Two basic data processing concepts are described: data elements (consisting of bits, bytes, fields, records, and files) and binary characters (standards, hex value, and extended character sets--Greek letters, superscripts, and subscripts). Use of machine-readable data in the OCLC-MARC database is noted. (EJS)

Information systems are becoming more than computer systems, with new equipment and techniques combining with data processing to form a new field called information technology. The emerging discipline of systems engineering is discussed along with nine systems engineering techniques. An organization chart of an information services department is…

Provides an introduction to various reference sources which are useful in dealing with the areas of data processing, office automation, and communications technologies. A bibliography with vendor listings is included. (FM)

Presents 15 suggestions for training business education students in the use of computers. Suggestions involve computer language, method of presentation, laboratory time, programing assignments, instructions and handouts, problem solving, deadlines, reviews, programming concepts, programming logic, documentation, and defensive programming. (CT)

Explains the cause of the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem for computers, how it manifests itself, and what can be done to fix it. Attention is given to both microcomputers and more powerful machines. (MSE)

Examines the impact of introducing data processing in middle-level accountancy training programs in Botswana. Hardware and software considerations for the program are also examined. Since the beginning of the program, some 300 students have been trained in accounting. (JN)

Outlines an introductory computer literacy course that focuses on the business data processing cluster. The course provides a general understanding of data processing history, applications, equipment, systems, people, and procedures. (SK)

Describes a data processing exercise for social studies in the primary grades. Students create a histogram out of building blocks to represent the number of siblings in their families. Pictures of men, women, boys, and girls are used to construct a pictorial graph of the number of adults and children in students' families. (AM)

A computer system assists the Arlington Independent School District's newly created tax office in all phases of its operation: property appraisal, billing, collecting, and record-keeping. (Author)

Presents an outdoor activity requiring students to collect data and suggests some possible applications of the data. (ASK)

Presents an activity in which students study statistical concepts using data from Super Bowl games. (ASK)

The community cable that brings television programs to homes can, at a small cost, be utilized by schools and local governments as a medium for data communication. Technical and legal aspects are addressed. (MLF)

Outlines procedures for the application of data processing technology to media center functions, and explains four steps in designing a database: preliminary design, selection of software, detailed design, and design evaluation. (LRW)

The distributed data processing system at an Indiana school district can be expanded without causing degradation in response time. Microcomputers are used for daily data entries, and to initiate data inquiries to the mainframe and to communicate with each other. (MLF)

Supplying data from mainframe computers to microcomputers is tedious because IBM mainframe computers use Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) to represent data and microcomputers use an American National Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) code set. (MLF)