSES

• Organisations using electronic filing must keep themselves protected from viruses

• It is easy to lose important data if staff are not trained to deal with viruses• Use virus scanning software• Update virus software regularly to catch new

viruses• Do not open e-mail attachments from an unknown

source• Do not allow staff to bring in discs/CDs/memory

sticks – they may be infected

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MICROFILMING

• Some organisations use microfilming to archive documents which are no longer needed or to preserve delicate/very old documents

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EVALUATION OF FILING METHODS

Factor Manual Electronic

Cost •Type of equipment (and cost) will depend on type of documents•No of filing cabinets required

•Equipment – installation and maintanance•Training costs•Security costs

Space •Is there enough space for vertical cabinets•Will expansion cause a problem

•Lockable cabinets required for back-up storage

Training •Filing staff may need to be trainied in indexing rules (if this system is used)

•Training on hardware and software

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TO SUM UP …

• Why do we file• Features of a good filing s

ystem• Manual storage of inform

ation• A procedure for manual fi

ling• Filing order• Electronic storage of

information• Database

• Word Processing• Spreadsheet• Scanning documents• File management• Manual versus electronic• Viruses• Microfilming• Evaluation of methods