Information must be: Kept Tidy Kept Safe Stored in an accessible place Able to be found easily and quickly when needed

In a manual, paper based form (hard copy) In an electronic form (soft copy) OR

Quick and simple to use Does not take up too much space Able to meet future needs Located in a convenient place Documents should be safe and tidy

Generally available as 3.5 hard cased disk Storage space 1.4/2Mb Disc must be formatted before use Can be stored in folders like a filing cabinet Floppy Disks

Storage medium provided with the computer Storage capacity of hard disk drives is quoted in Gb (Gigabytes)

Newer type of storage device - saves 100Mb or 200Mb Can save up to 140 times more data than a floppy Useful for backing up and storing large files - especially internet downloads

Stores up to 650Mb of data Most programs are now supplied on CD-Rom Using a CD writer it is possible to store information on CD-Rom

More computers are now fitted with DVD drives Stores up to 17Gb of Data (26 CDs) Now possible to make your own DVDs

Can have 2, 3 or 4 drawers Most cabinets have a series of pockets suspended on runners at the edge of the drawer

Files can be arranged side-by-side Files are suspended on horizontal rows Less space needed than vertical filing cabinets - no drawers

Trays can be stacked one on top of the other Trays can be labelled eg IN, OUT and Pending Allows papers to be stored neatly during the day

Useful for storing papers which are referred to often Can be used with dividers to section off parts of the folder

Used to store a variety of information - similar to diary Available in different sizes Possible to buy skeleton pages

Database Word Processing Spreadsheet Desk Top Publishing Presentation Using an Application Package Scanning Information Downloading from the Internet

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 piece of information within a record

It can create the fields to hold the information You can enter as much information as you need You can Add, Delete and Alter the field type easily You can search for what you need - can attempt multiple searches You can sort the information numerically or alphabetically both descending and ascending You can merge from the database into other documents

It is a grid with a series of numbered rows and lettered columns It allows you to perform calculations Information can be changed/updated and figures recalculated

Text and Graphics can be scanned Mail received can be scanned then originals destroyed Saves space - no need for filing cabinets Saved as WP documents

Use an appropriate file name Save files in named folders Label disks clearly and store in lockable boxes Make regular back-ups

Access information quickly Edit information easily If information is on a server more than one person can use it at one time Storage space less Can access information from anywhere

Equipment failure stops access to information Power failure can cause loss of information Fire can cause the loss of all data Human error could overwrite files

Viruses could be a big problem Easy to loose data if staff are not trained properly