data processing

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data processing

data processing or information processing, operations (e.g., handling, merging, sorting, and computing) performed upon data in accordance with strictly defined procedures, such as recording and summarizing the financial transactions of a business. In automatic or electronic data processing the operations are performed by a computer . In distributed data processing some or all of the operations are performed in different locations at computer facilities connected by telecommunications links.

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data processing

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

data processing Systematic sequence of operations performed on data, especially by a computer, in order to calculate or revise information stored on magnetic disk or tape. This involves retrieving and classifying information. The main processing operations performed by a computer are: arithmetical addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and logical operations that involve decision-making based on comparison of data. For example, data processing is used to predict population growth.

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