Data processing systems use computer programs to turn raw data into information through transaction processing. The first system was developed in the 1800s, with technological advances leading to the creation of modern components such as processors and hard disk storage. Input methods include keyboards and external media, and configurations include mainframes, mid-range computers, and client-server networks. Data processing and information systems are different in theoretical terms, with the former being the engine that starts the information management process.
A data processing system is one that uses a computer program or language to process raw data and turn data into information using a method known as transaction processing. Data can be acquired from many sources, including direct data input, punch card files, and external media such as disks, tapes, and external drives. The system also analyzes the raw data, sorts the data according to programming instructions via software or user intervention, and calculates and disseminates the data in the form of a screen prompt or hard copy report.
Data processing systems can be traced back to the early 1800s. The first punch card system was developed in 1801 by Joseph-Marie Jacquard. In 1833, Charles Babbage created an analytical engine to interpret the holes or information on punched cards. A major technological shift would occur in the 1880s when Herman Hollerith developed the tabulator and key punch, which would become basic components of early data processing systems. In 1890, the United States Census was tabulated with the punch card and key punch machine.
Technological advances during the next 100 years included the invention of the processor and memory functions, hard disk storage, and report processing. After World War II, US government and computer industry officials created the term “data processing” to refer to the acquisition and processing of data. The first government data processing system, the Electronic and Computer Numerical Integrator (ENIAC), was commissioned in 1945, starting an ever-evolving automation trend.
The basic components of this system are the operating system, low-level programming involving hardware programming; the processor (CPU), which calculates instructions in milliseconds; the operating system, which manages the software and hardware functions of the system; and hard drive storage, which stores data on an internal hard drive. A system must have ways to input raw data to formulate information. This data can be entered via a keyboard or external media such as a disk, tape, punch card or a CD-ROM). Configurations of data-processing equipment are mainframes, mid-range computers, and client-server networks such as local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) hardware configurations. At the machine or operating system level, these components are synchronized to support a basic data processing system.
Data processing and information systems may appear to be interchangeable terms but they are very different in theoretical terms. While the term “information systems” is widely used in the industry, its roots and elements are in data processing. A data processing system is the engine that starts the information management and analysis process. Information systems provide the decision making process once data is analyzed and produced.
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