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(A) Data Capturing

It involves the process of gathering data from different sources in digital form. Data may be
captured using keyboard, bar code readers (used in offices, business establishments, and
at shopping outlets as shown in Fig. 1.17), remote sensors placed in satellites orbiting the
earth, etc.

Application Mobile Computer/PDA Barcode Scanner/RFID Reader
Scanning Barcodes with Built-in with Modular Head System Bluetooth® Hand-held Scanner &
Camera of your Smartphone or Peripheral Device
Tablet

Fig. 1.17: Ways to Capture Data
(B) Data Storage

It is the process of storing the captured data for processing. Nowadays, data is being
produced at a very high rate and, therefore, data storage has become a challenging task.
However, the decrease in the cost of digital storage devices has helped in simplifying this
task. There are numerous digital storage devices available which we have already discussed.
Data keeps on increasing with time. Hence, the storage devices also need to be upgraded
Supplement – Informatics Practices with Python–XI
periodically. In large organizations, computers with larger and faster storage, called data
servers, are deployed to store vast amount of data. Such dedicated computers help in
processing data efficiently. However, the cost (both hardware and software) of setting up a
data server as well as its maintenance is high, especially for small organizations and start-ups.
(C) Data Retrieval

It involves fetching the data from the storage devices for its processing as per user requirement.
As databases grow, the challenges involved in search and retrieval of the data in acceptable
time also increase. Minimizing data access time is crucial for faster data processing.

1.11 DATA DELETION AND RECOVERY

One of the biggest threats associated with digital data is its deletion.
Storage devices can malfunction or crash resulting in the deletion of
stored data. Users can accidentally erase data from storage devices
or a hacker/malware can delete the digital data intentionally.

Deleting digitally stored data means changing the details of data at
bit level, which can be very time-consuming. Therefore, when any
data is simply deleted, its address entry is marked as free and that
much space is shown as empty to the user without actually deleting
the data. In case data gets deleted accidentally or corrupted, there
arises a need to recover the data. Recovery of data is possible only if the contents/memory
1.4