Would a batch input system offer any advantages? Write a brief memo to Zoe stating your views.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Students should understand that batch input involves data entry on a specified time schedule, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or longer. As a cable service provider, Able Communications must set up and configure customer accounts at any time, and a batch input method would interfere with customer service and delay cable access for new accounts. Monthly billing for established accounts, however, might be done on a batch basis, on a designated day (such as the last business day of the month). If Able provides multi-level accounts, where a specific number of dollars buys a specific number of hours, assume that the company has industry-specific ISP software that automatically tracks usage and billing — so the results could be applied to customer accounts in a batch at month’s end. In this sense, batch input offers the advantage of a scheduled, automated procedure that is unlikely to introduce human data entry errors. Even so, Able probably will have to input various changes or adjustments manually, so data validation checks still will be needed in many situations.
Finally, although online input offers many advantages, it does have some disadvantages. For example, unless source data automation is used, manual data entry is slower and more expensive than batch input because it is performed at the time the transaction occurs and often done when computer demand is at its highest. In any case, a decision like this should not be made in isolation, but rather as part of overall system design, in order to support the rest of the system and not create unforeseen problems.