data processing

Home > ... > Science and Technology > Computers and Electrical Engineering > Computers and Computing > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side World Encyclopedia The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

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.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-dataproc" title="Facts and information about data processing">data processing</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"data processing." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"data processing." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (November 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-dataproc.html

"data processing." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-dataproc.html

Learn more about citation styles

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.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O142-dataprocessing" title="Facts and information about data processing">data processing</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"data processing." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"data processing." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (November 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-dataprocessing.html

"data processing." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved November 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-dataprocessing.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Event Processing Technical Society Announces First Public Event Processing Glossary of Industry Terms. Business Wire; 7/15/2008
	Conversion Processing, LLC Signs Agreement with Global eTelecom, Inc. for Electronic Check Conversion Processing. Business Wire; 8/7/2001
	Unisys and Voice Processing Plus Reach Agreement to Offer Natural Language in Interactive Voice Response, IVR, Systems. Business Wire; 8/26/1997

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	PBX processing design - it matters. (private branch exchanges) Magazine article from: Business Communications Review; 9/1/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...past two decades, the evolution of PBX processing system design has paralleled that of computer data processing - a design that started with centralized...the 1980s, a typical PBX had only one processing element, the main central processing...
	Signal processing. (includes related article on signal processor stereotypes) (EDN Special Report) (Cover Story) Magazine article from: EDN; 11/12/1992; ; 700+ words ; ...speed is clearly analog processing's forte, with high...limitations of digital processing lie in both the A...you can preprocess the data--depending on the...to process continuous data at such speeds. Most...In addition to the processing ICs discussed here...
	Image processing rolls on as banks reap benefits. (Management Strategies: Using Information to Increase Profits) Magazine article from: American Banker; 7/19/1993; ; 700+ words ; ...images onto a CD-ROM, a high-capacity data disk, making them easier to transfer...Comerica, and Signet say that image processing has cut their check processing costs, improved processing time, and given them better funds availability...
	Accelerate processing performance: acceleration is the key to improved processing performance.(IMAGING)(Statistical data) Magazine article from: Quality; 3/1/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...employ rudimentary image processing operations such as arithmetic...contents of the source data and where the source...simplify images. * The processing and analytics stage...measure or sort features. Processing and analytics algorithms...contents of the source data, employ branching and...
	Film processing activity down 10 percent: OTU cameras, fast processing continue to gain market share.(one time use cameras) Magazine article from: Photo Marketing; 12/1/2003; ; 700+ words ; ...consumers also have impacted processing activity, as economic concerns...reconsider travel plans. This data can be found in the PMA Monthly Processing Survey, published each month...at www.pmai.org. As processing activity declines, some...
	EW processing: processing tasks.(electronic warfare) Magazine article from: Journal of Electronic Defense; 10/1/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...overview of the major types of EW processing and their roles in the EW...very complex area, and EW processing professionals (like professionals...within which we can discuss EW processing. RF Threat Identification...signal intercepts. * Signal data from early, easy analysis...
	Operational processing of satellite sea surface temperature retrievals at the Naval Oceanographic office Magazine article from: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society; 3/1/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...summarizes the operational processing of digital Advanced...AVHRR) satellite data into a global SST retrieval...described, detailing data processing procedures, algorithms...information, satellite SST data, satellite-buoy SST match files, and processing event logs; extended...
	Evaluating processing options for SOC integration: finding the right combination of processing elements helps you optimize performance, price, and power consumption.(design feature) Magazine article from: EDN; 9/30/2004; ; 700+ words ; ...If the bulk of the system processing was for data, you'd use a RISC, even though the signal processing might suffer. If the bulk...system functions as signal- or data-processing tasks and divide them into...
	Event Processing Technical Society Announces First Public Event Processing Glossary of Industry Terms. Business Wire; 7/15/2008; 700+ words ; ...standards relevant to event processing; * collaborate with the...language among the event processing community, it will allow the event processing customers to have a single...technologies in our recent data on software decision makers...
	Materials processing with microwave energy. Magazine article from: Mechanical Engineering-CIME; 8/1/1995; ; 700+ words ; ...The growth of microwave processing has been delayed for several...Laboratories. Moreover, improved data collection and modeling efforts...As the influence of key processing parameters affecting the heating...commercialization should expand rapidly. PROCESSING MATERIALS Microwaves are coherent...